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The Lost Books of the Bible
Book
Descriptions
A Partial List
Part 3
The First And Second Books Of Maccabees
The First and Second Books of Maccabees are a history of God's
people, the Jews. At the time of the events recorded in the First
and Second Maccabees, Judas Machabeus was the leader of the Jewish
Nation. The author of the First Book of Maccabees is unknown. But,
it is believed that he was a Palestinian. The style of writing and
the language he used make it clear that he was a native of
Palestine. The date of the writing of the First Book of Maccabees is
not definitely known, but it is considered possibly to have been
written during the reign of John Hyrcanus (135-105 BC) and no later
than 63 BC.
The Second Book of Maccabees is considered to be a part of a larger
work. Jason of Cyrene supposedly wrote the Second Book of Maccabees.
Nothing is known of the author of the larger work of which Second
Maccabees is thought to be a part. The General Councils of Florence
and Trent consider both First and Second Maccabees canonical. The
church accepts them as canon them and both books can be found in the
Douway-Rheims Catholic Bible.
The Third And Fourth Books Of Maccabees
The Third Book of Maccabees is considered non-canonical, but it is
read and held in high esteem by the Greek Church. Its author is
thought to have been an Alexandrian Jew who wrote the Third Book of
Maccabees as a comfort to the persecuted Jews in Alexandria during
the reign of Ptolemy Philopator. The church also considers the
Fourth Book of Maccabees non-canonical. Based on ancient stories and
writings, it tells of the destruction of Jerusalem. It is thought to
have been compiled by a Jew whose name is unknown.
The Book of
Susanna
The Book of Susanna tells the story of a woman that was beyond
reproach, but was accused by two lustful men of committing immoral
acts with them. It details the account and shows how Daniel spoke up
in her defense and saved her from an untimely death. The Book of
Daniel in the Old Testament contains 12 chapters, but in the first
century before the birth of Christ a 13th chapter was added. That
chapter is the Book of Susanna. The Book of Susanna was left out of
the Bible because it was not written in Hebrew originally. It is
considered one of the Deuterocanonical books of the Apocrypha.
The Book of
Judith
The Book of Judith is generally believed to have been written by
Elochim (Joachim) during the reign of Manasses. The book has been
found in Greek, Latin and two Hebrew versions. The Latin version was
supposedly translated, in one night, from the Chaldaic by Jerome.
One of the Hebrew versions is identical to the Greek. The early
church authorities considered The Book of Judith to be canonical and
still maintain its canonicity. But, the Protestants excluded it from
the Bible because it does not exist in the Hebrew Bible. The Book of
Judith tells the story of a virtuous woman who, by her actions,
saved Israel from destruction by Holofernes and his vast army.
Additions to
Esther
The Remaining Chapters of Esther were declared canonical by the
Councils of Laodicea and Carthage. Jerome found parts of the book in
Hebrew and he transposed them to the end of the Book of Esther. He
found all 16 chapters contained in 10 chapters in the Greek
manuscript. The Council of Trent also declared all of the Book of
Esther to be sacred, canonical scripture. The Remaining Chapters of
Esther is supposed to have been written by Madocheus.
The Epistle of
Jeremiah
The Epistle of Jeremiah is a letter written to the Jewish captives
as they are about to be lead off into captivity by Nebuchadnezzer.
It is a warning to the people to beware of idolatry. The early
church authorities declared it canonical. It is included in the list
of canonical writings of Origen, Epiphanius, Cyril of Jerusalem and
Athanasius. The Council of Laodicea also recognized it as canonical.
In the Septuagint, The Epistle of Jeremiah follows Lamentations as a
separate piece, closing the writings of Jeremiah. In Latin
manuscripts, The Epistle of Jeremiah is appended to Baruch as
chapter 6. It is supposed, by the majority of scholars, to have been
written in Greek. The writer is thought to have been a resident of
Alexandria. Most scholars agree that Jeremiah did not write The
Epistle of Jeremiah because it never formed part of the Hebrew
Canon.
The Wisdom of Solomon
The Wisdom of Solomon (aka The Wisdom of Jesus, Son of Sirach) is
one of the deutro-canonical writings of the Old Testament. It is
found in the Vulgate between Canticle of Canticles and
Ecclesiasticus. Some scholars believe that it was written by King
Solomon, but there is doubt among others as to who the author is.
The original Wisdom of Solomon was composed in Greek. Therefore,
some scholars doubt King Solomon as author. Others believe an
unknown Alexandrian Jew wrote it. It is unclear as to the date of
the writing. It is thought to have been written in the time of
Ptolemy 1V Philopator (221-204 BC) or Ptolemy V11 Physicon (145-117
BC). The original text of The Wisdom of Solomon is preserved in five
manuscripts, The Vaticanus, The Siniticus, The Alexandrinus, The
Ephremiticis and The Venetus. It's most accurate form is found in
the Venetus and The Vaticanus manuscripts. The Wisdom of Solomon is
so named because it contains information on wisdom, how to obtain it
and it's fruits.
The Wisdom Of Jesus' Son,
Sirach
The Wisdom of Jesus' Son Sirach (aka Ecclesiasticus) was considered
canonical by the early church authorities although it is not in
Jewish Canon. The book was first written in Hebrew by Jesus, son of
Sirach. Another Hebrew text exist that was translated into the Greek
by a Palestinian Jew, the grandson of Jesus, the son of Sirach. The
name of the translator is unknown. The book is thought to have been
written between 190 BC and 170 BC. The Wisdom of Jesus' Son, Sirach
deals primarily with morality and wisdom.
The Book Of Enoch (Ethiopian Enoch)
Enoch, the son of Jared, is mentioned several times in the Bible at
Genesis 5:18-24, Hebrews 11:5 and Jude 1:14-15. The Verse in Jude
directly quotes The Book of Enoch. The Book of Enoch was considered
canon and exact by the early Christians. Early church authorities
such as Justin Martyr, Augustine, Irenaeus, Origin and Clement of
Alexandria all made use of The Book Of Enoch and considered it
genuine. Tertullian considered it scripture, calling The Book of
Enoch "Holy Scripture". It was also added to the official canon of
the Ethiopic Church. The Book of Enoch was widely read and used
during the first three centuries after the death of Christ. The
Council of Laodicia discredited The Book of Enoch and banned it. It
gradually disappeared, but in 1773 James Bruce, a famous explorer
returned from Abyssinia with three Ethiopic copies of the text. In
time, several sections of the Greek version were found. Seven
fragments of The Book of Enoch in the Aramaic text were discovered
in Cave 4 of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The original Book of Enoch was
composed in Hebrew. The Book of Enoch can be divided into five
parts: The Book of Watchers, The Book of the Similitudes, The Book
of Astronomical Writings, The Book of Dream Visions and The Book of
the Epistle of Enoch.
Part 4
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