Product Description

Of all the books left out of the Bible, only the Apocrypha rivals the Pseudepigrapha in popularity and importance. This edition of the Pseudepigrapha was edited by R. H. Charles and was the definitive critical edition for over 70 years.

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Classic Work -- Essential to any collection on the subject        Rating:

The terms "apocrypha" and "pseudepigrapha" refer to two somewhat vaguely-defined groups of ancient writings. Ordinarily the "Apocrypha" are fourteen books or parts of books found in a section by themselves in Protestant Bibles. The Pseudepigrapha are other ancient books related to the Bible but not included in it. This division breaks down readily; most of the Apocrypha are included in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles, and some of the Pseudepigrapha appear in the Ethiopic Bible. This volume mainly contains the Pseudepigrapha--although it omits III Maccabees and includes IV Ezra, the latter being part of the Apocrypha.

As this collection was originally published in 1913, it does not take account of later scholarship and discoveries. Other than that minor limitation, the work has proved its worth and continues to be useful to this day. Charlesworth's Old Testament Pseudepigrapha is a larger and more current collection, but it by no means entirely supplants Charles.

This volume contains translations and commentaries on **Jubilees, **the Letter of Aristeas, **the Books of Adam and Eve, **the Martyrdom of Isaiah, *I Enoch, *Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, (selected) *Sibylline Oracles, *The Assumption of Moses, *II Enoch, *II Baruch, *III Baruch, *IV Ezra, the **Psalms of Solomon, **IV Maccabees, Pirke Aboth, **Ahiqar, and Fragments of a Zadokite Work. (Titles with a single star appear in the first volume of Charlesworth; those with two stars appear in the second.)

Certain works--most notably II Enoch, the Assumption of Moses, and the Sibylline Oracles--appear here in an abbreviated form. The most significant omission, perhaps, is the Odes of Solomon.

Best Ever        Rating:

This is the best book i have ever bought. its a 10+, and well worth any amount of money.

Well known source, but somewhat dated and inaccueate in classifying some books as pseudepigraphical        Rating:

This is a well known standard reference work and is frequently cited for discussions of noncanonical Old Testament biblical literature. It is a useful compilation of many works.

Because it was compiled before many important twentieth century discoveries of sources and versions (these are easily found and discussed in more recent sources) it is somewhat dated.

The volume is repesented as containing pseudepigraphical Old Testament works. However, this is inaccueate in classification. Some books are pseudepigraphical, but others are actually apocryphocal, and some are regarded as Patristic.

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