Questions tagged [apocrypha]
Early Jewish works which were not included in the Biblical canon
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Why isn't the book of the Maccabees part of the Jewish canon?
I believe they are in the Christian canon... why not Jewish?
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How does Orthodox Judaism view the Dead Sea Scrolls?
I'm trying to understand how Orthodox Jews view the Dead Sea Scrolls. Are they considered authentic representations of Judaism? If there are textual variants between our current Tanach texts and the ...
user5092
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Jewish view on the extra text included in the LXX (and by some Christians) in the book of Daniel?
The book of Daniel, as found in the Tanach consists of 12 chapters: 1 and 8-12 in Hebrew and 2-7 in Aramaic. This contains the familiar Daniel story and his four visions.
Catholic and Orthodox (but ...
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Why does Rabba bar Mari in the Talmud quote Ben Sira as a part of “the Writings” when it is not in the Ketuvim section of the Tanakh?
As revealed in the answer here, in Bava Kama 92b, Rava asks Rabba bar Mari for the source of a popular saying, and Rabba bar Mari answers with five different sources for it. The third verse, which is ...
user16888
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Is it permissible to read works of the apocrypha?
The Mishna in Sanhedrin 10:1 says
וְאֵלּוּ שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם חֵלֶק לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא.... רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, אַף הַקּוֹרֵא בַסְּפָרִים הַחִיצוֹנִים
These are the ones who do not have a share in the ...
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Were the Books of Maccabees found in the Dead Sea Scrolls?
Were there copies of any of the Books of Maccabees (and/or Megillas Antiochus) found amongst in the Dead Sea Scrolls?
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Is there an Orthodox publication of the book(s) of the Maccabees?
I would like to know if any Orthodox publisher has put out a version of the book(s) of the Maccabees.
user6641
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Is ben Sira a good book?
In a comment on another question, R' Gershon Gold linked to a page on Beit El Yeshiva's Web site that starts its discussion of a point of halacha with a quotation from Chochmas ben Sira (...
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Is the Book of Enoch part of Judaism?
The Book (or Books) of Enoch is a collection of works purportedly made by Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noach, before the flood. I read that they are not part of the Tanach, even though they contain ...
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Do Jews believe the content of Maccabees (I-IV) is true?
This related question touches on the book of Maccabees.
I was wondering if Jews believe the content of Maccabees (I-IV) is true, even though it is outside the canon. If any of the Rishonim or ...
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Does the Talmud continue to use extra Tanachic sources?
I'm trying to draw an analogy between the written and the oral Torah. After the Mishna was signed, the Sages continued to use extra-Mishnaic sources forever (Toseftah, Midrashim, etc).
After the 24 ...
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Where is the midrash of Tobit?
A summarized account of the Apocryphal work Tobit (Tuvia in Hebrew) is supposed to appear in Bereishit Rabbah. (Source: Wikipedia) I have read that the midrashic account is connected to Jacob's vow (...
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Does anything in the Tanakh resemble the quote "Each shall seek his own kind"?
I just watched "Fiddler on the Roof" and noticed Tevye said the following:
Who says he isn't? It's just that he's a different kind of man. As the Good Book says, "Each shall seek his own kind." In ...
user16888
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What is the Testament of Hezekiah? I know it exists, but can't locate it
I am currently reading up on of apocryphal and pseudopigagraphical literature, and I see on a list that the Testament of Hezekiah is enumerated as one of them. However, I cannot locate a source or any ...
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Does Judaism forbid fasting on Fridays and Saturdays? If so, where is this rule written and what is the reasoning behind it?
I was reading the deuterocanonical Book of Judith, and I came across the following:
Judith had lived as a widow in her house for three years and four months.
She pitched a tent for herself on ...
user16888
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Is there a translation of the words of Ben Sira?
Is there an authoritative translation into English of the works of Ben Sira (his wisdom, his alphabet)?
user1668
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What does the name "Sirach" mean?
The apocryphal text dubbed "Eccleasiaticus" (also known as The Book of Sirach) is purported to be written by a man by the name of Ben Sira or Shimon ben Yeshua ben Eliezer ben Sira. I was ...
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What Feast Day/Holy Day is spoken of in Judith 16, and is it still observed today?
Judith 16:24-31 (DRB) And the people were joyful in the sight of the sanctuary, and for three months the joy of this victory was celebrated with Judith. 25 And after those days every man returned to ...
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Has the "Mäṣḥafä Kedus" (Holy Scriptures) of Beta Israel been translated into English?
From Wikipedia:
Mäṣḥafä Kedus (Holy Scriptures) is the name for the religious literature. The language of the writings is Ge'ez. The holiest book is the Orit (from Aramaic "Oraita" – "...
user16888
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Where in the Talmud is there a discussion of which books to canonize and who redacted the books of Navi?
I believe those two discussions were in the same daf. anyone can help?
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Maccabees and God's interaction
I looked over this answer Why isn't the book of the Maccabees part of the Jewish canon?, but I had further questions.
I understand why its non canonical, i think its easier to understand when an ...
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Can learning apocrypha count as Talmud Torah?
According to this post, the apocrypha may be permissible to learn. Would learning it count as Talmud Torah?
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In 2 Esdras 14:46, what are the "last seventy" scrolls and do they still exist?
In 2 Esdras 14:37-48, the story is told of Ezra's restoration of the Tanakh
37 I took the five men, as he had commanded me, and we went out into the field and remained there. 38 So it happened to ...
user16888
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What was the process for acceptance of midrashim?
The Talmud tells us that the Sages had long discussions about which books should be included in the Tanach [Bava Batra 14b-15a]. Their decisions were important. First, the books they excluded do not ...
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Is there any particular halachic reason why the Maccabean Martyrs would insist on speaking Hebrew?
I was reading 2 Maccabees chapter 7,
7 After the first brother died in this manner, they led forward the
second one with mockery. They ripped off the skin of his head along
with the hair and demanded,...
user16888
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Where in the history and/or rabbinical works does it say that the people of the Maccabean period fought off lions or were sawn in half or delimbed?
I heard a visiting rabbi talked about Hanukkah and mentioned that the people of the Maccabean period fought off lions and/or were sawn in half or delimbed, but he did not give any exact sourcess, ...
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Has Maccabees I/II been conveyed in Hebrew?
I read that the Books of Maccabees have only been conveyed in Greek (LXX) through Christians. Have they - in spite of not being canonical - been conveyed in Hebrew, too?
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מִלֵּא יָדָם “Ordination” for non-priests? [closed]
According to “Ordination In the Old Testament”
by Afolarin Olutunde Ojewole, Ph.D.
"The phrase “fill the hand,” containing the word mālēᵓ is translated as “consecrate” or “ordain.” The phrase ...
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Were there prophets, in and out of Israel, who were not recorded in the Tanakh? [duplicate]
Were there prophets, in and out of Israel, who were not recorded in the Tanakh? Have other sources determined the identities of some of them? Please cite the sources, if any. Thanks in advance.
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Is the aleph bet of Ben sira canonical? [closed]
Is אלפא ביתא אחרת לבן סירא (excluding the passages brought in the gemara) in the sefer אוצר מדרשים part of the jewish mesorah?
Specifically this passage:
כתיב עושה גדולות עד אין חקר ונפלאות עד אין ...
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Does 4 Ezra (2 Esdras) teach the divinity of Ezra? [closed]
In an article by the University of St. Andrews about the Book of 6 Ezra, it is stated:
In the Syriac text of 4 Ezra 14:48 (and the versions that derive from
it) there is a brief account of the ascent ...
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