I suggest there are several reasons why these writings should be read.
Firstly, these texts were very important for many people in early Judaism and the early church so they should be for us, whether a Jew or Christian. In several communities, many of these works were authoritative and even considered scripture on par with the books that we now consider Scripture. The Dead Sea Scroll community (almost certainly Essenes) had more copies (and often luxurious ones) of 1 Enoch, Jubilees, and the Temple Scroll than most books of scripture. In fact, as mentioned previously, books like 4 Ezra, Jubilees, and 1 Enoch are still considered scripture by various churches and Jewish groups today.
Secondly, the Pseudepigrapha is saturated with examples of early Jewish biblical interpretation. If one wants to know how Jews and early Christians understood scripture they should study the exegetical practices employed in these writings. They contain some of the earliest examples of biblical hermeneutics, commentary, and theological reasoning. These texts record developing and competing theologies of determinism, free-will, messianism, resurrection, and the origins of evil.
Thirdly, related to this, reading these texts are important for correcting false ideas about early Judaism. In Protestant scholarship since the days of Martin Luther, later ideas of legalism, often inspired by narrow readings of Rabbinical Judaism were assumed to reflect the scene in Second Temple Judaism. However, reading these writings, and the Dead Sea Scrolls shows this not to be exactly the case.
Fourthly, for Christians the New Testament itself quotes and depends upon these writings. Here are three examples. Jude 14 cites 1 Enoch 1.9 with the same formula the synoptic gospels use to cite Isaiah.[1] Likewise, Paul makes a typological reference of Jesus being a rock that followed the Israelities in the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10.4). Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum (sometimes labelled Pseudo-Philo) describes a well of water following the Israelites to miraculously water them in the Exodus (LAB 10.7). This – by extension – implies the rock Moses struck to supply water (Exodus 17.6) is supposed to have miraculously followed them – a theme developed further in Rabbinic literature. Finally, the magicians who assist Pharoah during the plagues of Egypt are never named in Exodus. However, 2 Timothy 3.8 supplies the names Jamnes and Mambres. Origen notes these names are found in a secret (pseudepigraphical) work titled ‘the book of Jamnes and Mambres’ (Commentariorum Series 117)[2]
Fifthly, these writings were not only read throughout early Judaism and the early church, but even more recently. It was used in debates over the origins of native Americans in the New World. One might think Protestants have flatly rejected them with an insistence on sola scriptura. However, history is more complex. Bruce Metzger draws attention to one unexpected allusion to 4 Ezra by none other than Hugh Latimer, one of the architects of the English Reformation.[3] The spot where he was burned alive is marked with a cross on Broad Street in Oxford. On the stake with his fellow reformer Nicholas Ridley, Latimer echoed 4 Ezra,
Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.
I will light a lamp of understanding in your heart which will not be put out until the things have ended about which you will write. (4 Ezra 14.25)I suggest these writings are not only relevant to Jews, and Catholics, but also to Protestant heirs of Latimer.
[1] Προεφήτευσεν δὲ καὶ τούτοις ἕβδομος ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ Ἑνὼχ λέγων·
‘about these things Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied’ (Jude 14
Καλῶς ἐπροφήτευσεν Ἠσαΐας περὶ ὑμῶν
‘Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you’ (Mark 7.6)
καλῶς ἐπροφήτευσεν περὶ ὑμῶν Ἠσαΐας ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you’ (Matt 15.7)[2] item quod ait »sicut Iamnes et Mambres restiterunt Moysi« non invenitur publicis libris, sed in libro secreto qui suprascribitur liber Iamnes et Mambres. Likewise, what he says, “as Jamnes and Mambres resisted Moses,” is not found in public books, but in a secret book which is titled the book of Jamnes and Mambres. (This section of his commentary is only extant in its Latin translation.)
[3] The Fourth Book of Ezra in Charlsworth (ed.) Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Doubleday 1983), p. 523.
A couple of days ago a huge landmark was reached, 1,000 orders have now been shipped! This means 1,000 Bible Readers have now been dispatched around the world helping all sorts of people read the scriptures in the biblical languages.
Check out this competition on Twitter to win a copy yourself!
1,000 #BibleReaders shipped!
— Timothy A. Lee Publishing (@TimothyALeePub) May 2, 2024
Retweet to win a copy! https://t.co/8KihM3EJEH (T&C below) pic.twitter.com/LxUokX6A2l
Nothing better than sitting in a cafe a reading the book of Jonah from one of @Timothy_A_Lee Hebrew readers! pic.twitter.com/akyfkkPE4A
— Chris Metcalf (@Chr1sMetcalf) January 18, 2024
This Hebrew reader by @Timothy_A_Lee is full on Hebraic. The whole book is right to left. pic.twitter.com/xHIzR6uKtC
— Matt Ferris (@ferrismattic) November 1, 2023
I'm too late for the contest @Timothy_A_Lee @TimothyALeePub but here is a photo I took of my readers this last night of #Chanukka #BibleReader pic.twitter.com/C3KokeEMGO
— Eric Lake💙🇮🇱 (@etank) December 15, 2023
This is a Hebrew reader for the books of Jonah, Ruth, and Esther. The books selected for this reader contain some of the simplest passages of the Hebrew Bible, as such they are often among the first books to be read and studied by students. It is designed as a useful cost-efficient tool for two groups of people. First, for students learning Biblical Hebrew after a year’s worth of study this book and provides the material to grow in reading ability from the primary texts. Second, this book is designed for pastors, rabbis, scholars, and curious lay people looking to refresh their Hebrew, or use them in preparation for their work of study, preaching, and teaching.
The book immerses the reader in the biblical texts in order to build confidence reading Biblical Hebrew as quickly as possible. To achieve this, all uncommon words that occur 80 times or fewer in the Bible are glossed as footnotes. This enables the reader to continue reading every passage unhindered. Therefore, the book complements traditional language grammars and is especially ideal for beginner and intermediate students learning to read Biblical Hebrew. However, even advanced readers will appreciate the glossing of the rare words, since it saves time reading the text. In addition, unlike other readers, this book is small and light, so very easy to carry around and a pleasure to read.
Other features include:
Nothing better than sitting in a cafe a reading the book of Jonah from one of @Timothy_A_Lee Hebrew readers! pic.twitter.com/akyfkkPE4A
— Chris Metcalf (@Chr1sMetcalf) January 18, 2024
This Hebrew reader by @Timothy_A_Lee is full on Hebraic. The whole book is right to left. pic.twitter.com/xHIzR6uKtC
— Matt Ferris (@ferrismattic) November 1, 2023
I'm too late for the contest @Timothy_A_Lee @TimothyALeePub but here is a photo I took of my readers this last night of #Chanukka #BibleReader pic.twitter.com/C3KokeEMGO
— Eric Lake💙🇮🇱 (@etank) December 15, 2023
This is a Hebrew reader for the books of Jonah, Ruth, and Esther. The books selected for this reader contain some of the simplest passages of the Hebrew Bible, as such they are often among the first books to be read and studied by students. It is designed as a useful cost-efficient tool for two groups of people. First, for students learning Biblical Hebrew after a year’s worth of study this book and provides the material to grow in reading ability from the primary texts. Second, this book is designed for pastors, rabbis, scholars, and curious lay people looking to refresh their Hebrew, or use them in preparation for their work of study, preaching, and teaching.
The book immerses the reader in the biblical texts in order to build confidence reading Biblical Hebrew as quickly as possible. To achieve this, all uncommon words that occur 80 times or fewer in the Bible are glossed as footnotes. This enables the reader to continue reading every passage unhindered. Therefore, the book complements traditional language grammars and is especially ideal for beginner and intermediate students learning to read Biblical Hebrew. However, even advanced readers will appreciate the glossing of the rare words, since it saves time reading the text. In addition, unlike other readers, this book is small and light, so very easy to carry around and a pleasure to read.
Other features include:
Despite being one of my two most popular books, I was least satisfied with the formatting of my Psalms reader. The problem was that wherever poetry would run over lines, it would start a new line on the right hand side of the page. This meant units would be split and harder to read. I have now updated this to align on the left, so keeping units together.
It is still not perfect since I do not wish to break lines at all, but the constraints of a small page are not helpful. I hope to produce a larger 8x10" Psalms edition soon. I have also added acrostic markers and also fixed numerous poetry divisions to align with the suggested divisions in the first edition of Biblia Hebraica. This should all make my Psalms reader one of my most aesthetically pleasing editions!
