The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Vol. 2: Expansions of the Old Testament and Legends, Wisdom and Philosophical Literature, Prayers, Psalms, and Odes, Fragments of Lost Judeo-Hellenistic works

1057 Pages·1985·47.89 MB·English

by  James H. Charlesworth

THE OLD TESTAMENT PSEUDEPIGRAPHA

THE OLD TESTAMENT
P S E U D E P I G R A P HA
VOLUME 2
Expansions of
the "Old Testament" and Legends,
Wisdom and Philosophical Literature,
Prayers, Psalms, and Odes,
Fragments of
Lost Judeo-Hellenistic Works
EDITED BY
JAMES H. CHARLESWORTH
1985
DOUBLEDAY & COMPANY, INC.
GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Main entry under tide:
Old Testament pseudepigrapha.
Includes indexes.
1. Apocryphal books (Old Testament)—Criticism,
interpretation, etc. I. Charlesworth, James H.
BS1830.A3 1985 229 80-2443
ISBN 0-385-09630-5 (v. 1)
ISBN 0-385-18813-7 (v. 2)
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 80-2443
ISBN: 0-385-18813-7
Copyright © 1985 by James H. Charlesworth
All Rights Reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition
Designed by Joseph P. Ascherl
Dedicated to my family
—Jerrie, Michelle, Eve, and James—
to other families supporting our
common labors,
and to families who read these
documents.
CONTENTS
Foreword George W. MacRae, SJ. ix
Foreword for Christians James T. Cleland x
Foreword for Jews Samuel Sandmel xi
Editor's Preface James H. Charlesworth xv
Board of Advisors xviii
Contributors xviii
Introduction for the General Reader James H. Charlesworth xxi
Explanation of Typographical and Reference Systems xxxv
List of Abbreviations xxxvii
DOCUMENTS
EXPANSIONS OF THE "OLD TESTAMENT" AND LEGENDS
Introduction J. H. Charlesworth 5
Letter of Aristeas (Third Century B.c-First Century A.D.)
R. J. H. Shutt 7
Jubilees (Second Century B.C.) O. 5. Wintermute 35
Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah (Second Century B.C.-Fourth
Century A.D.) M. A. Knibb 143
Joseph and Aseneth (First Century B.c.-Second Century A.D.)
C. Burchard 177
Life of Adam and Eve (First Century A.D.) M. D. Johnson 249
Pseudo-Philo (First Century A.D.) D. J. Harrington 297
The Lives of the Prophets (First Century A.D.) D. R. A. Hare 379
Ladder of Jacob (c. First Century A.D.?) H. G. hunt 401
4 Baruch (First to Second Century A.D.) S. E. Robinson 413
Jannes and Jambres (First to Third Century A.D.)
A. Pietersma and T. R. Lutz 421
History of the Rechabites (First to Fourth Century A.D.)
J. H. Charlesworth 443
Eldad and Modad (prior to Second Century A.D.) E. G. Martin 463
History of Joseph (prior to Fourth Century A.D.) G. T. Zervos 467
WISDOM AND PHILOSOPHICAL LITERATURE
Introduction J. H. Charlesworth All
Ahiqar (Seventh to Sixth Century B.C.) J. M. Lindenberger 479
VII CONTENTS
3 Maccabees (First Century B.C.) //. Anderson 509
4 Maccabees (First Century A.D.) H. Anderson 531
Pseudo-Phocylides (First Century B.c-First Century A.D.)
P. W. van der Horst 565
The Sentences of the Syriac Menander (Third Century A.D.)
T. Baarda 583
PRAYERS, PSALMS, AND ODES
Introduction J. H. Charlesworth 607
More Psalms of David (Second Century B.c-First Century A.D.)
7. H. Charlesworth with 7. A. Sanders 609
Prayer of Manasseh (Second Century B.c-First Century A.D.)
J. H. Charlesworth 625
Psalms of Solomon (First Century B.C.) R. B. Wright 639
Hellenistic Synagogal Prayers (Second to Third Century A.D.)
D. R. Darnell andD.A. Fiensy 671
Prayer of Joseph (First Century A.D.) J. Z. Smith 699
Prayer of Jacob (First to Fourth Century A.D.) J. H. Charlesworth 715
Odes of Solomon (Late First to Early Second Century A.D.)
J. H. Charlesworth 725
SUPPLEMENT
FRAGMENTS OF LOST JUDEO-HELLENISTIC WORKS
Editor's Introduction J. H. Charlesworth 775
General Introduction, with a Note on Alexander Polyhistor J. Strugnell 111
POETRY
Philo the Epic Poet (Third to Second Century B.C.) H. Attridge 781
Theodotus (Second to First Century B.C.) F. Fallon 785
ORACLE
Orphica (Second Century B.c-First Century A.D.) M. Lafargue 795
DRAMA
Ezekiel the Tragedian (Second Century B.C.) R. G. Robertson 803
OTHER
Fragments of Pseudo-Greek Poets (Third to Second Century B.C.)
H. Attridge 821
PHILOSOPHY
Aristobulus (Second Century B.C.) A. Yarbro Collins 831
CHRONOGRAPHY
Demetrius the Chronographer (Third Century B.C.) J. Hanson 843
HISTORY
Aristeas the Exegete (prior to First Century B.C.) R. Doran 855
Eupolemus (prior to First Century B.C.) F. Fallon 861
Pseudo-Eupolemus (prior to First Century B.C.) R. Doran 873
Cleodemus Malchus (prior to First Century B.C.) R. Doran 883
ROMANCE
Artapanus (Third to Second Century B.C.) J. J. Collins 889
APPENDIX
Pseudo-Hecataeus (Second Century B.c-First Century A.D.)
R. Doran 905
INDEX 921
FOREWORD
GEORGE W. MACRAE, S.J.
The ancient Jewish and Jewish-Christian documents that are here called Pseud­
epigrapha have in their long history been both problematic and promising in both
Jewish and Christian communities. It is heartening to observe that the very
publication of this new collection testifies more to their promise than to their
problems. An ancient witness to both problem and promise can be found within
two late books of the New Testament itself. The Epistle of Jude, in its strong
antiheretical polemic, refers at least twice to the language of the book we call
1 Enoch and in a third instance quotes it in an authoritative manner as prophetic.
It also refers to a legend about the body of Moses known to us in the book called
the Assumption of Moses. The Second Epistle of Peter, generally regarded as the
latest of the New Testament books, incorporates much of Jude into its second
chapter, but it is very careful to excise all of the allusions to the Pseudepigrapha.
The problem to which this situation points is that of the canonical status of the
Pseudepigrapha in early Christianity—and the consequent propriety or impropriety
of citing them in public documents. Clearly the authors of Jude and 2 Peter reflect
different views. This problem persisted for centuries in the Church and can further
be seen in the reluctance of some churches to accept Jude into the New Testament
because of its controversial sources. In the synagogue the problem did not persist
so long, and the decision was clearly against the Pseudepigrapha.
The promise to which the episode of Jude and 2 Peter points is the value of
studying the Pseudepigrapha for a better understanding of prerabbinic Judaism and
of the religious matrix of Christianity. Whatever canonical decisions were taken
by the official leadership, it is clear that in popular religious circles, especially
Christian ones, this literature continued to be prominent and to influence thought
and piety.
The most recent decades have seen an astonishing rebirth of scholarly interest
in the Pseudepigrapha, and these volumes are an excellent guide to much of it.
The renewed interest has been and continues to be stimulated in part by new
manuscript discoveries. One thinks of the Dead Sea Scrolls among others. These
have provided access to much more extensive knowledge of Judaism in the period
immediately following the Old Testament. But perhaps even more important than
such a largely accidental factor as manuscript discoveries has been the ever
increasing acceptance of historical-critical method on the part of students of the
Bible at all levels. To study the Bible by this method involves knowing as much
as one can about the biblical world in all of its facets. And this of course includes
knowing the Jewish and Christian religious literature that ultimately did not become