Defying Death: Abraham and Moses in Jewish Antiquity

Although all who live will die, Abraham, in the pseudepigraphic work the Testament of Abraham; and then Moses in numerous midrashic/ Talmudic sources, seeks to defy and deny the date of his death, at least for a period of time, each one saying in effect, “Yes, but not yet.” These texts are described and compared, reflecting on how each face death from within the Jewish tradition.