I’ve realized lately that I’ve never systematically read the deuterocanonical books. You know, 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, the Letter of Jeremiah, Prayer of Manasseh, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees. I’ve read bits and parts, but never read them all.
The early church read them. The general view of the church has been that these books are not inspired, but that they are beneficial for reading. For example, the official position of the Anglican church is that these books should be read for “example of life and instruction of manners, but yet doth not apply them to establish any doctrine.”
So, I’m planning to read them. That’s one of my upcoming projects. I’m considering a few others.
Any thoughts?
Although not deuterocanonical, “The Acts of Paul and Thecla” is very fun to read. It’s a second century account of the Apostle Paul and a woman named Thecla. Lot’s of fantastical stories of martyrdom, etc.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/maps/primary/thecla.html
Tim,
These are included in the Orthodox study bible–though their “secondary” nature is acknowledged. The Orthodox, i believe, feel the same way or similarly also about 1Clement, the letters of Ignatius, the Didache, and the epistle of Polycarp.
–guy
Tim, I went out of my way to make sure my NRSV edition came with the Apocrypha (New Oxford Annotated edition) and thoroughly enjoyed reading these books. By adding just a chapter or two a day to my daily Bible reading I easily read through the entire corpus in a year. I loved the historical books, and the wisdom and prophetic books were pretty fun too. I wish I had studied (or had an opportunity to study) these in college. Oh, well…
Paul
I’ve already started! Hurry and catch up.
I just finished the OT Pseudepigrapha. Very insightful and illuminating regarding people’s viewpoints during Second Temple Judaism and immediately afterward regarding themselves and their past.