The Holy Books of Judaism:  The Apocrypha
Sermon, July 1, 2005
Rabbi Bruce Kadden

Last week, in my sermon about the K’tuvim, the Writings, I mentioned that the rabbis questioned whether certain books, including Esther, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs, should be recognized as part of Jewish scripture.  The rabbis, of course, decided to include these books, but we can assume that they also considered books that they ultimately decided not to include in the Tanach.

The likely candidates are a group of books that were included in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Jewish Bible, but not in the Hebrew Bible.  They are included in the Catholic Bible, but not in Jewish scriptures nor in Protestant Bibles for that matter.  These books are known collectively as The Apocrypha, meaning hidden or secret books, and are sometimes also referred to as Intertestimental literature or Deuterocanonical books. 

I include these books in my series of sermons on The Holy Books of Judaism because, although they are not a part of Jewish scripture, they are clearly Jewish books and are important documents for understanding the history and theology of the Jewish community during the last two pre-Christian centuries when most of the literature was written.

If they are Jewish books, why were they excluded from the Tanach?  We cannot be certain, but scholars suggest that some may have been written in Greek, rather than Hebrew or Aramaic, and those that were originally in Hebrew or Aramaic, may only have survived in Greek translation.  The rabbis were reluctant to consider a Greek book worthy of inclusion in the Tanach.

Some books may have been excluded because of their content; not that they contain heretical ideas, but that they did not completely conform to the rabbinic perspective of Jewish history and ideology.

This reason seems to explain why the books of Maccabees, which contain the historical background of the Chanukah story, were not included in the Tanach.  First and Second Maccabees are two different accounts of the Jewish war against the Syrian-Greeks led by King Antiochus.  They include the brutal details of the struggle against religious oppression and the ultimate victory.  They tell a very different story, though, than the account of Chanukah which the rabbis include in the Talmud.  It may just be that the rabbis wanted to downplay the brutal war and emphasize the miracle of the oil.

Daniel Harrington, in his book on the Apocrypha, points out that some scholars “suspect that at some point in the first century there was a Jewish reaction against the Maccabees and what they stood for, and a deliberate attempt to push them out of the sacred tradition of Judaism.”  This concern by Jewish leaders may have included “messianic” claims in relationship to the first century revolt against Rome which led to the destruction of the Second Temple or the subsequent Bar Kochba rebellion.

In any case, though they are not part of the Tanach, they provide us with important insights to this period of history and are vital resources for understanding the Chanukah story.  Another Apocrypha book which relates to Chanukah is Judith.  Although it is set in the sixth century B.C.E., during the period of the destruction of the First Temple, scholars link the work to the period of the Maccabees, and it is often read in connection to Chanukah.

The Apocrypha also includes a number of books that are considered wisdom literature, and are similar in style and to some extent content to Proverbs.  For example, the Wisdom of Solomon encourages the reader to seek wisdom and live by it.  The writer, probably a resident of Alexandria, calls on the Jews living outside of Israel to remain faithful to Judaism.   According to Harrington, he “adapts basic tenets of Stoicism . . . and Platonism . . . to enhance biblical ideas and to bolster his criticism of non-Jewish religious practices.”

This book indicates the challenge that Greek philosophy posed for the Jewish community and the attempt by Jewish thinkers to reconcile Jewish tradition and theology with Greek thinking.  Rather than oppose any contact with Greek culture and thought, which was impossible in such communities as Alexandria, Jewish leaders were faced with the challenge of showing how one could live a Jewish life and still accept certain Greek ideas.  As Harrington observes, “This effort at using Greek philosophy and rhetoric in the service of biblical religion makes the author to some extent also a pioneer in enculturation, or adapting the religious message to different thought patterns and modes of expression.”  The Wisdom of Solomon thus is an important book for understanding how Jewish communities faced this challenge.

Another important wisdom book is Ecclesiasticus or Ben Sirach.  Ben Sirach, a resident of Jerusalem in the second century B.C.E., led a school which taught how one could assimilate secular wisdom traditions with Jewish thought.  Ben Sirach is a significant book which touches on many topics, primarily wisdom, but also creation, the relationship between parents and children, sin, speech and women.  The book thus provides insights into Jewish reflections on these important ideas.  We, of course, would not agree with all of the conclusions the text offers, but we would find a great deal of timeless wisdom.

The Apocrypha also contains additional parts of the book of Esther.  You will recall that Esther is the only book in the Hebrew Bible that does not mention God.  That omission apparently bothered a later translator or editor, who composed a variety of passages and added them to the text.  These additions include an account of a dream of Mordecai, the text of the decree against the Jews (rather than just a reference to it), and prayers of Mordecai and Esther.  The author was clearly disturbed by the lack of overt religious overtones in the original, perhaps the same concerns that caused some Jewish leaders to question whether it should be included in the biblical canon.  In a sense, the additions can be seen as an early midrash on the text, answering questions and expanding on the story.  Unfortunately, much of the power of the text is its subtle hints of divine providence without mentioning God, a fact obviously lost on the author of the additions.

There are a number of other books that are part of the Apocrypha; each in its own way contributes to our understanding of Judaism.  Although these books are not part of the Tanach, they are important historical and theological resources and therefore deserve to be considered as part of the holy books of Judaism.

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