Full Description
The Oxford Handbook of the Apocrypha addresses the Old Testament Apocrypha, known to be important early Jewish texts that have become deutero-canonical for some Christian churches, non-canonical for other churches, and that are of lasting cultural significance. In addition to the place given to the classical literary, historical, and tradition-historical introductory questions, essays focus on the major social and theological themes of each individual book. With contributions from leading scholars from around the world, the Handbook acts as an authoritative reference work on the current state of Apocrypha research, and at the same time carves out future directions of study.
This Handbook offers an overview of the various Apocrypha and relevant topics related to them by presenting updated research on each individual apocryphal text in historical context, from the late Persian and early Hellenistic periods to the early Roman era. The essays provided here examine the place of the Apocrypha in the context of Early Judaism, the relationship between the Apocrypha and texts that came to be canonized, the relationship between the Apocrypha and the Septuagint, Qumran, the Pseudepigrapha, and the New Testament, as well as their reception history in the Western world. Several chapters address overarching themes, such as genre and historicity, Jewish practices and beliefs, theology and ethics, gender and the role of women, and sexual ethics.
Contents
Preface
Contributors
Part I: The Apocrypha in Judaism and Christianity
The Apocrypha: An Introduction
1. The Apocrypha in the Context of Early Judaism
2. The Apocrypha, the Septuagint, and other Greek Witnesses
3. A Canonical History of the Old Testament Apocryphay
4. The Apocrypha in the History of Christianity
5. The Protestant Reception of the Apocrypha
Part II: The Apocrypha
Historical and Legendary:
6. Apocrypha, Genre, and Historicity
7. 1 Esdras (Greek Ezra)
8. Baruch
9. Book of Judith
10. 1 Maccabees' Ethics, Etiquette, Political Theology, and Structure
11. 2 Maccabees
12. 3 Maccabees
13. 4 Maccabees
Apocalyptic:
14. The Apocrypha and Apocalypticism
15. 2 Esdras
Didactic:
16. Wisdom Literature of the Apocrypha and Related Compositions of the Second Temple Era
17. Sirach
18. Tobit
19 .The Wisdom of Solomon
Additions to Biblical Books:
20. The Additions to Daniel
21. The Additions of the Greek Book(s) of Esther
22. Epistle of Jeremiah
23. Prayer of Manasseh
24. Psalm 151-155
Part III: Major Themes in the Apocrypha
25. Jewish Religion in the Apocrypha: Between Biblical Precepts and Early Rabbinic Thought
26. Women and Gender in the Apocrypha
27. Theology and Ethics in the Apocrypha
28. Sexuality in the Apocrypha
29. Biblical Theology and the Apocrypha
Index
