Parabiblica For The Perplexed: Recent Episodes
Ben G
This podcast takes a scholarly look at the Jewish Parabiblica (Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha; biblical-style books that did not make it into the Jewish Canon) and presents them in an easy to understand, layman-friendly format.
This episode covers book 3 of the Sibylline oracles, the oldest and most Jewish section of this fascinating collection that blends Hellenistic and Jewish elements as part of the Alexandria community's proselytization efforts.
Sources:
https://www.logos.com/product/5746/old-testament-pseudepigrapha
https://brill.com/view/title/8228
This video discusses the texts (or possibly text) the Testament of Moses and the Assumption of Moses, two fascinating Second Temple works dealing with the death of Moshe and its aftermath in very different styles.
Sources:
https://www.logos.com/product/5746/old-testament-pseudepigrapha
https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Lost_Apocrypha_of_the_Old_Testament.html?id=L8fD66NzwHoC
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Assumption-of-Moses
This episode covers a number of the early Jewish prayers attributed to biblical figures, including the Prayer of Manasses, the Prayer of Nabonidus, the Prayer of Enoch (or Enoch), and the Prayer of Jacob.
Sources:
https://www.logos.com/product/5746/old-testament-pseudepigrapha
https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive
https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/G/bo3684249.html
This episode covers 4 Ezra, or 2 Esdras, one of the most well-known Apocalypses from the Parabiblica.
This episode discusses some of the works of the Jeremiah and Baruch literature, including Baruch, the Epistle of Jeremiah, the Prophecy Against Pashhur, and the Apocryphal Jeremiah literature of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
This episode takes a look at Lives of the Prophets, an anthology-style parabiblical text that gives details about the lives, miracles, deaths, and locations of many of the canonical prophets.
Sources:
https://www.logos.com/product/5746/old-testament-pseudepigrapha?ssi=0
https://www.logos.com/product/154/the-works-of-josephus
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/13342/the-book-of-legendssefer-ha-aggadah-by-hn-bialik-and-yh-rawnitzky/
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lxx/1ki/2/1/s_293001
Are the Additions in LXX Job 2,9a-e to be deemed as the Old Greek text? on JSTOR
http://www.emanueltov.info/docs/papers/38.Miscell.1999.pdf?v=1.0
https://www.britannica.com/topic/biblical-literature/Greek-additions-to-Esther
https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195393361/obo-9780195393361-0241.xml
This episode covers the book of Jubilees, one of the most prominent parabiblical texts.
Sources:
https://www.logos.com/product/5746/old-testament-pseudepigrapha
https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv11cvxnk
This shorter episode covers the Parabiblical Dead Sea Scrolls associated with Moshe. Sources:
https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/311393/the-complete-dead-sea-scrolls-in-english-by-geza-vermes/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24610092?read-now=1&seq=22#page_scan_tab_contents
https://www.jstor.org/stable/23509011?seq=1
This episode covers the second half of the Enoch texts in the 1 Enoch anthology, ranging from the first century BCE to the first century CE.
Sources:
http://www.oxfordbiblicalstudies.com/article/opr/t280/e94
https://www.logos.com/product/5746/old-testament-pseudepigrapha
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Lost_Apocrypha_of_the_Old_Testament
https://pages.uncc.edu/john-reeves/course-materials/rels-2104-hebrew-scripturesold-testament/translation-of-1q-genesis-apocryphon/
https://www.logos.com/product/7129/the-dead-sea-scrolls-in-english
This episode focuses on the Psalms of Solomon, a group of 18 psalms attributed to Solomon that contain some of the most information on first century BCE Judean life.
In this episode, I present an overview of Maccabee literature and discuss 1 Maccabees.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Maccabees+1&version=NRSV
https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Books-of-the-Maccabees
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/10237-maccabees-books-of
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1596-antiochus-scroll-of
https://www.eerdmans.com/Products/2739/old-testament-pseudepigrapha.aspx
https://www.islamic-awareness.org/bible/text/canon/ethiopican.html
This episode discusses the various Parabiblical songs, including the Song of Miriam, the Aramaic Song of the Lamb, and the Daily Songs of David.
Sources:
https://www.logos.com/product/157984/the-old-testament-pseudepigrapha-volume-1
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24659938?read-now=1&seq=1
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24640814?read-now=1&seq=1
https://www.jstor.org/stable/42912473?read-now=1&seq=1
https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-complete-dead-sea-scrolls-in-english-7th-edition-9780141197319#:~:text=Since%20its%20first%20publication%20in,the%20community%20responsible%20for%20them.
In this episode, I discuss a number of the texts incorporated into the current 1 Enoch anthology, including the books of Watchers, Noah, Giants, Luminaries, the Animal Apocalypse, the Apocalypse of Weeks, and the Deluge Vision.
Sources:
http://www.oxfordbiblicalstudies.com/article/opr/t280/e94
https://www.amazon.com/Old-Testament-Pseudepigrapha-set/dp/1598564897
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24608894?read-now=1&seq=1
https://www.academia.edu/4024730/Did_the_Midrash_of_Shemihazai_and_Azael_use_the_Book_of_Giants
https://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/giants/giants.htm
This episode covers a few of the smaller Jewish apocalypses.
Sources:
https://www.logos.com/product/157984/the-old-testament-pseudepigrapha-volume-1
https://pages.uncc.edu/john-reeves/research-projects/trajectories-in-near-eastern-apocalyptic/sefer-elijah/
http://www.iinet.com/~passtheword/GOSPEL-REDISCOVERY/titus-epistle.htm
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%202&version=NRSV
https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q246-1
https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q521-1
This shorter episode takes a look at the Wisdom of Solomon, an apocryphal wisdom text.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Wisdom%201&version=NRSV
https://www.logos.com/product/2817/introducing-the-apocrypha-message-context-and-significance
This month on Parabiblica For The Perplexed we cover the many non-canonical psalms that have survived from such sources as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Peshitta, the Elephantine Papyri, ancient amulets, and many others.
Sources:
https://brill.com/view/title/1595
https://www.logos.com/product/27776/11q5-psalms-a
https://www.logos.com/product/27979/4q88-psalms-f
https://www.logos.com/product/27771/11q11-apocryphal-psalms
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/inscriptions/israelite-psalms-papyrus-amherst-63/
https://warburg.sas.ac.uk/pdf/gmh600b2413316.pdf
https://www.academia.edu/1957860/A_Greek-Aramaic_Silver_Amulet_from_Egypt_in_the_Ashmolean_Museum
https://www.logos.com/product/49494/old-testament-pseudepigrapha-more-noncanonical-scriptures-vol-1
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Sirach+51&version=NRSV