Apocrypha
Testament of Jacob
Pseudepigraphon
13 chapters · read and listen
Reading note
An apocryphal or pseudepigraphal text — outside the canon of the Western churches, yet widely circulated among ancient Jews and Christians. Published here from a public-domain translation, edited for continuous reading.
Chapters
Dossier
The third and shortest of the Coptic patriarchal testaments: Jacob warned of his death, the blessing of his sons, and the passage through the places of punishment and rest.
Where this text comes from
Coptic, 2nd to 3rd century AD, transmitted in Arabic and Ge'ez together with the testaments of Abraham and Isaac.
Why it is not in the Bible
Outside every canon.
What you will find
- It takes up the blessing of the twelve sons that Genesis narrates, now from the point of view of the farewell.
- The closing exhortation is addressed to the reader, not to the characters — the text steps out of the narrative and speaks directly.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Testament of Jacob the same as Jacob's blessing in Genesis?
- No. Genesis 49 gives the blessing of the twelve sons. This is a much later Coptic text centred on Jacob's death and his vision of the beyond.