The Romans, the Temple, and the Alexandrian Context of the Testimony of Truth (NHC IX,3)

Abstract

Abstract The Testimony of Truth (NHC IX,3) is characterized by polemic against other Christians and certain aspects of Judaism, and shows familiarity with Jewish textual traditions. One such case is a narrative surrounding Solomon’s building of the Jerusalem temple with the help of demons, who are incarcerated in the temple water jars and released by Roman armies, who unknowingly perform an act of purification on a demon-infected space. This paper argues that: 1) Testimony of Truth should be read as part of the wider early Christian polemical tradition presenting Rome as purveyors of vengeance against the errant Jewish people; 2) Testimony of Truth offers evidence for a flourishing Jewish presence in second or early third-century Alexandria, against the long-held argument that the community was largely annihilated following the Diaspora Revolt.