Includes bibliographical references and indexes

Introduction -- Rewritten Bible -- Para-biblical literature or biblical expansions -- Non-narrative literature : poems, hymns and drama -- Testaments -- Apocalyptic literature -- Conclusions

"An understanding of the Jewish Pseudepigrapha forms an integral part of all courses on New Testament background and Christian origins. This will be the first student introduction to appear for over thirty years. Highlights the key theological themes and significance of each text. Reviews the texts on their own merits as examples of early Jewish religious literature as well as looking at the light they shed on NT theology and scriptural interpretation. This is a concise yet comprehensive guide to the Pseudepigrapha: the Jewish texts of the late Second Temple Period (circa 250 BCE - 100 CE) that are not included in the Hebrew Bible or standard collections of the Apocrypha. Each chapter deals with a specific literary genre (e.g., apocalyptic, testaments, rewritten Bible), encouraging readers to appreciate the texts as literature as well as furthering their understanding of the content and significance of the texts themselves. As well as providing helpful introductions to the different genres, the book surveys key issues such as: date, authorship, original language; purpose; overview of contents; key theological themes and significance." -- Amazon.com viewed on November 20, 2014