Scribes as Descendants of Levi

Though preserved in Greek by the church, the Testament of Levi (from the larger collection known as the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs) was originally written in Aramaic, attested in Aramaic copies found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. In this excerpt, Levi recounts a dream wherein he received the promise of the priesthood, as well as positions among judges and scribes. Scribal authority and the priestly office remain intertwined throughout the literature of the Second Temple period and late antiquity.