Apocrypha: 2

by Nicholas de Lange

As the second century of the Christian Era drew to a close there appeared to be general agreement that the Jewish Bible consisted of a single unit made up of 24 books. But for several hundred years before that time, a number of other writings, were considered by many to be part of the Bible. Dr. Nicholas de Lange brings us back to the earlier concept of the Bible in this new collection of apocryphal writings, many translated into English for the first time. Going beyond the narrow view of the Apocrypha as the portions of the Greek Bible not found in the Hebrew, he draws instead upon the whole body of anonymous Jewish literature of the Hellenistic Age, a body diverse in origin, language, style, and content. De Lange has reviewed both the source material and recent critical texts to provide his own English translations for this edition. He has divided the material into seven convenient categories—Biblical Stories, such as The Life of Adam and Eve and The Martyrdom of Isaiah; Moral Tales, including not only Tobit and Judith but also less familiar legends; Testaments, generally the deathbed account of a life—Moses, Abraham, Job; Apocalypse, the revelatory writings of Enoch, Baruch, and Ezra, among others; Books of Philosophy and Wisdom; History; and Prayers and Psalms. From each of these categories the editor has carefully selected passages that are of interest not only to biblical scholars of all faiths, but also to lay readers who want to learn about the content of these writings originally considered by many to be part of the Hebrew Bible. This lost literature contains a wealth of material on many aspects of Jewish life, thought, and belief during the period between the end of the biblical era and the rise of Rabbinic Judaism.

244 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Nicholas Robert Michael de Lange (often known simply as N. de Lange) (7 August 1944, Nottingham) is Professor of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at the University of Cambridge and is an ordained Reform rabbi. He was taught and ordained by the British Reform rabbi Ignaz Maybaum, a disciple of Franz Rosenzweig.

Reviews

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to the non-canonical Jewish legends and scrolls.