The Books Of The Apocrypha: Their Origin, Teaching And Contents

The Books Of The Apocrypha: Their Origin, Teaching And Contents By The Rev. W. O. E. Oesterley. Contents: PART I. PROLEGOMENA TO THE APOCRYPHA I. THE HELLENISTIC MOVEMENT II. HELLENISTIC INFLUENCE UPON THE JEWS OF PALESTINE III. HELLENISTIC INFLUENCE UPON THE JEWS OF THE DISPERSION IV. TRACES OF GREEK INFLUENCE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND IN THE APOCRYPHA V. THE APOCALYPTIC MOVEMENT VI. THE SCRIBES VII. THE PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES VIII. THE ORIGIN OF THE OLD TESTAMENT CANON OF SCRIPTURE IX. UNCANONICAL BOOKS (I) X. UNCANONICAL BOOKS (II). THE APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE XI. THE WISDOM LITERATURE ; THE JEWISH CONCEPTION OF WISDOM XII. THE DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF THE APOCRYPHA PART II. INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOKS OF THE APOCRYPHA I. THE WISDOM OF JESUS, THE SON OF SIRACH ; OR ECCLESIASTICUS II. THE BOOK OF TOBIT III. THE BOOK OF JUDITH IV. THE ADDITIONS TO THE BOOK OF DANIEL V. THE ADDITIONS TO THE BOOK OF ESTHER VI. THE PRAYER OF MANASSES VII. THE FIRST BOOK OF MACCABEES VIII. THE GREEK EZRA IX. THE BOOK OF WISDOM X. THE SECOND BOOK OF MACCABEES XI. THE BOOK OF BARUCH AND THE EPISTLE OF JEREMIAH XII. The Ezra Apocalypse ................................................................................................................................................... THE book here presented is divided into two parts : the first, which is somewhat longer than the second, deals with preliminary questions ; the second is occupied with some account of the nature and contents of the books comprised under the term " Apocrypha." To those whose studies have not been concerned with early Jewish uncanonical literature it may appear that many of the subjects discussed in Part I are inappropriate, or at any rate unnecessary, because they lead, apparently, far away from the main subject to be dealt with. Students of the Apocrypha will know, however, . that a really intelligent and adequate study of this body of ancient literature necessitates research into a number of topics which do not at first sight appear to show a direct connexion with the main subject. Nevertheless, for the benefit of those who have not made a study of the Apocrypha, it may be well to justify at the outset the incursion into the many side-issues dealt with in the " Prolegomena " (Part I) by showing that the consideration of them is really indispensable for a proper understanding of the Apocrypha, its origin, and its raison d'etre. Now one of the first things that must strike any intelligent reader of the books of the Apocrypha is the extraordinary variety of their contents. We have in the First Book of Maccabees genuine historical records of the highest value ; in the Second Book of Maccabees, on the other hand, we have a mixture of history and fiction. In the First (or Third) Book of Esdras we get portions of the canonical Scriptures side by side with records from other sources ; and, strange to say, the latter are probably in some particulars more trustworthy than the corresponding portions in the former. In The Rest of Esther and the Prayer of Manasses we have additions to books of the canonical Scriptures which are edifying, though largely the work of the imagination ; while in the additions to the Book of Daniel, namely, The Song of the Three Holy Children, The History of Susannah, and Bel and the Dragon, we have examples of fiction which are not always edifying. Of an entirely different character is the fascinating story of a brave and patriotic woman, told in the Book of Judith, in which the writer's power of dramatic narrative is well exhibited. Read more