Armenian Orthodox Bible and Testaments of the 12 Patriarchs

[Lukaris]

I know these testaments attributed to the sons of Jacob were in the 17th century Armenian Bible ( Oskan translation). I have looked online but cannot tell if they are still in the Armenian Bible. These writings are rich in moral instruction for healthy living by faith and have Messianic references that many believe were before the Lord’s birth ( there is debate on this). I believe the Messianic references are genuine.

The only concern re these writings is that they have some Pharisee attitudes in some parts. This is encountered early on & seems harsh on women but not the major point or content of the writings.

The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs

Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[dzheremi]

I'm not Armenian, so this is not something I know about, but a quick search for more modern writings from the Armenian Apostolic Church on the subject of the Bible and what is in it or not in it led me to this very interesting little booklet from 1980 (opens as PDF), which does not show "The Testaments of the 12 Patriarchs" anywhere in the lists of canonical books in the Armenian tradition found on page 13 of the document. So I would guess that they aren't there, but I don't know 100% either way.

 

[Lukaris]

There are some great counsels in these writings. For ex. The Testament of Dan chapter 1 seems like a good secondary understanding to much of what St. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1-32.

The Forgotten Books of Eden: The Testament of Dan: Chapter I

The Forgotten Books of Eden, by Rutherford H. Platt, Jr., [1926], full text etext at sacred-texts.com

sacred-texts.com