Tag: Apocrypha
Through envy of the devil came death into the world
Nevertheless through envy of the devil came death into the world (Wisdom of Solomon 2:24) or (Wisdom 2:24)
Nevertheless through envy of the devil came death into the world: and they that do hold of his side do find it.
All English Translations:
CEB
Death entered the universe only through the devil’s envy. Those who belong to the devil’s party experience death.
DRA
But by the envy of the devil, death came into the world:
GNT
It was the Devil’s jealousy that brought death into the world, and those who belong to the Devil are the ones who will die.
NABRE
But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who are allied with him experience it.
NCB
But as a result of the devil’s envy, death entered the world, and those who follow him experience it.
NRSVA
but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his company experience it.
NRSVACE
but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his company experience it.
NRSVCE
but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his company experience it.
NRSVUE
but through an adversary’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his company experience it.
RSV
but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it.
RSVCE
but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it.
WYC
But by envy of (or from) the devil death entered into the world; forsooth they (pur)sue him, that be of his part. [Forsooth through the envy of the devil death came into the roundness of (the) earth’s; forsooth they follow him, that be of the part of him.]
Footnotes:
- 2:24 Envy: perhaps because Adam was in the image of God or because Adam had control over all creation. Devil: the first biblical text to equate the serpent of Gn 3 with the devil.
Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical
What are the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical books?
Roman Catholic Bibles have several more books in the Old Testament than Protestant Bibles. These books are referred to as the Apocrypha or Deuterocanonical books. The word apocrypha means “hidden,” while the word deuterocanonical means “second canon.” The Apocrypha/Deuterocanonicals were written primarily in the time between the Old and New Testaments. The books of the Apocrypha include 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, the Letter of Jeremiah, Prayer of Manasseh, 1 Maccabees, and 2 Maccabees, as well as additions to the books of Esther and Daniel. Not all of these books are included in Catholic Bibles.
The nation of Israel treated the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical books with respect, but never accepted them as true books of the Hebrew Bible. The early Christian church debated the status of the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonicals, but few early Christians believed they belonged in the canon of Scripture. The New Testament quotes from the Old Testament hundreds of times, but nowhere quotes or alludes to any of the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books. Further, there are many proven errors and contradictions in the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonicals. Here are a few websites that demonstrate these errors:
http://www.justforcatholics.org/a109.htm
http://www.biblequery.org/Bible/BibleCanon/WhatAboutTheApocrypha.htm
https://carm.org/roman-catholicism/errors-in-the-apocrypha/
The Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical books teach many things that are not true and are not historically accurate. For centuries, the Roman Catholic Church had included the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonicals in various listings of canonical books, and the Council of Hippo in AD 393 and the Third Council of Carthage in AD 397 accepted the Apocrypha as inspired. Neither council was an ecumenical or general council, though, and the impact of those decisions was limited. Many within the Catholic Church still viewed the Apocrypha as useful but not inspired. Catholics officially declared the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonicals to be inspired, authoritative Scripture at the Council of Trent in the mid-1500s, primarily in response to the Protestant Reformation. The Apocrypha/Deuterocanonicals support some of the things that the Roman Catholic Church believes and practices that are not in agreement with the Bible. Examples are petitioning saints in heaven for their prayers and almsgiving to merit grace or atone for sins.
Some of what the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonicals say is true and correct. However, due to the historical and theological errors, the books must be viewed as fallible historical and religious documents, not as the inspired, authoritative Word of God.
Book of Jubilees
What is the Book of Jubilees and should it be in the Bible?
The Book of Jubilees, sometimes called the “Lesser Genesis,” “Little Genesis,” or “The Testament of Moses,” is a pseudepigraphal work of Jewish apocalyptic literature. It was probably written in the second century BC, sometime between 135 and 105. The Book of Jubilees records an account of biblical history from the creation of the world to the time of Moses, as delivered to Moses by an angel on Sinai. The book divides history into periods or “jubilees” of 49 years. Generally, the Book of Jubilees follows the account of creation as recorded in the Book of Genesis, but it inserts interesting details such as the names of Adam’s daughters and the creation of angels. Some scholars consider the Book of Jubilees to be an extended midrash on Genesis through the first part of Exodus.
The only complete text of the Book of Jubilees still extant is an Ethiopic manuscript from the sixth century AD. It contains 1,307 verses. Most scholars believe that the book was originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic. That theory is bolstered by the discovery among the Dead Sea Scrolls of fragmented Hebrew texts containing portions of the Book of Jubilees. So far, at least fifteen separate manuscripts of the Book of Jubilees have been identified at Qumran. All have been reduced to fragments (“The Dead Sea Scrolls: The Book of Jubilees,” VanderKam, J., and Morgan, S., The Missouri Review, the College of Arts & Science of the University of Missouri, 12/1/1992), and those fragments provide only about 3 percent of the total content of the book. There are also some fragments of Jubilees existing today in Greek and Latin, but nowhere near a complete book in either of those languages or in Hebrew.
According to the Book of Jubilees, on Mt. Sinai “the angel of the presence spake to Moses according to the word of the Lord, saying: Write the complete history of the creation” (Jubilees 2:1, Charles, R. H., trans., 1902). This angel told Moses that God created various categories of angels on the first day of creation. Great stress is laid on the Sabbath in Jubilees 2:17–32. In chapter 3, Adam and Eve are in Eden for a period of seven years. Then, after “seven years exactly,” the serpent tempted Eve (Jubilees 3:17). It was only after the fall that Adam had sex with his wife (Jubilees 3:34).
Jubilees chapter 4 introduces Noah and his wife (who is named Emzara). Chapter 5 narrates the flood. The author of Jubilees writes that, after the flood, God says to Noah, “Command thou the children of Israel that they observe the years according to this reckoning—three hundred and sixty-four days, and (these) will constitute a complete year” (Jubilees 5:32). The 364-day solar year (rather than the 360-day lunar year) is one of the main thrusts of the Book of Jubilees.
Some scholars have pointed out that it appears that Jubilees was written precisely for the purpose of pushing the author’s commitment to a solar-based calendar. In Jubilees, God is concerned that His people might “disturb all their seasons and the years will be dislodged . . . and they will neglect their ordinances” (Jubilees 6:33). It’s true that the sun keeps a more regular schedule than the moon. So, in Jubilees, to prevent confusion and to keep holy days from getting “dislodged,” God instituted the 364-day solar calendar. Under that system, since 7 is a factor of 364, the same date falls on the same day of the week each year (e.g., every year July 4 would be on the same day of the week).
The command governing the calendar reflects another major emphasis in Jubilees: the laws concerning Sabbaths, Passover, firstfruits, and other holy days. The author of Jubilees claims that the feasts of the Lord were observed by the patriarchs long before the time of Moses. Circumcision is also stressed in the book, which promises “great wrath from the Lord” on uncircumcised Israelites (Jubilees 15:40).
The author of the Book of Jubilees was probably an Essene member of the Qumran community—the people who copied and preserved the Dead Sea Scrolls. Theological and cultural details within the book differ from the teachings of both the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The calendar system advocated in Jubilees is the one used in other Essene writings.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is the only group today that accepts the Book of Jubilees as canonical. There are several problems with including the Book of Jubilees in the Bible as part of inspired Scripture. Probably the most significant is that the author of Jubilees, in retelling the story of Genesis, changes the biblical record in several respects. In general, the patriarchs are glorified as holy men who were scrupulous in keeping the law—even the ceremonial aspects—long before Moses climbed Sinai. As portayed in the Book of Jubilees, Jacob does not lie to his father; Isaac eventually declares Jacob to be his true heir, an elderly Jacob settles on Leah as the wife he loves, and Abram’s deceit of Pharaoh is never mentioned. Clearly, these heroes of the faith are handled with kid gloves by the author of Jubilees; in contrast, Scripture presents a candid record of their faults.
Further, the Book of Jubilees adds to the Law of Moses and goes far beyond Scripture in its stress on punishment. For example, if someone eats blood, “he and his seed shall be rooted out of the land” (Jubilees 6:18). A father who gives his daughter in marriage to a Gentile “shall surely die, and they shall stone him with stones . . . and they shall burn the woman with fire” (Jubilees 30:11–12). Adding to the Bible, the Book of Jubilees says that during the Feast of Tabernacles (which Abraham first celebrated) Israel is to “set wreaths upon their heads” and carry branches around the altar seven times each morning (Jubilees 16:39, 41). Also, Jubilees stipulates the type of wood to be used for the fire of the burnt offering (Jubilees 21:16–19).
In summary, the Book of Jubilees adds to the Mosaic Law, leans toward hagiography, introduces sectarian teachings regarding the calendar, and lacks sufficient manuscript evidence. For each of these reasons, Jubilees fails the standards of the canon of Scripture.
Cyrus Permits the Exiles to Return
2 In the first year of Cyrus as king of the Persians, so that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, 2 the Lord stirred up the spirit of King Cyrus of the Persians, and he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:
3 “Thus says Cyrus king of the Persians: The Lord of Israel, the Lord Most High, has made me king of the world, 4 and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judea. 5 If any of you, therefore, are of his nation, may your Lord be with you;[a] go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judea, and build the house of the Lord of Israel—he is the Lord who dwells in Jerusalem— 6 and let each of you, wherever you may live, be helped by your neighbors with gold and silver, with gifts and with horses and cattle, besides the other things added as votive offerings for the temple of the Lord that is in Jerusalem.”
7 Then arose the heads of families of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, and all whose spirit the Lord had stirred to go up to build the house in Jerusalem for the Lord; 8 their neighbors helped them with everything, with silver and gold, with horses and cattle, and with a very great number of votive offerings from many whose hearts were stirred.
9 King Cyrus also brought out the holy vessels of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and stored in his temple of idols. 10 When King Cyrus of the Persians brought these out, he gave them to Mithridates, his treasurer, 11 and by him they were given to Sheshbazzar, the governor of Judea. 12 The number of these was: one thousand gold cups, one thousand silver cups, twenty-nine silver censers, thirty gold bowls, two thousand four hundred ten silver bowls, and one thousand other vessels. 13 All the vessels were handed over, gold and silver, five thousand four hundred sixty-nine, 14 and they were carried back by Sheshbazzar with the returning exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Opposition to Rebuilding Jerusalem
15 In the time of King Artaxerxes of the Persians, Bishlam, Mithridates, Tabeel, Rehum, Beltethmus, the scribe Shimshai, and the rest of their associates living in Samaria and other places wrote him the following letter, against those who were living in Judea and Jerusalem:
16 “To King Artaxerxes our lord, your servants the recorder Rehum and the scribe Shimshai and the other members of their council, and the judges in Coelesyria and Phoenicia: 17 Let it now be known to our lord the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem and are building that rebellious and wicked city, repairing its marketplaces and walls and laying the foundations for a temple. 18 Now if this city is built and the walls finished, they will not only refuse to pay tribute but will even resist kings. Since the building of the temple is now going on, we think it best not to neglect such a matter but to speak to our lord the king in order that, if it seems good to you, search may be made in the records of your ancestors. 19 You will find in the annals what has been written about them and will learn that this city was rebellious, troubling both kings and other cities, and that the Jews were rebels and kept setting up blockades in it from of old. That is why this city was laid waste. 20 Therefore we now make known to you, O lord and king, that if this city is built and its walls finished, you will no longer have access to Coelesyria and Phoenicia.”
21 Then the king, in reply to the recorder Rehum, Beltethmus, the scribe Shimshai, and the others associated with them and living in Samaria and Syria and Phoenicia, wrote as follows:
22 “I have read the letter that you sent me. So I ordered search to be made, and it has been found that this city from of old has fought against kings, 23 that the people in it were given to rebellion and war, and that mighty and cruel kings ruled in Jerusalem and exacted tribute from Coelesyria and Phoenicia. 24 Therefore I have now issued orders to prevent these people from building the city and to take care that nothing more be done and that such wicked proceedings go no further to the annoyance of kings.”
25 Then, when the letter from King Artaxerxes was read, Rehum and the scribe Shimshai and their associates went quickly to Jerusalem, with cavalry and a large number of armed troops, and began to hinder the builders. And the building of the temple in Jerusalem stopped until the second year of the reign of King Darius of the Persians.
Footnotes
- 2.5 Gk him
Josiah revives the Passover
Precursor to write an Article
1 Josiah celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. He sacrificed the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month.[a] 2 He gave the priests, dressed in religious robes, their daily assignments in the Lord’s temple. 3 He said to the Levites serving in Israel’s temple: “Dedicate yourselves to the Lord for placing the Lord’s holy chest in the house that David’s son King Solomon built. You don’t need to carry it on your shoulders anymore. 4 Now worship the Lord your God and serve Israel, God’s people. Prepare yourselves according to your families and tribes, and according to the plan of King David and the greatness of his son Solomon. 5 Take your positions in the temple according to your inherited priestly[b] groups, serving before your people the Israelites. 6 Sacrifice the Passover lamb and prepare sacrifices for your people, and conduct the Passover ceremony according to the rules that the Lord gave to Moses.”
7 Josiah gave to the people a gift of thirty thousand lambs and kid goats and three thousand calves. These came as promised from the king’s own possessions to the people, priests, and Levites. 8 Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel[c] (the chief officials of the temple) gave to the priests for the Passover twenty-six hundred sheep and three hundred calves. 9 Jeconiah, Shemaiah and his brother Nethanel, Hashabiah, Ochiel, and Joram, military commanders, gave to the Levites five thousand sheep and seven hundred calves for the Passover.
10 This is what happened. Early in the morning the priests and Levites, 11 holding the unleavened bread, stood in the proper order of their tribes 12 and by their inherited groups. They brought the offerings to the Lord according to the scroll from Moses. 13 They roasted the Passover lamb over fire as required. They boiled the sacrifices, with a sweet aroma, in copper pots and kettles and carried them over to all the people. 14 Later on, the Levites prepared the Passover meal for themselves and for their fellow priests, Aaron’s sons, since the priests were offering the fat of the sacrifices until late into the night. 15 The temple singers, Asaph’s sons, were in their designated positions according to the instructions set down by David and by Asaph, Zechariah, and Eddinus, the king’s advisors. The city gatekeepers were at each gate. No one needed to change his daily routine, because the Levites had prepared the Passover meal for them. 16 Everything for the Lord’s sacrifice was accomplished on that day. They celebrated the Passover and offered sacrifices on the Lord’s altar according to King Josiah’s command.
17 The Israelites celebrated the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 18 No Passover like it had been celebrated in Israel since the time of the prophet Samuel. 19 Nor had any of the kings of Israel ever celebrated a Passover like that celebrated by Josiah, the priests, the Levites, the Judeans, and all of Israel who were living in Jerusalem. 20 In the eighteenth year of the rule of Josiah this Passover was celebrated.
21 Josiah did the right thing in the Lord’s presence, because his heart was devoted to God. 22 The story of his rule was officially recorded in ancient times. The records include those who sinned and committed ungodly acts toward the Lord, beyond those of any other nation and kingdom. Their acts intentionally grieved the Lord, so that the Lord spoke against Israel.
Death of Josiah
23 Sometime after Josiah’s actions, Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, went to start a war at Carchemish on the Euphrates. Josiah went out against him.
24 The king of Egypt sent a message to Josiah: “What do you want with me, King of Judea? 25 I haven’t been sent out by the Lord God against you; rather, my war is at the Euphrates. Now the Lord is with me and urges me on. So stand aside and don’t oppose the Lord.”
26 Josiah, however, didn’t return to his chariot but resolved to fight. He didn’t pay attention to the words of the prophet Jeremiah, which came from the Lord. 27 He went to war with Pharaoh in the plain of Megiddo, and Pharaoh’s commanders came against King Josiah. 28 The king said to his attendants, “Take me away from the battle, for I’m severely wounded.” His attendants immediately took him away from the line of battle. 29 Josiah got into a second chariot. After he was brought back to Jerusalem, he died and was buried in his family tomb.
30 The whole land of Judea mourned for Josiah. The prophet Jeremiah also grieved for Josiah. The leading citizens, with the women, grieve over him until this day. This has become a tradition for the whole nation of Israel to observe. 31 These events have been written in the official records of the Judean kings. All of Josiah’s actions—including his honor, his understanding of the Law of the Lord, all that he did previously, and these things that are now told—are described in the official records of the kings of Israel and Judea.
32 Then the leaders of the nation appointed Jeconiah, Josiah’s son, who was 23 years old, as king to succeed his father. 33 He ruled in Judea and Jerusalem for three months. Then the king of Egypt removed him from his rule in Jerusalem 34 and fined the nation 5,700 pounds of silver and fifty-seven pounds of gold.
35 The king of Egypt appointed his own brother Jehoiakim as king of Judea and Jerusalem. 36 Jehoiakim put the officials in prison. He seized his other brother Zarius and took him from Egypt. 37 Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he began to rule over Judea and Jerusalem; he did what was evil in the Lord’s presence.
38 Then Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar went up against him, bound him with bronze chains, and took him away to Babylon. 39 Nebuchadnezzar also seized some of the Lord’s holy equipment, carried it off to Babylon, and placed it in his temple. 40 But the things reported about Jehoiakim,[d] his impurity and godlessness, have been written in the scroll about the times of the kings.
41 His son Jehoiachin[e] ruled in his place. When he was appointed king, he was 18 years old. 42 He ruled in Jerusalem for three months and ten days, and he did evil things in the Lord’s presence.
43 After a year, Nebuchadnezzar removed Jehoiachin to Babylon, along with the Lord’s holy equipment. 44 He appointed Zedekiah king of Judea and Jerusalem when Zedekiah was 21 years old. He ruled for eleven years. 45 He also did evil things in the Lord’s presence and paid no attention to the words Jeremiah the prophet spoke, which came from the Lord. 46 Although King Nebuchadnezzar had made him swear a solemn pledge in the Lord’s name, he swore falsely and rebelled. He was stubborn and broke the laws of the Lord, the God of Israel.
47 The leaders of the people and the priests committed godless and immoral acts far beyond the impure ones of the nations. They even corrupted the Lord’s temple that had been made holy in Jerusalem. 48 The God of their ancestors sent his messenger to call them back, because he was trying to spare them and his dwelling place. 49 But they mocked the messengers and made fun of the prophets on the day that the Lord spoke.
Finally, God, with divine anger, brought the Chaldean kings against his chosen nation because of their godless acts. 50 The Chaldeans killed the young people around the holy temple. They spared neither man nor woman, young nor old, for God handed over all of them. 51 They seized and carried off to Babylon all the Lord’s holy equipment, great and small, the treasure chests of the Lord, and the royal stores. 52 They set fire to the Lord’s house. They smashed the walls of Jerusalem. They burned its towers with fire. 53 They utterly ruined all of its radiance. King Nebuchadnezzar led away the survivors to Babylon under guard. 54 They became servants to him and to his sons until the rise of the Persian kingdom, which fulfilled the Lord’s word through Jeremiah, 55 who said, “Until the land has enjoyed its sabbath rest, it will remain untouched,[f] after its destruction, for seventy years.”
Footnotes:
1 Esdras 1:1 March–April, Nisan
1 Esdras 1:5 Or levitical
1 Esdras 1:8 Gk Esyelus
1 Esdras 1:40 Or him
1 Esdras 1:41 Gk Jehoiakim
1 Esdras 1:55 Or it will keep sabbath
Book of Susanna
What is the book of Susanna?
The Book of Susanna (also known as History of Susannah and the Elders) is part of what is considered the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical books and appears in the Old Testament of Catholic Bibles. The books of the Apocrypha were generally written in the roughly 400 years between the composition of the books in the Old and New Testaments, the intertestamental period. Susanna is one of 12-15 books generally recognized as comprising the Apocrypha.
Susanna is among the additions to the book of Daniel (as are Bel and the Dragon, The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews) and was most likely composed between 200–100 B.C. The Book of Daniel, written by the prophet Daniel himself (12:4) in the sixth century B.C., is placed in different locations of the Bible depending on the culture: the Jews place it among the Writings, dismissing its prophecies, while the English translations place it among the Major Prophets.
The Book of Daniel begins with King Nebuchadnezzar’s desire to impose Babylonian culture upon some Israelite youths, of whom Daniel was one, but as the years pass, Daniel astonishes Nebuchadnezzar by interpreting his symbolic dreams. After a series of religious confrontations, Daniel’s interpretations were clear: accept God or suffer His wrath. The king finally accepts God. Years after these events, Daniel was called to interpret prophetical words towards Nebuchadnezzar’s son Belshazzar. Belshazzar died and lost the kingdom to Darius the Mede. After being bestowed with power by Darius (and surviving an encounter with lions through divine intervention), Daniel experiences a series of intense personal visions; dreams showing events ranging from the near future to the end of days.
The Book of Susanna is most commonly placed before the events of Daniel 1 (Theodotion tradition); however, the Septuagint and Vulgate editions position it between Daniel 12 and 14. Susanna’s strongest literary influences are the Old Testament books of Genesis, Leviticus and Deuteronomy, though, ironically, it is not dependent on Daniel itself. Though the early church originally considered it canonical, debate erupted to whether it should be excluded as early as the third century, as attested in the Letter to Africanus, a detailed correspondence between Africanus and Origen.
Structurally, the book is only 64 verses long and can be summarized as follows: In Babylon, a wealthy man called Joakim marries the God-fearing Susanna, daughter of a priest (1-4). When two elders become the local judges, they visited Joakim’s house and stalked Susanna, lusting after her and disobeying God’s law (8-9). Then, many days later, while watching Susanna preparing to bathe (15) they approach her and say, “Look, the garden doors are shut, and no one can see us. We are burning with desire for you; so give your consent, and lie with us. If you refuse, we will testify against you that a young man was with you, and this was why you sent your maids away” (20-21). She rejects their blackmail and cries out against the attempted rape (24). After Susanna’s draws attention to their actions, the elders state their innocence, and Susanna is put on trial the next day. During the court session, the elders fulfill their threat to Susanna and speak of her betrothing a young man (36-41). Deemed guilty, she is “led off to execution, [until] God stirred up the holy spirit of a young lad named Daniel” (45). Daniel compels the townspeople to return to the trial, as he declares the elders have lied (49). They return, and Daniel asks each elder separately, “Under what tree did you see them being intimate with one another?” (54). When each answers differently, Susanna is freed, and the elders are put to death (62).
Both abiding in and refuting God’s Law are at the core of the Book of Susanna. From the beginning, we are told that Susanna had been trained “according to the law of Moses” (3), and this training is clearly visible throughout the text. When forced to choose between adultery or accusations of adultery (leading to certain death), Susanna is aware of God’s Law as it is written in Leviticus 20:10, “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death” and Deuteronomy 22:22, “If a man is caught lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman as well as the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.”
When facing possible rape (24), Susanna knows that the Law instructs that a woman must cry for help, for if she doesn’t, she will not be seen as having been violated (Deuteronomy 22:24). When placed on trial before the accusing elders, Susanna shouts to the Lord that “these men have given false evidence” (43), indicating her understanding of law in accordance with Deuteronomy 19:16-21. Later, it is Daniel who refers to the same law when asking, “Are you such fools, O Israelites, as to condemn a daughter of Israel without examination and without learning the facts?” (48).
The “two elders from [whom] the people… appointed judges” (5), are clearly aware of the Law of Moses handed down from God but choose to disobey them. The elders “began to lust” after Susanna, despite the law in Exodus 20:17: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.” Before they give false testimony against Susanna, they “laid their hands on her head,” as written in Leviticus 24:14, “Take the blasphemer outside the camp; and let all who were within hearing lay their hands on his head, and let the whole congregation stone him.” The elders are clearly aware that two witnesses are required when trying a Jew that has been charged with a crime, as attested in Numbers 35:30, “No one shall be put to death on the testimony of a single witness” and Deuteronomy 17:6, “On the evidence of two or three witnesses the death sentence shall be executed; a person must not be put to death on the evidence of only one witness.” In an ironic twist, when the elders are found to be liars and have mocked God’s Law, those same laws deal them their fate (62) in accordance with Deuteronomy 19:16-21.
More commentary can be offered regarding the issue of divine intervention as a major religious idea espoused in the Book of Susanna. Had God not “stirred up the holy spirit of a young lad named Daniel” (45), it is certain that Susanna would have been unjustly killed. The intervention of God, often through a human vessel, is a prominent theme throughout both the Old and New Testament canons. That humankind strays from the laws of God, or even breaks them, often has God having to become involved in the affairs of humans to correct injustice or, in some cases, express His wrath in a just and necessary manner. What is striking about the Book of Susanna is that it depicts the ongoing struggle of the Jewish nation in abiding by the laws commissioned by God. From their initial failure to abide by the Ten Commandments (Exodus 32) to Paul’s statement that one should “not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God” (Romans 14:20), the laws decreed by God were seen by some Jewish thinkers as being susceptible to human corruption or multiple interpretations, which required the intervention of a merciful God when humans abused His laws.
The Book of Susanna, though brief, is a compelling book of innocence and man’s corruption of God’s Law. While not canonical, it is worthy of study and application to contemporary Judaism and Christianity, for it is a story which contains a message relevant to everyday life, even if it is considered a work of fiction by most Jews and Christians. By exploring its major religious ideas and Jewish thought in the period it was written, readers of Susanna may better understand the strengths and weaknesses of man’s application of God’s Law and that, no matter what, God will ensure that justice reigns.
Letter of Jeremiah
What is the Letter of Jeremiah?
The Letter of Jeremiah, also called the Epistle of Jeremy, is one of the books of the Apocrypha. It is often included as chapter 6 of the book of Baruch, although it does occasionally stand alone in some versions. Apocryphal books are those that are not generally considered inspired. The word apocrypha means “things hidden away.” These books were never included in the Hebrew canon, were never accepted as canonical by Jesus or the apostles, and were never accepted as Scripture by early Jewish writers. Many of these books also contain historical, geographical, or chronological errors. They are classified as “deuterocanonical,” or part of the “secondary” canon by some denominations.
The earliest manuscripts of the Letter of Jeremiah are in Greek, including one found among the scrolls of Qumran. However, most scholars believe the original may have been composed in Hebrew or Aramaic. It is generally thought to have been written between 307 and 317 B.C. The fact that much of the material appears to be dependent on some biblical passages in Isaiah lends support to the later date.
Although the document is called the Letter of Jeremiah, it is neither a letter, nor is it from Jeremiah. The date of writing places it nearly 300 years after Jeremiah’s call to prophesy. The text is largely made up of denouncements of idolatry. It begins with a warning to the exiles of the idolatry they would see in Babylon, which is followed by a series of colorful descriptions about how ineffectual and helpless idols are. It concludes with a final warning and exhortation to avoid idolatry. Like all apocryphal books, this one cannot be considered the inspired Word of God. However, this does not mean that it is a bad book; much of the material in the book is both true and helpful. It may have good advice, even godly advice, but it cannot be considered inerrant.
Prayer of Manasseh
What is the Prayer of Manasseh?
The Prayer of Manasseh is a part of the Apocrypha. It is a short work, containing just 15 verses. It purports to be a prayer by King Manasseh of Judah (697-642 B.C.), but it was pseudonymously written as early as the second century or just before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Second Chronicles 33:19 says that Manasseh prayed but does not record the prayer itself referring the reader to what was “written in the records of the seers.”
King Manasseh, the thirteenth king of Judah, was one of the most wicked and idolatrous kings in biblical history (2 Kings 21:1-18). He was captured by the Assyrians and imprisoned in Babylon. There, he prayed for mercy and repented of his sin of idolatry (2 Chronicles 33:1-19).
The Prayer of Manasseh is considered by Jews, Catholics and Protestants as apocryphal, i.e., non-canonical and of doubtful authenticity. However, the fourth-century Vulgate included it at the end of the book of 2 Chronicles. It later became part of the Matthew Bible and the Geneva Bible of 1599. It is also found in the Apocrypha of the King James Bible.
The prayer departs from Christian teaching in that it says men such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not need to repent because they “did not sin” (verse 8). This runs counter to the clear teaching of Scripture that all have sinned (Romans 3:10-12; Romans 3:21-26). The righteousness of Abraham was a product of his faith in God and was not anything inherent in him (Romans 4:3; Philippians 3:8-9).
In summary, God has told us that Manasseh prayed a much-needed prayer of repentance, but He has not told us the content of that prayer.
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