G — Biblically Based Apocryphal Works

The Testament of Judah and Joseph (4Q538-9)

1Four small fragments of an Aramaic work (4Q538) were first recognized as belonging to the Testament of Judah by J. T. Milik ('Ecrits préesséniens de Qumrân: d'Hénoch à Amram', in Qumrân. Sa piété, sa théologie et son milieu, ed. M. Delcor (1976), 91-106). The script belongs to mid-first century BCE. The five fragments of the Testament of Joseph (4Q539) are too small for translation. However, the allusion to 'my uncle Ishmael' (fr. 3) whose children acquired Joseph as a slave, and to the minister of Pharaoh, Pentephres, the Greek form of Potiphar (fr. 4), who bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites, seem to confirm Milik's identification of the document. For the editio princeps, see E. Puech, DJD, XXXI, 191-2 11. Frs. 1-2 ... if there is in their heart [an evil spirit] towards me (Joseph). vacat When I... and they came [to me,] they all [brou]ght to me the bags... and [they fell to the ground] before Joseph and revered [him]. He then knew that there was no evil [sp]irit [in their heart] and he could no longer... (suspect them) ... and he could no longer... And he presented his brothers [with] a big [mea]l ... on my (Judah's) shoulder (literally: neck) and embraced me ...