The Testament of Abraham: Which Came First—Recension A or Recension B?

Abstract

An intriguing aspect of the Testament ofAbraham's transmission history is the existence of two Greek recensions. Which recension came first? Why were changes made to the 'original' story? This article addresses these issues from a narrative viewpoint. Some scholars suppose that both recensions come from an original Ur-source but are not directly dependent on each other. Through a close examination of the narratives of both recensions, however, this article concludes that there is a direct relationship between the two Greek recensions with Recension A coming first and Recension B reacting to the earlier Recension A.