Jewish apocrypha

Short description: Books not accepted as sacred manuscripts in Judaism

Template:Bible-related The Jewish apocrypha (Hebrew: הספרים החיצוניים, romanized: HaSefarim haChitzoniyim, lit. 'the outer books') are religious texts written in large part by Jews, especially during the Second Temple period, not accepted as sacred manuscripts when the Hebrew Bible was canonized. Some of these books are considered sacred in certain Christian denominations and are included in their versions of the Old Testament. The Jewish apocrypha is distinctive from the New Testament apocrypha and Christian biblical apocrypha as it is the only one of these collections which works within a Jewish theological framework.[1]

## Apocrypha in Judaism

Some sects of Second Temple Judaism, such as the Essenes in Judaea and the Therapeutae in Alexandria, were said to have a "secret or hidden" literature. The Pharisees were familiar with these texts. The Apocalyptic literature is an example of this secret literature. Because they were based on unfulfilled prophecies, these books were not considered scripture but rather part of a literary form that flourished from 200 BCE to 100 CE. These works usually bore the names of ancient Hebrew worthies to establish their validity among the contemporaries of the true writers.

2 Esdras reinforces this theory. When Ezra was inspired to dictate the sacred scriptures that were destroyed in the overthrow of Jerusalem:

> So during the forty days, ninety-four books were written. And when the forty days were ended, the Most High spoke to me, saying, "Make public the twenty-four books that you wrote first and let the worthy and the unworthy read them; but keep the seventy that were written last, in order to give them to the wise among your people. For in them is the spring of understanding, the fountain of wisdom, and the river of knowledge."[2]

Writings that were wholly apart from scriptural texts were designated as Hitsonim (lit. external) by Chazal in tractate Sanhedrin, and reading them was controversial.[3] The Talmud also generally discourages the reading of apocrypha; it's debated if one should merely avoid elevating apocrypha to the level of scripture, or if one is not to read apocrypha at all. In the following centuries, these apocrypha fell out of use in Judaism.[4][5][6]

## Books

* 1 Baruch (ספר ברוך)
* 2 Baruch ('חזון ברוך א)
* 3 Baruch ('חזון ברוך ב)
* 1 Enoch ('ספר חנוך א)
* 2 Enoch ('ספר חנוך ב)
* 3 Enoch ('ספר חנוך ג)
* 1 Esdras (עזרא החיצוני)
* 2 Esdras (חזון עזרא)
* 1 Maccabees ('ספר מקבים א)
* 2 Maccabees (ספר מקבים ב׳)
* 3 Maccabees (ספר מקבים ג׳)
* 4 Maccabees (ספר מקבים ד׳)
* Additions to the Book of Esther (תוספות למגילת אסתר)
* Additions to Daniel (תוספות לספר דניאל)
* Apocalypse of Abraham (חזון אחרית הימים של אברהם)
* Apocryphon of Jannes and Jambres
* Ascension of Isaiah (עליית ישעיהו)
* Assumption of Moses (עליית משה)
* Book of Gad the Seer (דברי גד החוזה)
* Book of Jubilees (ספר היובלים)
* Book of Judith (ספר יהודית)
* Book of Tobit (ספר טוביה)
* Book of Wisdom (חכמת שלמה)
* Genesis Apocryphon (מגילה חיצונית לבראשית)
* History of the Captivity in Babylon
* Joseph and Aseneth (יוסף ואסנת)
* Letter of Aristeas (איגרת אריסטיאס)
* Letter of Jeremiah (איגרת ירמיהו)
* Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum (קדמוניות המקרא)
* Life of Adam and Eve (ספר אדם וחוה)
* Prayer of Manasseh (תפילת מנשה)
* Psalm 151 (מזמור קנ"א)
* Psalms 152–155 (מזמורי קנ"ב–קנ"ה)
* Psalms of Solomon (מזמורי שלמה)
* Sibylline Oracles (חזיונות הסיבילות)
* Sirach (בן סירא)
* Testament of Abraham (צוואת אברהם)
* Testament of Job (דברי איוב)
* Testament of Qahat (צוואת קהת)
* Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (צוואות השבטים)
* Visions of Amram (חזון עמרם)
* Gabriel's Revelation

The Testaments of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Aaron,[nb 2] Nagara Muse (The Conversation of Moses), Təʾəzazä Sänbät (Commandments of the Sabbath), Arde'et (Disciples), Gorgoryos (Apocalypse of Gorgorios), Barok (Apocalypse of Baruch) Mäṣḥafä Sa'atat (Book of Hours), fālasfā (Philosophers), Abba Eliyas (Father Elijah), Mäṣḥafä Mäla'əkt (Book of the Angels), Dərsanä Abrəham Wäsara Bägabs (Homily on Abraham and Sarah in Egypt), Gadla Sosna (The Story of Susanna) and Baqadāmi Gabra Egzi'abḥēr (In the Beginning God Created).

## References

1. ↑ "APOCRYPHA - JewishEncyclopedia.com". http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1644-apocrypha.
2. ↑ 2 Esdras 14:44–47
3. ↑ Koren-Steinsaltz, ed. Sanhedrin 100b.3. Sefaria. https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.100b.3?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en.
4. ↑ "Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha" (in en-US). https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/apocrypha-and-pseudepigrapha/.
5. ↑ "The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha". https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-apocrypha-and-pseudepigrapha.
6. ↑ "Apocrypha". https://www.thejc.com/judaism/jewish-words/apocrypha-1.6708.

* This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore, ed (1901–1906). "Apocrypha". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.

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*[lit.]: literal translation