The Testament of Alpheus

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THE TESTAMENT OF ALPHEUS
(Sometimes entitled: THE VISION OF ALPHEUS)

The Testament of Alpheus is a work of most definitely non-mainstream Christianity, which has been numbered amongst the core texts of various esoteric groups - from England to Spain to Italy - though perhaps most notably, amongst several French 'fraternities' practising forms of what is usually referred to as Esoteric Christianity.

The Testament is a fascinating document, though its history is somewhat obscure. It is certainly not one of the texts which make up the Nag Hammadi cache, and to date, I have not come across it in any of the more eclectic 'academic' compilations of Apocryphal / Gnostic/ Non-canonical Christian works; though, as mentioned, it is obviously quite well known to many who profess magical/esoteric leanings and affiliations.

The version of The Testament to be found on this website was translated in or before 1906. We know this as a fact, for it was in this year that it was privately published by its translator - a London-based French-born mystic, occultist and traveller by the name of Anselyn De Belleme.

The source text for De Belleme's translation was an early 19th C. French document, itself apparently a translation of a 14th C. Italian manuscript, which, in its turn, had been translated from the original text from Egypt, written in Greek (or Coptic?), and purportedly dating from the end of the 2nd C. A.D. (- though it has been suggested that a far more realistic date would be somewhere after 400 A.D.)

To my knowledge, at least one Magico-Mystical 'Order' in Florence, has an Italian version known as: The Vision of Alpheus (in all save the title the work would seem to be identical to 'The Testament'), and this group has a tradition that the source document from which their translation was made, came not from Egypt but from Abyssinia (Ethiopia).

REQUEST

If you have any further information as to the history of The Testament/Vision of Alpheus, this would be greatly appreciated; as would details of any individuals or specific groups who make use of the text, or who simply have copies of it in their possession. Any information you provide will be kept confidential if you require it to be.

Also, I would especially like to acquire both a Coptic and an Amharic/Ethiopic copy of The Testament/Vision - even photocopies, photographs, scans, type-copies - anything would be appreciated.

And lastly - if you have, or know of, a website with any Testament/Vision of Alpheus-related info, I'll be happy to place a link to the site here.

Now, to the Text itself: ALPHEUS