This timeline will help you to understand the historical context of these books.
538-332 BC – Persian Period –
333 BC – Alexander the Great defeats Darius III
323 BC – Alexander dies and his kingdom is divided
283-246 BC – Greek translation of Torah in Egypt
175-164 BC – Antiochus IV becomes king of Syria
167 BC – Antiochus IV defiles the Jewish Temple
165 or 164 BC – Temple rededicated under Judas Maccabeus
40 BC – Herod the Great becomes king
Apocrypha Lecture
You can find the Apocrypha online here. For a taste of the Apocrypha, I would suggest that you read Susanna and 1 Maccabees. You can find some of the background of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah here.
One of the important things about 2 Maccabees is its value in understanding the development of the Jewish doctrine of the resurrection. Here is a helpful blogpost on this subject.
Pseudepigrapha Lecture
You can find an online version of the Pseudepigrapha here. Read the Story of Aseneth found here.
Dead Sea Scrolls Lecture
Some very helpful information on the Dead Sea Scrolls can be found here.
Questions for Discussion
Why do you think the Apocrypha is not in Protestant Bibles?
Why do you think the Apocrypha is in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles?
What value does the story of the Maccabees have for Christians today?
Why did the authors of the Pseudepigrapha not use their real names?
What is the significance of the New Testament book of Jude's use of the Pseudepigrapha?
How does the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls help our understanding of the Bible?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment