The Apocrypha | Former canonised books.

The Apocrypha | Apocrypha

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The Apocrypha

	The Apocrypha Vintage, 1989 - 528 pages average customer review:based on 14 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The Apocrypha consists of the books that are found in the Greek version of the Jewish Bible--the Septuagint, the earliest complete version of the Bible we possess--but that were not included in the final, canonical version of the Hebrew Bible. For this reason, they were called ?Apocrypha,? the hidden or secret books, and while they formed part of the original King James version of 1611, they are no longer included in modern Bibles. Yet they include such important works as The First Book of Maccabees, the Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, and the stories of Susanna, Tobit, and Judith, and other works of great importance for the history of the Jews in the period between the rebuilding of the Temple and the time of Jesus, and thus for the background of the New Testament. These works have also had a remarkable impact on writers and artists. Beyond this, they are often as powerful as anything in the canonical Bible.

The translation into contemporary English is by Edgar J. Goodspeed.

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Former canonised books.

Edgar Goodspeed's translation of the Apocrypha is easy to read.
These books were canonised at some point in history but later they were removed.
The Apocrypha is not the same as "apocryphal" books that are of a dubious nature.

The Introduction is very informational and the Preface was also helpful.

Of the 14 books in this translation I appreciate the following books the most:
*1st and 2nd Maccabees are Jewish history books covering the Maccabbean revolt.They are written by two authors and overlapping in time.The date for these books is around 312 B.C.

*II Esdras is an apocalyptic book that has wisdom for everyday life. It also has Messianic prophecies and angelic visions.This book apparently has additions making it difficult to date.
An example: 6:49 "Then you preserved two living creatures;one you named Behemoth;and the other you named Leviathan..."

*The Wisdom of Sirach(Ecclesiasticus)is similar to Proverbs.Date is 180 B.C according to Mr. Goodspeed.
A passage-8:7 "Do not exult over a man who is dead;Remember that we are all going to die."

*The Wisdom of Solomon is another book similar to Proverbs.This book is dated roughly the first century B.C.
An Example- 2:5 "For life is a fleeting shadow,And there is no way to recall our end,For it is sealed up and no one can bring it back."

I recommend this book for extra-biblical and historical study.

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Apocrypha

If you have read the pseudepigrapha, then you must read the apocrypha.
Better yet, add it to your library. Christian scrolls not included in the bible.

Essential reading

Having read the Bible, I was interested in reading some of the books that were not included. This book is well put together and a worthwhile investment in your spiritual journey.

The best translation I've read so far.

I've read several of these apocryphal books. Goodspeed's selling point is that he translated directly from the Greek, not Latin. I read it simultaneously with the Oxford Coogan and the Anchor Bible translations and found the writing to be far better. I also wasn't that impressed by the Oxford commentaries. What perturbed me was that there were other apocryphal books, e.g. Maccabees III and IV in the Anchor that were not included in the Goodspeed edition. Also some of the same books have different names. Also even though the Apocrypha is early Common Era Jewish history only the Catholic Church includes it in their cannons.

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The Apocrypha