Description
Building on the success of the Jewish Annotated New Testament (JANT) and the Jewish Study Bible (JSB), Oxford University Press now proceeds to complete the trilogy with the Jewish Annotated Apocrypha (JAA). The books of the Apocrypha were virtually all composed by Jewish writers in the Second Temple period. Excluded from the Hebrew Bible, these works were preserved by Christians. Yet no complete, standalone edition of these works has been produced in English with an emphasis on Jewish tradition or with an educated Jewish audience in mind. The JAA meets this need.The JAA differs from prior editions of the Apocrypha in a number of ways. First, as befits a Jewish Annotated Apocrypha, the volume excludes certain texts that are widely agreed to be of Christian origin. Second, it expands the scope of the volume to include Jubilees, an essential text for understanding ancient Judaism, and a book that merits inclusion in the volume by virtue of the fact that it was long considered part of the canon of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (the text is also revered by Ethiopian Jews). Third, it has restructured the order of the books so that the sequencing follows the logic that governs the order of the books in the Jewish canon (Law, History, Prophecy, Wisdom and Poetry).Using the NRSV translation (plus Jubilees), each book of the Apocrypha is annotated by a recognized expert in the study of ancient Judaism. An Introduction by the editors guides readers though the making of the volume and its contents. Thematic essays by an impressive array of scholars provide helpful contexts, backgrounds and elaborations on key themes.
Table of Contents
ContributorsContentsMaps, Charts, and DiagramsAlphabetical Listing of the Books of the ApocryphaList of AbbreviationsThe Editors' PrefaceTo the ReaderIntroductionLawJubileesHistories and Stories1 EsdrasExpandedTobitJudith1 Maccabees2 Maccabees3 MaccabeesPropheciesLetter of JeremiahBaruchAdditions to Daniel [3 Pieces]Prayer of Azariah/Song of the ThreeSusannaBel and the Dragon4 EzraPoetry and WisdomPsalm 151Prayer of ManassehWisdom of SolomonBen Sira4 MaccabeesESSAYSSocial ContextsThe Babylonian and Persian Period: History and CultureThe Hellenistic Period: History and CultureThe Roman PeriodAncient Jewish SectarianismThe Archaeology of Second Temple JudaismThe Hasmonean State and Ancient Jewish NationalismThe Apocrypha, Canon, and Literary ContextsCanonThe SeptuagintDead Sea ScrollsThe Peshitta and the Syriac Biblical ContextThe Apocrypha in Rabbinic LiteratureApocrypha in Medieval Hebrew LiteratureWisdom in the ApocryphaLiterary Approaches to the ApocryphaThe Incredible Expanding Bible: From the Dead Sea Scrolls to Haile SelassieThe Apocrypha and Jewish LifeTorah, Law, and CommandmentsPrayer in the ApocryphaHanukkah in the ApocryphaJewish Heroes and the ApocryphaGenderJewish Theology and the ApocryphaEvil and SinJewish Identity in the ApocryphaTruth and Lies in Apocryphal TalesTIMELINECHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF RULERSTRANSLATIONS OF ANCIENT TEXTSGLOSSARYINDEX
