The Firstborn in the Prayer of Joseph

Abstract

This chapter discusses the enigmatic text of the so-called Prayer of Joseph. Only fragments have survived and the most important of them is a quotation from Origen's Commentary on John. It is uncertain whether the original language was Aramaic or Greek, if it originated in Egypt or Palestine, and when it was written, although one possibility is the first century CE. The hero of the text is the patriarch Jacob, who is equated with Israel as an angel of God. The chapter also explains the conflict between the angel Jacob/Israel and Uriel, which brings to mind Enoch entering the celestial hierarchy as the highest angel Metatron, and the opposition to this from established angels in the Third Book of Enoch.