The Prayer of Joseph is a Jewish apocalyptic text that the early church scholar Origen described as “not to be despised.” Almost all that is known about this work comes from Origen’s quotations. Because the rest of the text has been lost, its full content and importance are uncertain.
An ancient list of Old Testament apocryphal and canonical writings mentions the Prayer of Joseph in third place and says it was 1,100 verses long.
Origen's quotations focus mainly on Joseph's father, Jacob. In the story, Jacob claims to be an angel and also uses the name Israel. He is the speaker in the passages quoted by Origen and prophesies about the fate of humankind. He describes meeting the angel Uriel on a journey to Mesopotamia, where the angel wrestled with him. Uriel claimed to be the greatest of the angels.
The writer of this apocalyptic poem refers to the biblical story of Jacob wrestling at Jabbok (see Genesis 32:22–29) and to Daniel 10:13 . Because Jacob claims to be "the first born of all living beings" and thus the chief of all angels, Uriel challenges him.