The Assumptiom of Moses book Restored from Quotations of the Early Writters - english
This is a post about the Assumption of Moses lost Book.
In the book called Assumption of Moses translated
from Latin to English by R.H.Charles 1897, Charles teaches us that the latin book with some other latin fragments were actually part of another book that should be called Testament of Moses and that is some point in the history of the book some editor attemped to put the Testament of Moses with the parts of the real Assumption of Moses together in the same book, but that the latin versions that survived to our era contained only the first part corresponding to the majority of the Testament of Moses book. (You can find this great work at archive.org)
But in these great work, Mr. Charles put toguether quotations from ancient writers about the real book of assumption of moses. Unfortunately he didn't translated to english this quotation in order to make an inteligeble version for english readers. So in this post I intend to put toguether this quotations that Mr. Charles separated, but also with the english translations.
The original Assumption, according to R.H.Charles,
was probably as follows:
"I. Michael is commissioned to bury Moses;
II. Satan opposes his burial, and that on two grounds:
(a) First, he claims to be the lord of matter
(hence the body rightfully should be handed over to him).
To this claim Michael rejoins:
The Lord rebuke thee, for it was God's Spirit that created the world and all mankind.
(Hence not Satan, but God was the Lord of matter.)
(b) Secondly, Satan brings the charge of murder against Moses.
(The answer to this charge is wanting.)
III. Having rebutted Satan's accusations, Michael then proceeds to charge
Satan with having inspired the serpent to tempt Adam and Eve.
IV. Finally, all opposition having been overcome, the Assumption takes place
in the presence of Joshua and Caleb, and in a very peculiar way.
A twofold presentation of Moses appears: one is Moses "living in the spirit,"
which is carried up to heaven; the other is the dead body of Moses,
which is buried in the recesses of the mountains.
This sketch is founded, as we have observed, on quotations and references
occurring in St. Jude and subsequent writers. "
(Assumption of Moses to English by R.H.Charles 1897.)
(Jude 1.9)
"9 But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.”"
(Adumbrat. in Ep. Judae (Zahn's Supplementum Clementinum, p. 84).
(Search archive.org for this book.)
"v.9 Maiestatem inquit blasphemant, hoc est angelos.
Quando Michael archangelus cum diabolo disputans altercabatur de corpore Moysi.
Hie confirmat assumtionem Moysi).
Michael autem hie dieitur, qui per propinquum nobis angelum altercabatur cum diabolo."
(Zahn's Supplementum Clementinum, p. 84 - to English)
"v.9 Majesty says blaspheme, this is an angel.
When Michael the archangel, disputing with the devil about the body of Moses engaged in altercation.
This confirms the assumption of Moses.
Michael, however, in this day, who are near, becomes by means of the angel of the engaged in altercation (quarrel) with the devil."
(Clement of Alexandria, Stromata Book 6, Chapter 15)
"Rightly, therefore, Jesus the son of Nave saw Moses, when taken up [to heaven], double, -- one Moses with the angels, and one on the mountains, honoured with burial in their ravines. And Jesus saw this spectacle below, being elevated by the Spirit, along also with Caleb.
But both do not see similarly But the one descended with greater speed, as if the weight he carried was great; while the other, on descending after him, subsequently related the glory which he beheld, being able to perceive more than the other as having grown purer; ..."
(Origen. The Principiis Book 3 Chapter 2 v.1 )
"And in the first place, in the book of Genesis, the serpent is described as having seduced Eve; regarding whom, in the work entitled The Ascension of Moses (a little treatise, of which the Apostle Jude makes mention in his Epistle), the archangel Michael, when disputing with the devil regarding the body of Moses, says that the serpent, being inspired by the devil, was the cause of Adam and Eve's transgression."
(Origen. In Josuam horn. II. 1 (Lommatzsch, xi. 22.) ( I cold not locate this book.)
"Denique et in libello quodam, licet in canone non habeatur,
mysterii tamen hujus figura describitur.
Refertur enim quia duo Moses videbantur,
unus vivus in spiritu, alius mortuus in corpore.
In quo hoc est nimirum quod adumbratur, quia si intuearis literam legis
inanem et vacuam ab iis omnibus quae superius memoravimus,
ipse est Moses mortuus in corpore.
Si vero potes removere legis velamen, et intelligere, quia lex spiritualis est, iste est Moses,
qui vivit in spiritu."
(Origen. In Josuam horn. II. 1)
(My attempt to translate to English with the help of electronic dictionary.)
"Finally, in some (book), although not considered canon,
However, this figurative mystery is described:
The question was that we actually have two Moses,
One was captured alive in spirit, another (was) dead in flesh.
There is no doubt of that.
That foreshadows (means) that, If you look at the letter of the law
they are empty (of real mening) as mentioned above,
This is the dead Moses in the flesh.
If you can remove the veil, and understand, that the law is spiritual, this is the Moses,
who lives in the spirit."
(Didymus Alex.(309-394).In Epist. Judae Enarratio (Gallandi, Bibliotheca Patrum, vi. 307).
(I could not find the book.)
"Adversarii hujus contemplationis praescribunt praesenti
epistolae et Moyseos Assumptioni
propter eum locum ubi significatur verbum
Archangeli de corpore Moyseos ad diabolum factuni."
(My attempt to translate to English with the help of electronic dictionary.)
"Opponents of this moment of contemplation quote
The Epistle of the Assumption of Moses
in the place that the text says
that the Archengel had a disavence
with the devil about the body of Moses."
(Letter of Evodus to Augostine. Letter 158, A.D. 414.)
"... and as to Moses, whose body was buried, it is plain from the gospel narrative that he came in the body to the Lord on the mountain to which He and His disciples had retired. Matthew 17:3 In the Apocrypha, and in the Mysteries of Moses, a writing which is wholly devoid of authority, it is indeed said that, at the time when he ascended the mount to die, through the power which his body possessed, there was one body which was committed to the earth, and another which was joined to the angel who accompanied him;"
(A Translation from the Greek to English of the text
of the Book of J. A. Cramer,
Catena in Epistolas Catholicas, 1844, page 163, quoting
Severus of Antioch.)
"When Moses died on the mount, Michael was sent to remove the
body. When the devil slandered Moses and proclaimed him a murderer
because he smote the Egyptian, the angel, not tolerating the slander against him,
said to the devil, May God rebuke thee!"
