What do you think?
Rate this book
The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library
The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Vol. 1: Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments
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.
1056 pages, Hardcover
First published September 28, 1983
31 people are currently reading
529 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 18 reviews
August 17, 2012
The defining resource for Old Testament pseudepigrapha.
The first volume contains apocalypses and testaments, featuring prominent works like 1 Enoch and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs as well as lesser known texts.
Each text is translated into modern English and prefaced with an introduction explaining what is known about the text's origin, likely location, relation to the OT/NT/pseudepigrapha, etc. The introductions are of the highest quality and facilitate understanding.
The only challenge is the uneven nature of the work since it is collaborative: some texts are full of explanatory notes, others have very few indeed.
Nevertheless, if you have any interest in pseudepigraphal literature, this is a must have and must read resource.
The first volume contains apocalypses and testaments, featuring prominent works like 1 Enoch and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs as well as lesser known texts.
Each text is translated into modern English and prefaced with an introduction explaining what is known about the text's origin, likely location, relation to the OT/NT/pseudepigrapha, etc. The introductions are of the highest quality and facilitate understanding.
The only challenge is the uneven nature of the work since it is collaborative: some texts are full of explanatory notes, others have very few indeed.
Nevertheless, if you have any interest in pseudepigraphal literature, this is a must have and must read resource.
July 5, 2007
This is the standard 2 vol. collection of translated OT Pseudepigrapha. The introductions are helpful, but perhaps dated by now. This collection does not contain editions of the ancient texts, but the bibliographies are helpful in locating the relevant editions and important bibliographic items. This is essentially required reading for scholars of ancient Judaism and Christianity, and scholars in these fields should know about the materials contained in these two volumes. Interested non-academics will likely find the texts interesting, strange and fun.
Additionally, people of faith might be interested to read these texts that were considered sacred texts by Jews and Christians in antiquity. It could give one a new perspective on the philosophy and beliefs of one's own tradition.
Additionally, people of faith might be interested to read these texts that were considered sacred texts by Jews and Christians in antiquity. It could give one a new perspective on the philosophy and beliefs of one's own tradition.
March 9, 2016
Phew! That was a big collection! Wonderful, exciting (not all the times) stuff. I will re-read this often, I imagine to better understand the milieu of the New Testament.
July 18, 2025
Please note the rating does not reflect the content of the pseudepigrapha itself. I do not find it appropriate to give rating to religious text. The rating is rather, in regard to the structure of the book be it in the introductions, footnotes, and bibliographies.
There is an overwhelming amount of content here. I came with an interest in reading the Books of Enoch and saw many people online recommended this collection. Thanks to the brief introductions, I was able to gain enough understanding to read the works and still gain some insight. I feared going into this, the academic notes would be entirely overwhelming and bog down the reading more than necessary, this was not the case. While the work was still quite the exhausting read, I found the introductions the perfect, simple intros as they encompass the same categories over and over such as date, historical importance, theological importance, cultural importance, ect. Just enough to learn something.
This work isn’t something you read once and understand everything. There is immense about of research to be down outside the work and one could likely spend a lifetime researching these works, but for the secular layman like me that came across the baffling concept of Metatron in other media, it satisfied my curiosity and then some. Many of the other works were interesting although some did not spark much interest for me. I’m glad to own this work so I may return to sections in the future to try and grasp more of what it has to offer.
There is an overwhelming amount of content here. I came with an interest in reading the Books of Enoch and saw many people online recommended this collection. Thanks to the brief introductions, I was able to gain enough understanding to read the works and still gain some insight. I feared going into this, the academic notes would be entirely overwhelming and bog down the reading more than necessary, this was not the case. While the work was still quite the exhausting read, I found the introductions the perfect, simple intros as they encompass the same categories over and over such as date, historical importance, theological importance, cultural importance, ect. Just enough to learn something.
This work isn’t something you read once and understand everything. There is immense about of research to be down outside the work and one could likely spend a lifetime researching these works, but for the secular layman like me that came across the baffling concept of Metatron in other media, it satisfied my curiosity and then some. Many of the other works were interesting although some did not spark much interest for me. I’m glad to own this work so I may return to sections in the future to try and grasp more of what it has to offer.
November 26, 2024
2024 reads: 41
Rating: 4.5 stars
A phenomenal collection of pseudepigraphal writings, each with an introduction and textual notes (some much longer and in depth than others). The contributors helpfully connect each text to its Second Temple millieau and later reception, as well as its theological significance. The complexity of early/ST Judaism has only deepened for me. The world of the NT was a wonderfully textual one and any reader of the NT should familiarize themselves with this literature to get a better understanding of the social, textual, theological, and interpretive context that the NT is a part of.
Full disclosure: I skimmed most of the introductions and read all but those texts that are dated from the 3rd century CE onwards (it was only two or three).
[Read for the NT Backgrounds seminar with Dr Jarvis Williams and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary]
Rating: 4.5 stars
A phenomenal collection of pseudepigraphal writings, each with an introduction and textual notes (some much longer and in depth than others). The contributors helpfully connect each text to its Second Temple millieau and later reception, as well as its theological significance. The complexity of early/ST Judaism has only deepened for me. The world of the NT was a wonderfully textual one and any reader of the NT should familiarize themselves with this literature to get a better understanding of the social, textual, theological, and interpretive context that the NT is a part of.
Full disclosure: I skimmed most of the introductions and read all but those texts that are dated from the 3rd century CE onwards (it was only two or three).
[Read for the NT Backgrounds seminar with Dr Jarvis Williams and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary]
June 14, 2022
If you’re looking to read the books that didn’t make it into the Old Testament then this is the book for you. It’s a collection not of what is good but of what survives so there’s the full range from really powerful writing to the shockingly bad. Good or bad, the introductions to each text and many of the notes are fascinating and plunge you deep into the ancient world. You can dip in and out as you please. I read volume two first: it really doesn’t matter. There’s an earlier version edited by a chap called R. H. Charles. You’ll find it knocking about on the internet for free if you don’t mind an ebook, but honestly, it’s worth shelling out for this version. It has more works and translates better texts.
January 7, 2023
The introductory essays to each work, alone, are worth it: they provide an overview of each work, its history and importance and meaning, in a concise and comprehensible way. You can likely find all that information online for yourself, for free, but it'll be scattered and of varying degrees of quality.
I cannot speak much to the translations, except to say that I happened to compare a few tidbits of 1 and 3 Enoch between this edition here and the older translation by Charles. The translations here were clearer, and the translators' notes make clear how much effort and cross-referencing was done to render the text accurate while also comprehensible to a present-day reader.
I cannot speak much to the translations, except to say that I happened to compare a few tidbits of 1 and 3 Enoch between this edition here and the older translation by Charles. The translations here were clearer, and the translators' notes make clear how much effort and cross-referencing was done to render the text accurate while also comprehensible to a present-day reader.
November 22, 2023
Charlesworth did an amazing job bringing these ancient texts to life! The footnotes are also very informative when it comes to understanding the textual variations across the manuscript copies made of each of these texts throughout time.
March 7, 2015
This is a great collection. Every document has a lengthy introduction that helps to explain the context and content of the text. When multiple translations of a text provide alternate meanings to certain verses, the alternatives are provided. There is a very good treatment of the Enoch literature which is essential for understanding Jesus' ministry. It took me two months to get through this one thousand page collection, but it was well worth the investment. It was very fascinating to see Hellenistic thought and Judaism/Christianity combined in some texts.
November 3, 2013
For those interested in the Old Testament and in filling in some of the details not included therein, this 2-volume series is a treasure. Some of the details seem to cause otherwise obscure passages from the scripture to make sense. Other books in this collection of ancient texts (English translations) included some pretty strange stories. Very scholarly and well done.
Currently reading
December 24, 2007So far I have only read the Book of Enoch, which is referenced in the New Testament. I thought this would be a good way to get a concept of the literary background of the time from which Jesus emerged. I look forward to gradually completing the volume.
January 11, 2008
Collection of writings from the 2nd Temple times – not canonical. Gives great insight into writings that were familiar to Qumran Community & Jewish people during this time. A couple of these are quoted in the New Testament.
January 4, 2012
Ephraim Isaac, 1(Ethiopic Apocalypse of) Enoch, in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, ed. James H. Charlesworth (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1983–85) ISBN 0-385-09630-5
The Book of Enoch in this volume is translated by Ephraim Isaac.
The Book of Enoch in this volume is translated by Ephraim Isaac.
February 15, 2016
This collection (in 2 volumes) - the ancient Jewish or Jewish-Christian texts and the excellent introductions - open the door to an unknown and fascinating religious world. Indispensable in the study of the origins of Christianity.
Read
September 23, 2010"The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Volume 1: Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library) by James H. Charlesworth (1983)"
April 8, 2012
The weird and the wonderful. Vol One has the science fiction - travel to the stars, the mechanics of the cosmos and so on. Love the star tours of the prophets under angel escort. Wild.
August 30, 2016
Excellent introductions and essays
Displaying 1 - 17 of 18 reviews