Invitation to the Apocrypha

by Harrington, Daniel J., Sj

• ISBN13: 9780802846334
• ISBN10: 0802846335
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-08-01
• Publisher: Lightning Source Inc

Summary

In this volume a leading biblical scholar helps readers rediscover the ancient books of the Old Testament Apocrypha. Invitation to the Apocrypha provides a clear, basic introduction to these important -- but often neglected -- ancient books that is ideal for personal study, churches, and classroom settings.

Using the latest and best scholarship yet writing for those new to the Apocrypha, Daniel Harrington guides readers through the background, content, and message of each book. A distinctive feature of this primer is that it focuses throughout on the problem of suffering, highlighting what each book of the Apocrypha says about this universal human experience.

Author Biography

Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., is professor of New Testament at Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
1. Reading the Old Testament Apocrypha	1	(9)
2. Tobit: We Are Family	10	(17)
3. Judith: By the Hand of a Woman	27	(17)
4. The Additions to Esther: These Things Have Come from God	44	(11)
5. The Wisdom of Solomon: Immortality, Wisdom, and History	55	(23)
6. Ecclesiasticus/Sirach: Fear of the Lord	78	(14)
7. Baruch: Sin, Exile, Repentance, and Return	92	(11)
8. The Letter of Jeremiah: The Folly of Idolatry	103	(6)
9. The Additions to Daniel: Who Is the Living God?	109	(13)
10. 1 Maccabees: God's Dynasty	122	(15)
11. 2 Maccabees: God's Temple	137	(15)
12. 1 Esdras: Rebuilding the People of God	152	(14)
13. The Prayer of Manasseh: The Prayer of the Repentant Sinner	166	(4)
14. Psalm 151: God's Care for David	170	(3)
15. 3 Maccabees: Israel in Crisis and the Divine Deliverer	173	(12)
16. 2 Esdras: Prophecies and Visions of Ezra	185	(22)
17. 4 Maccabees: The Sovereignty of Devout Reason	207	(12)
Index of Names and Subjects	219