The Testament of Job: Text, Narrative and Reception History

Maria Haralambakis provides a wide-ranging study of one of the books of the pseudepigrapha, the Testament of Job. Haralambakis begins with textual issues, considering the recent publication of a 4th century Coptic codex of the text, as well as the more well-know Byzantine Greek manuscripts. However, she also considers a much larger number of Slavonic manuscripts than many scholars. Rather than working backwards from the most recent manuscripts to a hypothetical original text, Haralambakis presents the manuscripts from earliest to latest as a succession of witnesses to the text of the Testament of Job, each valuable as evidence of its contemporary world. Haralambakis moves on to examine the structure of the Testament as a remarkable literary work, employing narrative theory to demonstrate how the composition works as a well-crafted appealing story. Gleaning insights from the text's widespread presence in Byzantine and Slavonic Christian churches Haralambakis examines its reception history, asserting that in these contexts the story came to be viewed as something akin to a life of saint.