The Testament of Adam

ABSTRACT

by Robert Walker
rwjw@st-andrews.ac.uk

[Robert Walker is a third-year undergraduate at St. Mary’s College in the University of St. Andrews.–JRD]

The paper consists of a brief outline of the three sections of the Testament of Adam, Horarium, Prophecy and Hierarchy. It then considers the arguments for the original language, concluding, with guidance from Robinson, that the Syriac is probably the earliest–the common ground between other ancient literary works, including the Cave of Treasures and Transitus Mariae. It then examines the reasons for dating the texts between the second and fourth century CE. The literary unity of the various texts is then considered, including the parallel, possibly introduced by a later Christian redactor,between the Horarium and angelology.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Stephen Edward Robinson, The Testament of Adam. Chico, Ca., 1982.

Michael E. Stone, A History of the Literature of Adam and Eve. Atlanta, Ga., 1992.

(c) 1997
Reproduction beyond fair use only on permission of the author.