Examples Of Apocryphal Biblical Literature
Essay 69: Judaism - What is Apocryphal Biblical Literature?
The canonization of the Jewish Bible, called the Tanakh in Hebrew and the Old Testament by Christian scholars, began at the end of the Second Temple period around the year 70 CE. Common Era, abbreviated CE, refers to the same time period as A.D. This process probably took well over a century but was essentially complete by the time the Mishnah (Jewish Oral Law) was redacted around the year 218 CE. These two dates are important because they bracket the span of time in which Rabbinic authority was concentrated in the land of Israel.
Historical Context After the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in the year 70 CE, Rabbis collectively known as Tanna'im took it upon themselves …show more content…
These books survive as Coptic, Ethiopian, Syriac, or Greek translations; a few may be of Jewish authorship, but most probably are not. They include the Life of Adam and Eve (also called the Apocalypse or Assumption of Moses); the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs; and the Testaments of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Other passages such as Esdras, the Prayer of Manasseh, the Song of the Three Children, and the Destruction of Bel and the Dragon were later additions to older Jewish …show more content…
The explanation, according to Orthodox Jewish scholars, is that the Rabbis considered literature written prior to the Hellenistic era to be divine revelation, or at least divinely inspired, whereas later writings were regarded as neither.
Canonization of the Christian Bible Christianity was a highly volatile religion for many centuries after its founding. Arguments raged over innumerable aspects of theology, doxology, and not surprisingly, the contents of the Christian Bible, in particular the New Testament. Although the details are still a matter of debate, it seems by the time of the Synod of Carthage in 397 CE, all of the books now considered part of the New Testament had been given canonical status by the Roman Catholic Church. By the early 5th century, most Eastern Orthodox churches followed suit. The four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John became the core of the Christian Bible. Several other gospels, such as Peter, Thomas, Judas, and Mary Magdalene, were excluded. These and other writings of an early Christian sect called the Gnostics were discovered at Nag Hammadi, Egypt in
The canonization of the Jewish Bible, called the Tanakh in Hebrew and the Old Testament by Christian scholars, began at the end of the Second Temple period around the year 70 CE. Common Era, abbreviated CE, refers to the same time period as A.D. This process probably took well over a century but was essentially complete by the time the Mishnah (Jewish Oral Law) was redacted around the year 218 CE. These two dates are important because they bracket the span of time in which Rabbinic authority was concentrated in the land of Israel.
Historical Context After the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in the year 70 CE, Rabbis collectively known as Tanna'im took it upon themselves …show more content…
These books survive as Coptic, Ethiopian, Syriac, or Greek translations; a few may be of Jewish authorship, but most probably are not. They include the Life of Adam and Eve (also called the Apocalypse or Assumption of Moses); the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs; and the Testaments of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Other passages such as Esdras, the Prayer of Manasseh, the Song of the Three Children, and the Destruction of Bel and the Dragon were later additions to older Jewish …show more content…
The explanation, according to Orthodox Jewish scholars, is that the Rabbis considered literature written prior to the Hellenistic era to be divine revelation, or at least divinely inspired, whereas later writings were regarded as neither.
Canonization of the Christian Bible Christianity was a highly volatile religion for many centuries after its founding. Arguments raged over innumerable aspects of theology, doxology, and not surprisingly, the contents of the Christian Bible, in particular the New Testament. Although the details are still a matter of debate, it seems by the time of the Synod of Carthage in 397 CE, all of the books now considered part of the New Testament had been given canonical status by the Roman Catholic Church. By the early 5th century, most Eastern Orthodox churches followed suit. The four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John became the core of the Christian Bible. Several other gospels, such as Peter, Thomas, Judas, and Mary Magdalene, were excluded. These and other writings of an early Christian sect called the Gnostics were discovered at Nag Hammadi, Egypt in