Editing Amram (section)

== In rabbinical and apocryphal literature ==

In the [[Apocrypha]]l ''[[Testament of Levi]]'', it is stated that Amram was born as a grandson of [[Levi]] when Levi was 64 years old.<ref>''Testament of the Patriarchs'', Levi:12</ref> The [[Exodus Rabbah]] argues that when the Pharaoh instructed midwives to throw male children into the Nile, Amram divorced Jochebed, who was three months pregnant with Moses at the time, arguing that there was no justification for the Israelite men to father children if they were just to be killed;<ref name = "ssdjlv">Exodus Rabbah 1:17</ref> however, the text goes on to state that Miriam, his daughter, chided him for his lack of care for his wife's feelings, persuading him to recant and marry Jochebed again.<ref name = "ssdjlv"/> According to the [[Talmud]], Amram promulgated the laws of marriage and divorce amongst the Jews in Egypt;{{Citation needed|date=November 2007}} the Talmud also argues that Amram had extreme longevity, which he used to ensure that doctrines were preserved through several generations.<ref>''Jewish Encyclopedia''</ref>

Despite the legend of his divorce and remarriage, Amram was also held to have been entirely sinless throughout his life and was rewarded for this by his corpse remaining without any signs of decay.<ref>[[Baba Batra]] 17a</ref>  The other three ancient Israelites who died without sin, being [[Benjamin]], [[Jesse (biblical figure)|Jesse]] and [[Chileab]].

According to the [[Book of Jubilees]], Amram was among the Israelites who took the bones of Jacob's sons (excluding those of [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]]) to [[Canaan]] for burial in the [[cave of Machpelah]].<ref name="Jubilees 46:11">Jubilees 46:11</ref> Most of the Israelites then returned to Egypt but some remained in Canaan. Those who remained included Amram, who only returned somewhere up to forty years later.

One of the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]] (4Q544, Manuscript B) is written from Amram's point of view, and hence has been dubbed the ''[[Visions of Amram]]''. The document is dated to the 2nd century BC and, in the form of a vision, briefly discusses dualism and the [[Watcher (angel)|Watchers]]:
{{Blockquote|I saw Watchers in my vision, the dream-vision. Two men were fighting over me...holding a great contest over me. I asked them, 'Who are you, that you are thus empowered over me?' They answered, 'We have been empowered and rule over all mankind.' They said to me, 'Which of us do you choose to rule you?' I raised my eyes and looked. One of them was terrifying in his appearance, like a serpent, his cloak, many-colored yet very dark....And I looked again, and in his appearance, his visage like a [[Viperidae|viper]]....I replied to him, 'This Watcher, who is he?' He answered, 'This Watcher...his three names are [[Belial]] and Prince of Darkness and King of Evil.' I said (to the other Watcher), 'My lord, what dominion (have you?)' He answered, 'You saw (the viper), and he is empowered over all Darkness, while I (am empowered over all Light.)...My three names are [[Michael (archangel)|Michael]], Prince of Light and King of Righteousness.<ref>translation by Prof. Robert Eisenman</ref>}}