Primary Sources For New Testament Studies

Apocrypha - “hidden things”•books included by Roman Catholic,

Coptic, and Eastern Orthodox, but not Jews or Protestants.

1 and 2 Maccabees1 EsdrasTobit Judith 3 Maccabees Expanded EstherExpanded DanielWisdom of SolomonWisdom of Ben Sira

(Sirach)BaruchLetter of JeremiahPrayer of ManassahPs 151Prayer of AzariahSong of the Three Young Men4 Maccabees

Pseudepigrapha - “pretend writing”

• A larger connection including the Apocrypha and many other texts (63 total)

• written from 200 BC to 200 AD

• written by Christians or Jews

• claim to contain God’s word or message often built on narratives from the Old Testament

• Contents

• Rewritten Bible - Jubilees

• Wisdom Literature - Ben Sira

• Psalms - 151, Psalm of Solomon

• Testaments - Testament of Abraham

• Apocalyptic Literature - Enoch

Dead Sea Scrolls

Qumran, Cairo Geniza

152 - Priesthood of Jonathan

Contents:

1. Biblical scrolls (225) - every OT book except Esther

2. Damascus Rule- Covenant Document- story of the community

3. 1QS Community rule –regulations for their way of life.

4. War Scroll - preparing for battle

5. Hymns - hodayot - praise/liturgical texts

Philo of Alexandria

•20bc to 50ad•Alexandrian•Wealthy•Educated

Josephus

Born Joseph son of Mattathias, later took the name Flavius Josephus

•Lived from 37-100

•Essene and Pharisee

•Visited Rome – impressed with the city

•Lead Galilee (only 29 years old) during Jewish revolt (later said he was trying to pacify the region)

•fought in Jewish war in Galilee – holed up at Jotapata where all committed suicide except for him.

• Captured then released. Lived in Rome in the house of the Emperor and there wrote all of his works

•Works:

•Jewish War – Maccabean revolt to fall of Masada

•Antiquities of the Jews – 20 books – From creation to his time

•Life – in response to his conduct during the war

•Against Apion – A defense of the Jews

Rabbinic Literature• Targums – Aramaic translations and

interpretations of the OT

• Midrash – commentary on scriptures'

• Halakic – legal – how to live

• Haggadic – fill gaps, explain problems, much more imaginative

• Mishnah – (published 200-220 ce) comments of the Rabbis (oral tradition) during 50 bce to 200 ce

• Tosefta - published 220-300 ce comments of tannaitic rabbis and those from later times comments upon the mishnah

• Gemara more commentary on the mishnah

• Joined together to form the Talmud (400-425 ce)

Greco-Roman Sources•Historians

•Thucydides (460-395 BC)

•Polybius (200-118 BC)

•Dionysius of Halicarnassus (60-7 BC)

•Diodorus Siculus (60-30 BC)

• Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD)

• Tacitus (56-117 AD)

•Suetonius (69-140 AD)

•Philosophy - Platonic influence, Stoics - Seneca, epictetus live in accordance with nature, Epicureans - lucretius, pleasure is the greatest good, absence of evil , Cynicism - diogenes ascetic practicies

•Mystery Religions - Eleusinian (demeter and perspehone and hades), Dionysus (wine, loosening social constraints), Great Mother/Cybele and Attis (castration and renewal), Isis and Osiris (Egyptian dying and rising), Mithras (blood bull military)

•Gnosticism - nag hammadi

Greco-Roman Sources• Philosophy -

• Stoics - Seneca, Epictetus- live in accordance with nature

• Epicureans - Lucretius - pleasure is the greatest good, absence of evil

• Cynicism - Diogenes - ascetic practices

• Mystery Religions -

• Eleusian (Demeter and Perspehone)

• Dionysus (wine, loosening social constraints)

• Great Mother/Cybele and Attis (castration and renewal)

• Isis and Osiris (Egyptian dying and rising), Mithras (blood bull military)

• Gnosticism - escape the body for the realm of the Spirit. Nag Hammadi texts