Or. 1878 (University Library, Cambridge University)

Summary of Contents: This manuscript is comprised of four works, the Testament of Abraham, Testament of Isaac, and Testament of Jacob, and a Homily of St. Ephrem on Abraham and Sarah in Egypt. The Testaments originate from the Second Temple period as supplementary material to the biblical account of three patriarchs with additional legends and exhortations. The work was widely read and an important work for both Jews and Christians. this is a Beta Israel recension of the work but shows editorial work from both traditions. Christian introductory formulae are absent, but Christian allusions were not expunged, including a dubious reference to Athanasius, Saint, Patriarch of Alexandria,295-373 as the author of the work. The earliest extant copies of the Testaments are found in Greek, although a Semitic origin cannot be excluded; the Homily was originally composed in Syriac.