Israel’s Future and the Coming Kingdom

The Testament of Moses (also known as the Assumption of Moses) purports to be the words of Moses on his deathbed to his successor, Joshua, before Joshua assumes leadership and leads the Israelites into the promised land. The document foretells the history of the people of Israel in their land and the end of days. The king mentioned in the first excerpt is probably Herod the Great, whose reign was about thirty-four years long (see Herod the Great). The second excerpt is a typical vision of the coming of the kingdom of God. The “messenger” who will inaugurate the kingdom is depicted here as a priestly messiah. “Filling the hands” in 10:2 is a technical term for ordination to the priesthood. The messenger is clearly a warrior as well as a priest.

The text survives only in a Latin translation, made from a Greek text, which was originally translated from either a Hebrew or an Aramaic original. The date of the original is disputed. Some scholars date it to the time of the Maccabean revolt (167–164 BCE), some to just before the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in 70 CE, and some to the time of the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–135 CE). The content makes clear that the text was composed during a time of distress or war.