Smith — from the foreword 'Encountering Jesus, Encountering Scripture is part bombshell, part pastoral epistle.Both Kierkegaard and Crump have a way of chopping a path through all the brush of hermeneutical debates and academic wrangling about historical criticism to remind us of a simple but still disconcerting truth — that the point of Scripture is to encounter Jesus. As a biblical motif, “new creation” resonates throughout the pages of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, and occupies a central place in the apostle Paul’s vision of the Christian life. Yet the biblical and extra-biblical occurrences of this theme vary widely in meaning, referring to either a new cosmos, a new community, or a new individual. Beginning with the Old Testament and working.

In January I submitted the completed manuscript of New Testament Apocrypha: More Noncanonical Scriptures volume 2 to the publisher, Eerdmans. I was soon informed that the volume was too large. The first volume is around 600 pages; the second is close to 700. Eerdmans want some uniformity to the series and asked to reduce the book by 100 pages. As a consolation, they promised that the excised material could appear in a third volume. Additional volumes were always a possibility but were contingent on the success of the first two. Eerdmans seems to be confident enough in the series for it to continue.

But what texts do I cut? Some of our contributors are in the early stages of their careers; it is far more important for their work to be published sooner rather than later. Several of us with multiple texts in the volume volunteered to hold off on some of our work and a few other contributors agreed to wait for volume 3. But I don’t want people to wait long, so I spent the past few weeks working with our past contributors to put together a preliminary list of texts to fill the third volume. This is what we came up with:

The Apocryphon of Jesus’ Baptism (Ostracon Aberdeen 25)
The Acts of Andrew and Paul
The Acts of Andrew and Philemon
The Acts of John by Prochorus
The Acts of John in the City of Rome
The Acts of Mark
The Acts of Peter in the City of Rome
The Decapitation of John the Forerunner
The Dialogue of Jesus with the Devil
The Dialogue of Mary and Christ on the Departure of the Soul
The Dream of Nero
The Dream of the Rood
The Encomium of Barnabas by Alexander Monachos
The Epistle of James to Quadratus
The Epistles of Ignatius to John and the Virgin Mary
The Epistles of Longinus, Augustus, Ursinus, and Patrophilus
The Gospel of the Twelve
The Hospitality and Perfume of the Bandit
John and Cerinthus (Irenaeus, Haer. 3.3.4; Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 3.28)
Latin Lives of Mary Magdalene
The Martyrdom of Zechariah
Excerpts from the Miracles of Jesus
On the Star by Pseudo-Eusebius of Caesarea
The Preaching of Philip
The Preaching of Simon Cephas in the City of Rome
The Questions of John
The Revelation of Matthew about the End Times
The Revelation of the Lord’s Prayer
The Vision of Theophilus

As with volume 2, the line-up could, and likely will, change before publication. But if it’s any comfort, there are still plenty of other texts that can fill in the gaps if any cancellations occur. I am grateful to Eerdmans for committing to a third volume and to the contributors for their continued involvement in the series.

Daniel Gurtner, one of the most impressive and prolific New Testament scholars working in the field today, has written an important new book introducing the Jewish literature of the Second Temple period. This is a must-read for any serious student of the New Testament. I have already written of the remarkable two-volume work he co-edited with Loren Stuckenbruck, the T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism(London: T&T Clark, 2019). This work is now the gold standard of reference works on period. Suffice it to say, Daniel Gurtner is one of the leading experts on the period. That is why I am so excited about his new book–it is sure to contain important insights and helpful information you won’t find elsewhere.

The New Testament is clearly drawing on the imagery of these such books in various places. I have been especially struck of late by the parallels between 1 Enoch and the Gospel of Matthew. The more I study these ancient Jewish works, the more I see how the New Testament writers are breathing the same air they did.

The publisher’s website has the following to say about the book:

This book introduces readers to a much-neglected and misunderstood assortment of Jewish writings from around the time of the New Testament. Dispelling mistaken notions of “falsely attributed writings” commonly inferred from the designation “pseudepigrapha,” Daniel Gurtner demonstrates the rich indebtedness these works exhibit to the traditions and scriptures of Israel’s past. In surveying numerous of the most important works, Introducing the Pseudepigrapha of Second Temple Judaism shows how the Pseudepigrapha are best appreciated in their own varied contexts instead of reading them as mere “background” to early Christianity or emerging rabbinic Judaism.

Source

The book also has a Foreword from Loren Stuckenbruck.

The Table of Contents looks amazing. Gurtner is going to take the reader through all of the key works, including 1 Enoch, 4 Ezra, 2 Baruch, Jubilees, etc.

• Foreword by Loren T. Stuckenbruck
• Introduction
• Section 1: Apocalypses
• 1. 1 Enoch
• 2.4 Ezra
• 3. 2 Baruch
• 4. Apocalypse of Abraham
• 5. Sibylline Oracles3-5, 11
• 6. Additional Writings: 2 Enoch, 3 Baruch, Apocalypse of Zephaniah, Testament of Abraham, and Apocalyptic Material in the Dead Sea Scrolls
• Section 2: Testaments and Related Texts
• 7. Testament of Moses
• 8. Testament of Job
• 9. Aramaic Levi Document
• 10. Testament of Qahat
• 11. Visions of Amram
• 12. Additional Writings: Testament of Solomon, Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, Testament of Naphtali (4Q215), and Other Testamentary Material in the Dead Sea Scrolls
• Section 3: Legends and Expansions of Biblical Traditions
• 13. Jubilees
• 14. Biblical Antiquities
• 15. Genesis Apocryphon
• 16. Letter of Aristeas
• 17. Joseph and Aseneth
• 18. Additional Writings: Life of Adam and Eve (Greek), 4 Baruch, and Ezekiel the Tragedian
• Section 4: Psalms, Wisdom Literature, and Prayers
• 19. Psalms 151-155
• 20. Psalms of Solomon
• 21. Sentences of Pseudo-Phocylides
• 22. Additional Writings: Hellenistic Synagogal Prayers, Prayer of Joseph, and Prayer of Nabonidus (4Q242)
• Conclusion
• Indexes

The publisher, Baker Academic, also has on its website a long list of impressive endorsements for the book. I have reproduced them here:

“Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls it has become clear that pseudepigrapha are critical for understanding ancient Judaism and Christianity. Daniel Gurtner provides a much-needed new introduction to these writings, deftly synthesizing cutting-edge specialist research into an engaging and accessible book brimming with insights that will challenge and delight. The result is a perfect resource for teaching as well as an ideal entry point for readers interested in learning more about these fascinating but neglected writings.”

Annette Yoshiko Reed, professor of religious studies, New York University

“This is a comprehensive, well-informed, and up-to-date introduction to a large body of literature deriving from early Judaism. Scholars are becoming more cautious about which of the so-called Old Testament Pseudepigrapha we can be confident derive from that milieu. Gurtner rightly gives most attention to those that are generally agreed to be Jewish works from the Second Temple period, but he also discusses others that have often been treated as such so that readers may be aware of the issues of date and provenance that are still uncertain. This is a very helpful reference work, both for those who are new to this field and for those who have already engaged with this fascinating body of literature.”

Richard Bauckham, emeritus professor of New Testament studies, University of St. Andrews

“The collection known as the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha is an indispensable resource for appreciating developments within Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity–but where is one to begin, and what is one to look for in these texts? Daniel Gurtner’s distinguished history of research in this corpus makes him a reliable guide for the uninitiated explorer. He focuses here on a judicious selection of the most influential and illuminating writings within this collection and orients the reader to what each contributes to our knowledge of the varieties of thought among, the multiform challenges addressed by, and the contributions of these writers, while also giving briefer orientations to other works throughout the larger collection. This is now perhaps the premier point of entry into these writings, which might otherwise seem inaccessible.”

David A. deSilva, Trustees’ Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Greek, Ashland Theological Seminary

“Throughout Introducing the Pseudepigrapha Daniel Gurtner demonstrates his mastery of this important material. I like the way he has organized and arranged these complicated and diverse writings. I like the way he introduces them, and I like the way he explains why they are important and how they assist us in better understanding Judaism and Christianity in late antiquity. Interpreters of the Bible need this book on their desks.”

Craig A. Evans, John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Beginnings, Houston Baptist University

“Introducing the Pseudepigrapha of Second Temple Judaism All downloadsgalaxysupport. is a work that includes texts from the Hellenistic period that participate in and were composed alongside the biblical corpus. The Pseudepigrapha must be read with the canonical biblical collections because it exemplifies the innovative exegetical imaginations, practices of reading, and emerging beliefs that are essential to understanding the formation of Judaism and Christianity in antiquity. The texts of the Pseudepigrapha are some of our earliest expressions of commentary, hermeneutics, and liturgy from the Hellenistic period. These texts contribute to how we have come to understand performance, pedagogy, and ritual in Jewish antiquity. This is an important new book that integrates new research and new findings with commentaries and introductions to these texts.”

Hindy Najman, Oriel and Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture, Oriel College, Oxford University

List Of New Testament Pseudepigrapha

“Gurtner has selected for discussion some of the most influential Jewish pseudepigrapha. By offering fresh overviews and mature introductions to each, he draws on recent research and makes them accessible to contemporary readers. This book holds the door open to anyone interested in scripture interpretation and seeks to let the claims of pseudepigrapha speak for themselves. After all, today, as in the past, they invite theological as well as historical and literary engagement.”

Loren T. Stuckenbruck (from the foreword)

New Testament Pseudepigrapha Iirejected Scriptures Apocrypha

Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Full Text

I cannot wait to get my copy! Click on the link below to order it from Amazon!