“They Cannot Steal the Treasure of Wisdom”: The Primacy of the Priesthood in the Transmission of Wisdom According to the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs

The Testament of Levi emphasises that all possessions may be forcibly taken away by raiding military campaigns, yet “They cannot steal the treasure of wisdom.” Traditionally, wisdom literature in the Hebrew canon is linked to kingship, and therefore one would expect to find this connection more explicitly in the Testament of Judah, since the character of Judah traditionally represents Judean kingship. Yet, seemingly contradictorily, the Testament of Judah gives precedence to Levi and the priesthood, arguing that the priesthood deals with heavenly matters as opposed to the kingship, which is more concerned with earthly affairs. The same leitmotif runs through most of the other books which comprise the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs. And, with reference to the example of the Testament of Judah, one of the predominant, repeated messages seems to be that kingship should be subject to the priesthood. Here, the explicit linkage of the Hellenistic priesthood to the wisdom tradition seems to be an indication of the original author’s dissatisfaction with his contemporary ruling class. Accordingly, the historian might be tempted to assume here, that this sentiment which marginalises kingship in favour of the priesthood, was caused by the author’s despair, witnessing as he was the overt greed and political opportunism around him. The thesis of this short study is that this sad situation seems to have served as the catalyst for the original author’s desire to return to a more ideal situation whereby the priesthood’s task should include a greater focus on the teaching of wisdom. At the same time, there appears to be a real concern that the author’s contemporary priesthood is not up to this desired task and has forsaken its mission due to its neglect of traditional values and its steadfast focus on more transient and earthly matters. In this context, this chapter attempts to find supporting biblical and historical evidence that either supports or refutes this thesis.