The Story of Ahikar

Author unknown; not originally a Jewish or Christian text but a Mesopotamian court tale, attested in Aramaic papyri belonging to a Jewish military community at Elephantine, Egypt as early as the 5th century BC -- making it one of the oldest works in this collection by far. A wisdom tale of a wrongly accused royal counselor vindicated in the end, framed around proverbs on prudence, loyalty, and the folly of ingratitude.