The Jewish Annotated Apocrypha

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). 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:
Contributors Contents Maps, Charts, and Diagrams Alphabetical Listing of the Books of the Apocrypha List of Abbreviations The Editors' Preface To the Reader Introduction Law Jubilees Histories and Stories 1 Esdras Expanded Tobit Judith 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees 3 Maccabees Prophecies Letter of Jeremiah Baruch Additions to Daniel [3 Pieces] Prayer of Azariah/Song of the Three Susanna Bel and the Dragon 4 Ezra Poetry and Wisdom Psalm 151 Prayer of Manasseh Wisdom of Solomon Ben Sira 4 Maccabees ESSAYS Social Contexts The Babylonian and Persian Period: History and Culture The Hellenistic Period: History and Culture The Roman Period Ancient Jewish Sectarianism The Archaeology of Second Temple Judaism The Hasmonean State and Ancient Jewish Nationalism The Apocrypha, Canon, and Literary Contexts Canon The Septuagint Dead Sea Scrolls The Peshitta and the Syriac Biblical Context The Apocrypha in Rabbinic Literature Apocrypha in Medieval Hebrew Literature Wisdom in the Apocrypha Literary Approaches to the Apocrypha The Incredible Expanding Bible: From the Dead Sea Scrolls to Haile Selassie The Apocrypha and Jewish Life Torah, Law, and Commandments Prayer in the Apocrypha Hanukkah in the Apocrypha Jewish Heroes and the Apocrypha Gender Jewish Theology and the Apocrypha Evil and Sin Jewish Identity in the Apocrypha Truth and Lies in Apocryphal Tales TIMELINE CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF RULERS TRANSLATIONS OF ANCIENT TEXTS GLOSSARY INDEX

About the Author :
Jonathan Klawans is Professor of Religion at Boston University. He is the author of Impurity and Sin in Ancient Judaism, Purity, Sacrifice, and the Temple, Josephus and the Theologies of Ancient Judaism, and Heresy, Forgery, Novelty . Lawrence M. Wills is visiting professor of Judaic Studies and Religious Studies at Brown University. His books include The Jewish Novel in the Ancient World, which was named an Outstanding Academic Book of 1995 by Choice magazine for academic librarians, and also Not God's People: Insiders and Outsiders in the Biblical World.

Review :
It deserves to be part of the library of all scholars of Second Temple Judaism. It will also be particularly helpful in the classroom, presenting as it does a nonChristian interpretation of what most students know as Christian scripture. In that regard, it fulfills its mission admirably, as did the other volumes in this outstanding trilogy. It deserves to be part of the library of all scholars of Second Temple Judaism. It will also be particularly helpful in the classroom, presenting as it does a non-Christian interpretation of what most students know as Christian scripture. In that regard, it fulfills its mission admirably, as did the other volumes in this outstanding trilogy. Overall, this volume is an excellent reference book. It targets a Jewish audience, offering guidance for learning the Second Temple heritage which shaped later Judaism. But it would also be a valuable book for Christian students of the bible, not only because the so-called apocryphal texts are part of Scripture in Church tradition, but also because it is important to know the Judaic heritage that formed the foundation of Christianity. ...excellent essays... Klawans and Wills have furnished a unique reference tool for readers that is clearly presented and astutely informed by established scholars and experts in the field that is sure to benefit a wide range of readers.