The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Vol. 1: Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments By James H. Charlesworth

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 come to light in modern times. Known as the pseudepigrapha, they are made available here in English translation. The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Vol. 1: Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments

James H. Charlesworth ã 9 Read & Download

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. English 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. English So 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. English 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. English 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. English

Last time I cracked this open was in 1994. And it’s time to read it again. English 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. English 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. English 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. English 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. English