Apocrypha - “hidden things”•books included by Roman Catholic,
Coptic, and Eastern Orthodox, but not Jews or Protestants.
1 and 2 Maccabees1 EsdrasTobit Judith 3 Maccabees Expanded EstherExpanded DanielWisdom of SolomonWisdom of Ben Sira
(Sirach)BaruchLetter of JeremiahPrayer of ManassahPs 151Prayer of AzariahSong of the Three Young Men4 Maccabees
Pseudepigrapha - “pretend writing”
• A larger connection including the Apocrypha and many other texts (63 total)
• written from 200 BC to 200 AD
• written by Christians or Jews
• claim to contain God’s word or message often built on narratives from the Old Testament
• Contents
• Rewritten Bible - Jubilees
• Wisdom Literature - Ben Sira
• Psalms - 151, Psalm of Solomon
• Testaments - Testament of Abraham
• Apocalyptic Literature - Enoch
Dead Sea Scrolls
Qumran, Cairo Geniza
152 - Priesthood of Jonathan
Contents:
1. Biblical scrolls (225) - every OT book except Esther
2. Damascus Rule- Covenant Document- story of the community
3. 1QS Community rule –regulations for their way of life.
4. War Scroll - preparing for battle
5. Hymns - hodayot - praise/liturgical texts
Josephus
Born Joseph son of Mattathias, later took the name Flavius Josephus
•Lived from 37-100
•Essene and Pharisee
•Visited Rome – impressed with the city
•Lead Galilee (only 29 years old) during Jewish revolt (later said he was trying to pacify the region)
•fought in Jewish war in Galilee – holed up at Jotapata where all committed suicide except for him.
• Captured then released. Lived in Rome in the house of the Emperor and there wrote all of his works
•Works:
•Jewish War – Maccabean revolt to fall of Masada
•Antiquities of the Jews – 20 books – From creation to his time
•Life – in response to his conduct during the war
•Against Apion – A defense of the Jews
Rabbinic Literature• Targums – Aramaic translations and
interpretations of the OT
• Midrash – commentary on scriptures'
• Halakic – legal – how to live
• Haggadic – fill gaps, explain problems, much more imaginative
• Mishnah – (published 200-220 ce) comments of the Rabbis (oral tradition) during 50 bce to 200 ce
• Tosefta - published 220-300 ce comments of tannaitic rabbis and those from later times comments upon the mishnah
• Gemara more commentary on the mishnah
• Joined together to form the Talmud (400-425 ce)
Greco-Roman Sources•Historians
•Thucydides (460-395 BC)
•Polybius (200-118 BC)
•Dionysius of Halicarnassus (60-7 BC)
•Diodorus Siculus (60-30 BC)
• Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD)
• Tacitus (56-117 AD)
•Suetonius (69-140 AD)
•Philosophy - Platonic influence, Stoics - Seneca, epictetus live in accordance with nature, Epicureans - lucretius, pleasure is the greatest good, absence of evil , Cynicism - diogenes ascetic practicies
•Mystery Religions - Eleusinian (demeter and perspehone and hades), Dionysus (wine, loosening social constraints), Great Mother/Cybele and Attis (castration and renewal), Isis and Osiris (Egyptian dying and rising), Mithras (blood bull military)
•Gnosticism - nag hammadi
Greco-Roman Sources• Philosophy -
• Stoics - Seneca, Epictetus- live in accordance with nature
• Epicureans - Lucretius - pleasure is the greatest good, absence of evil
• Cynicism - Diogenes - ascetic practices
• Mystery Religions -
• Eleusian (Demeter and Perspehone)
• Dionysus (wine, loosening social constraints)
• Great Mother/Cybele and Attis (castration and renewal)
• Isis and Osiris (Egyptian dying and rising), Mithras (blood bull military)
• Gnosticism - escape the body for the realm of the Spirit. Nag Hammadi texts