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The Apocalypse of Moses, also known as the Life of Adam and Eve, belongs to a category of literature called the Pseudepigrapha, meaning “false writings.” Despite the book’s title attributing authorship to Moses, historians agree that an anonymous writer composed the work in the first century AD. The book contains fictionalized stories about Adam and Eve. As a result, unlike the books of the Bible, the Apocalypse of Moses fails to demonstrate divine inspiration (2 Timothy 3:16–17). Neither Jewish nor Christian tradition has ever recognized the Apocalypse of Moses as authoritative.
The 66 books of the Bible have all met the standard of the canon—a term derived from a Latin word meaning “rule.” They each show evidence that God inspired the words. Though Protestant Christianity, Roman Catholicism, and Eastern Orthodoxy sometimes disagree on which books meet the standard for the canon, none of these three branches of historic Christianity believe the Apocalypse of Moses is inspired or authoritative. No branch of Christianity uses the book to establish doctrine or practice.
The Apocalypse of Moses is one of several pseudepigraphal books whose titles contain the word apocalypse, such as the Apocalypse of Ezra, the Apocalypse of Zephaniah, and the Apocalypse of Abraham. While many modern Christians associate this term with the end times, pseudepigraphal writers used it in a general sense, referring to an unveiling or revelation. Thus, the word apocalypse in the title indicates that the anonymous author is “unveiling” to readers new information purportedly passed down from Moses.
Furthermore, the title of the Apocalypse of Moses falsely credits Moses with authorship. The historical figure Moses, known for leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:31–42), receiving the Ten Commandments from God (Exodus 20:1–17), and writing the first five books of the Bible (Exodus 17:14; Numbers 33:1–2; cf. Matthew 19:8) lived from approximately 1520 to 1400 BC. The Apocalypse of Moses appeared about 1,500 years after his death and therefore has no direct association with him.
The Apocalypse of Moses’ false title isn’t unique, as many books in the Pseudepigrapha assign authorship to well-known Old and New Testament characters. Other well-known pseudepigraphal books include 1 Enoch, the Testament of Job, and the Gospel of Thomas. Anonymous writers hoped that their deceptive attributions would trick people into reading their work and thus spread unbiblical ideas. In addition to referencing popular Old and New Testament figures in their titles, pseudepigraphal writings often reference well-known Bible stories but distort them in ways that change their meaning.
For example, the Apocalypse of Moses adds narrative elements to the life of Adam and Eve that aren’t in Genesis. One such detail concerns their deaths. When Adam is dying, he sends Eve and Seth to get healing oil from the Tree of Life (9:3), but Michael the archangel intervenes and denies his request (13:2). Without the oil, Adam dies, and his spirit ascends into the third level of heaven while his body is buried next to Abel’s on earth, and seven angels “brought many fragrant spices and placed them in the earth” (40:7, trans. by Charles, R. H., 1913). The text then states that Eve died shortly after Adam (42:8), and three angels buried her next to her husband (43:1).
The Apocalypse of Moses distorts the true stories of Adam and Eve as told in the Bible and adds to them, which Scripture strongly forbids (Proverbs 30:5–6; Revelation 22:18–19). For this reason, readers interested in the lives of Adam and Eve would benefit from studying the divinely inspired book of Genesis to learn about the first man and woman.
