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 | | The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Vol. 1: Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments by James H. Charlesworth ISBN-10: 9780385096300 ISBN-10: 0-385-09630-5 ISBN-13: 9780385096300 ISBN-13: 978-0-385-09630-0 Hardcover 1983-10-28 Doubleday & Company Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description The writers of the Bible depended on other sources for much of their work. Some of these sources may be lost forever, but many have recently come to light. Known as the pseudepigrapha, they are made available here in volumes. | ||
Reviews | ||
Accessable non-canonical works a real Treasure Some of the best literature, whether divinely inspired or not, has long been lost to the world, too often for political ends. Fortunately, volumes like this one, admirably edited by James H. Charlesworth, replenish much of what was "lost" between the time of the Councils at Jamina and Nicaea. Whatever one's creed or intentions, if one approaches this volume in earnest, one will find much of interest including, but not limited to, strong, implied historical evidence of egregious tampering by the early Church fathers of certain non-canonical works. A good example in this collection is 1 Enoch, which had been in the canon for centuries before being finally removed and, in the West, abandoned. In other instances, copies were, on Church orders, simply destroyed. Fortunately, complete copies of Enoch (or Henok) were preserved in Ethopic texts. In fact, the version of 1 Enoch presented in this volume (translated by E. Isaac) is largely structured on the Ethiopic texts, though the Aramaic fragments found among the Dead Sea Scrolls have been consulted along with Greek and Hebrew renditions. Charlesworth has also included many other fine renditions of apocalyptic works, including selections from the Syriac and Slavonian. Even more is to be had in the many non-canonical Testaments presented here, many with apocalyptic passages. Matters of whether these "rebel" and "outcast" books appeared to be divinely inspired by the various communities that embraced them is a matter of conjecture, though there are strong hints here and there from the various communities of seekers that preserved these texts around the Mediterranean world. Of greater interest to me was the thoroughness with which each non-canonical text has been researched and translated. Charlesworth should be lauded for at least that contribution to our body of collective knowledge about what was being written and by whom at the end of the pre-Christian era and in the early years of the Common Era. To the truly curious I recommend both volumes, whether for personal enrichment, Bible study, research, or tasting and comparing various translations of non-canonical literature. This is as unbiased a compilation as I have seen in many years. I rank it with the work being done by scholars like Geza Vermes as invaluable to any person seeking a deeper understanding of the great minds on either side of that turbulent millennium (i.e., give or take 300-500 years either way). Of course these writings can lead one's mind to many other insights and down many other paths of inquiry and thought; that is best left for the individual. Be assured that this scholarly work is exactly that, and is not only highly-informative about the stories, symbols and myths of non-canonical literature that informed the consciousness of the Near East and eventually the Western world, but this volume does so in a highly accessible way. It is easy to read and certainly gives one pause. Savor it. | ||
Extremely Satisfied Book was received in New, Mint Condition. Was mailed in a very timely manner, and I am extremely happy with my purchase. | ||
Cool This was a very interesting read. It offers more insight into the belief systems of the early judeo-christian religion. There are many interesting stories within this volume. If you get into "other views" or the Apocrypha, read this and Volume 2. | ||
Essential Reading for Scholars This and volume 2 are the most up-to-date and scholarly collections of extra-canonical Jewish literature of the Second Temple period in English. Any student or scholar of Second Temple Judaism, Historical Jesus, or Early Christianity will find these tomes invaluable. Each work is prefaced, footnoted, and cross-referenced, making them accessable to non-experts, as well as providing extra textual information of rmore advanced scholarship. well worth the money. | ||
Be prepared to spend much study time on this book I am neither a biblical scholar nor a theological student, and therefore came to this book by a somewhat circuitous route. After reading several books on the Dead Sea Scrolls, the books of Flavius Josephus, Edward Gibbon's Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire, various Ecclesiastical Histories which I found on the Net, the Jerusalem Bible, Harpers Bible Dictionary, I finally arrived at Volume I of the Ante-Nicene Fathers which I also found on the Net. While I was reading this last work (which I have not yet finished), I came to realise that there was definitely something lacking in my knowledge of the development of Early Christianity. I didn't want to read a book about that topic, I wanted to read the original sources, so apart from the Bible itself, what else is there? Well the Pseudepigrapha for one! So, I looked at what was on the Net, but decided that the translations there were definitely old and somewhat obsolete, and didn't really have much explanation as to what I would be reading. This book, on the other hand, contains up-to-date translations of the books of the Pseudipigrapha, which are the work of 24 eminent biblical scholars from various parts of the world, and include detailed explanations of the texts. Volume I contains 19 books of Apocalyptic Literature and related works, as well as the testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, Job, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Solomon, and Adam. It was worth every penny I paid for it, and it took me over three months to read it. I can truthfully say that I read it from cover to cover, all xlix pages of Introductory material and 995 pages of text, including the small type detailed notes which for some books occupy more space than the text itself. In an introductory chapter, Dr Charlesworth reviews the definition and importance of the Pseudepigrapha along with significant theological conceptions of the main period in which these books seems to have been written (mainly between 200BCE to 200AD). Each book is introduced by a discussion of the contents, the original language of the text, the probable date, where it was written, its historical importance, its theological importance, its cultural importance, earlier translations, relationship to other books, and a Select bibliography. The texts themselves contain cross references to other biblical texts as well as copious detailed notes on the text itself. For me, it was as important to read the introductory section and the detailed notes as it was to read the texts themselves. I have to confess I found it very hard to concentrate on the Books on Enoch, which are the first three books covered, and comprise about one third of the book. They were very repetitive, and mystical to say the least, but after I was over that hurdle the going was easier, and I can honestly say that I was somewhat sorry when I reached the end. Did it meet my expectations? Yes, definitely. How much have I absorbed? Not as much as I would have liked, but enough to know what to look for when I need a reference guide. And I think I will definitely have a better understanding of the various writings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers and their successors. It's obviously not a book for everyone, but if you wish to read the books of the Pseudepigrapha, I think this book has to be the best of those currently available with its up-to-date translations and comprehensive explanatory notes. I definitely plan to get Volume II. | ||