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The Testament of Levi Concerning the Priesthood and Arrogance

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Section 5

About this work

Author: Unknown

5. And the angel opened to me the

‹ Section 4 Section 6 ›

gates

of

heaven

,

and

I

saw

the

holy

temple

,

and

the

Most

High

upon

a

throne

of

glory

.

And

He

said

to

me

,

Levi

,

I

have

given

thee

the

blessings

of

the

priesthood

until

that

I

shall

come

and

sojourn

in

the

midst

of

Israel

.

Then

the

angel

brought

me

to

the

earth

,

and

gave

me

a

shield

and

a

sword

,

and

said

,

Work

vengeance

on

Shechem

because

of

Dinah

,

and

I

will

be

with

thee

,

because

the

Lord

hath

sent

me

.

And

I

destroyed

at

that

time

the

sons

of

Hamor

,

as

it

is

written

in

the

heavenly

tablets

.

And

I

said

to

Him

,

I

pray

Thee

,

O

Lord

,

tell

me

Thy

name

,

that

I

may

call

upon

Thee

in

a

day

of

tribulation

.

And

He

said

,

I

am

the

angel

who

intercedeth

for

the

race

of

Israel

,

that

He

smite

them

not

utterly

,

because

every

evil

spirit

attacketh

it

.

And

after

these

things

I

was

as

it

were

awaked

,

and

blessed

the

Most

High

,

and

the

angel

that

intercedeth

for

the

race

of

Israel

,

and

for

all

the

righteous

.

Notes

8
This document, the idea of which is that of a book containing what is fore-ordained in heaven as to the course of the future, is one often appealed to in Apocalyptic literature, when some oracular declaration of weighty import is needed. Thus, in the Book of Enoch, the angel Uriel tells Enoch that the tablets contain all wisdom, the dying Enoch tells his children that the tablets are the source of all understanding, etc. (see, e.g., cc. 81. 1; 93. 2; 106. 19, ed. Dillmann). In the Book of Jubilees, again, it is said that inscribed on the tablets are, e.g., the punishment of the angels who sinned with mortal women, the plan of the division of weeks, the name of Abraham as the friend of God, etc. (cc. 5, 6, 19). See also Test. Asher, 2, 7, infra.
9
[Gen. xlviii. 16. The Jehovah-Angel.]