Testament of Abraham

Current State of the OCP Text

The entire Greek text of the Testament of Abraham is represented here as it appears in M. R. James, The Testament of Abraham (T&S 2.1; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1892); Reprinted in M. E. Stone, ed., The Testament of Abraham: The Greek Recensions (TT 2: Pseudepigrapha Series 2; Missoula: Scholars Press, 1972), 2-84. This text has now been superceded by that of Schmidt, Le Testament grec d'Abraham (see bibliography below). James' text of the short recension (B) is now problematic and should not be trusted in detailed work. In the long recension (A) James' text is much closer to that of Schmidt and can be employed safely for general purposes. Work on a full critical apparatus of TAbr for this OCP edition is in its beginning stages.

Bibliography

Print Editions

• J. B. Bauer, "Testamentum Abrahae A, B," Index verborum in libris pseudepigraphis usurpatorum, in Clavis librorum Veteris Testamenti apocryphorum philologica (ed. C. A. Wahl; Leipzig: S.J. Ambosii Barth, 1853; Repr. Graz: Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, 1972), 647-91.
• M. R. James, The Testament of Abraham: The Greek Text Now First Edited, with an Introduction and Notes by Montague Rhodes James, M. A., with an Appendix Containing Extracts from the Arabic Version of the Testaments of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by W. E. Barnes, B. D. (T&S 2.2; Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1892).
• ** The first critical edition, and the only full published edition until that of Schmidt in 1986. Based on 3 mss for the short recension (B) and 6 mss for the long recension (A). Critical apparatus is not complete for these mss and includes several errors in the readings it does report.
• F. Schmidt, "Le Testament d'Abraham: Introduction, édition de la recension courte, traduction et notes" (2 vols.; Diss., Strasbourg, 1971).
• **Includes a critical text of the B recension improving on that of James.
• S. C. Agourides, "Διαθήκη Ἀβραὰμ," Deltion Biblikón Meletón 1 (1972): 238-48.
• M. E. Stone, The Testament of Abrhaham: The Greek Recensions Translated (TT, Pseudepigrapha Series 2. Missoula: Scholars Press, 1972).
• ** Reprints the text of James.
• M. Delcor, Le Testament d’Abraham: Introduction, Traduction Du Texte Grec et Commentaire de la Recension Grecque Longue, Suivi de la Traduction Des Testaments d’Abraham, d’Isaac et de Jacob d’Après les Versions Orientales (SVTP 2; Leiden: Brill, 1973).
• ** Does not include a critical Greek text, but does include separate French translations of the Testaments of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as preserved in Coptic (Bohairic), Ethiopic, and Arabic which are useful for those without a knowledge of those languages.
• Denis, Concordance, 825-32.
• F. Schmidt, Le Testament grec d'Abraham: Introduction, édition critique des deux recensions grecques, traduction (TSAJ 11: Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1986).
• ** Currently the best text. Based on 23 mss of the long recension (A) and 9 mss of the short recension (B). Schmidt reports the existence of five more mss which he was unable to obtain in preparing his text, at least three of which seem to be mss of recension A (see p. 3). Given the extremely wide variation among the surviving manuscripts, even within each recension, Schmidt declined to reconstruct an eclectic text. Instead, for each textual family he prints in running form the text of one manuscript, providing an apparatus which lists all variants in the other mss of the family (only purely orthographic variants are excluded). Schmidt also sub-divides recension B into two ms families, providing separate texts for each family (mss EACDHI and mss BFG respectively). Schmidt's two texts of the short recension employ mss E and B respectively for their running texts and both differ substantially from James' text of the short recension. In his text of the long recension Schmidt employs ms A as his running text. Since this is the same ms which was employed by James as the basis of his eclectic text, Schmidt's running text of the long recension is much closer to that of James than is the case in the short recension. Schmidt retains the chapter divisions of James. In recension B he employs the verse divisions of P. Riessler, while the verse division in recension A are Schmidt's own work.

For further bibliography, see DiTommaso, Bibliography, 565-74.

Sigla Used in the Text

{ }	Curled brackets: indicate James' suggested additions to the text. (In James' printed edition this was represented by angle brackets < >).
[ ]	Square brackets: indicate James' suggested deletions from the text.
* *	Asterisks: indicate text judged by James to be irremediably corrupt. (In James' printed edition this was represented by a dagger [†]).

Copyright Information

James' eclectic Greek text of the Testament of Abraham is in the public domain. Before using this or any other OCP text for another purpose, please click on the "copyright and permissions" link in the help menu at top to read the OCP. statement on copyright and re-use.