400 B.C.: Silent But Not Absent
The Roman Empire and the Herodian Dynasty
Intro:
Daniel 2:24-45 (NIV)
24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and
said to him, "Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream
for him." 25 Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, "I have found a man among the exiles from
Judah who can tell the king what his dream means." 26 The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar),
"Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?" 27 Daniel replied, "No wise man,
enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28 but there is a
God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to
come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you lay on your bed are these: 29
"As you were lying there, O king, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries
showed you what is going to happen. 30 As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I
have greater wisdom than other living men, but so that you, O king, may know the interpretation and
that you may understand what went through your mind.
31 ¶ "You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue--an enormous, dazzling statue,
awesome in appearance. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver,
its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. 34 While
you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron
and clay and smashed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were
broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing-floor in the summer. The wind
swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge
mountain and filled the whole earth. 36 "This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king.
37 You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might
and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air.
Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold. 39 "After you,
another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole
earth. 40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron-- for iron breaks and smashes
everything--and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. 41 Just as you
saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided
kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As
the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43
And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not
remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. 44 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven
will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all
those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure for ever. 45 This is the meaning of
the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands--a rock that broke the iron, the
bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. "The great God has shown the king what will take
place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy."
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind
as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. 2 Daniel said: "In my vision at
night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four
great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.4 "The first was like a lion, and it
had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so
that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it. 5 "And there before me was
a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its
mouth between its teeth. It was told, `Get up and eat your fill of flesh!' 6 "After that, I looked, and there
before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those
of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule. 7 "After that, in my vision at
night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast--terrifying and frightening and very powerful.
It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left.
It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. 8 "While I was thinking about the
horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the
first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke
boastfully.
9 "As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as
white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels
were all ablaze. 10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands
attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books
were opened. 11 "Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept
looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other
beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.) 13 "In my
vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of
heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority,
glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His
dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be
destroyed.
15 "I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. 16 I
approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this. "So he told me and
gave me the interpretation of these things: 17 `The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise
from the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it for ever-yes, for ever and ever.' 19 "Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was
different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws--the beast that
crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know
about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them
fell--the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke
boastfully. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, 22 until
the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favour of the saints of the Most High, and the
time came when they possessed the kingdom. 23 "He gave me this explanation: `The fourth beast is a
fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will
devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will
come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will
subdue three kings.
25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the
laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. 26 "`But the court will sit,
and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed for ever. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and
greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the
Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.' 28
"This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale,
but I kept the matter to myself."
The Roman Empire is the fourth kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a statue, and the
fourth beast of Daniel’s vision. At this time it was called the Roman Republic and they began to
rise to power around 301 B.C., about 22 years after the death of Alexander the Great and the
dividing of his kingdom. Alexander the Great had trained under many great minds like Leonidas
of Epirus (not to be confused with Leonidas the Spartan), Lysimachus of Acarnania, and the
greatest mind of them all Aristotle. His father groomed him to be a superior leader not only
militarily, but philosophically. He was taught to read and write at a young age, and loved to
read and learn even at the peak of his empire. This is why he founded Alexandria and made it
the center of learning and philosophy, and home to the world’s largest library. (At least 700,000
scrolls.) The library and all its scrolls were completely destroyed, likely by the rising Romans by
48 B.C. (Allegedly by Julius Caesar by accident.) This is tragic on many levels, and makes the
preservation of Biblical scrolls preceding this time even more remarkable!
Like most men that gain world power, he began to think of himself as a man under divine
influence. At the peak of Alexander the Great’s kingdom, he claimed that he was the son of
Zeus giving himself the status of a demigod, and in turn making his mission to Hellinize the
world a divine mission. It seems every time a world leader claims to be a god, they soon die.
This was exactly the case for Alexander. When his empire was divided among the four generals
it caused what was once strong to be weakened and gave opportunity for another world power
to eventually take control. Rome was more than happy to oblige.
Rome Gains Control (146 B.C.)
Rome’s rise to power begins during the time of the Ptolemaic control of Jerusalem (301 B.C.).
Once Antiochus Ephiphanes of the Syrian Seleucids took control (175 B.C.) Rome was a major
contender for world domination. I mentioned last week that his father Antiochus III (aka
Antiochus the Great) suffered a defeat at the hands of Rome (around 191 B.C.) and was forced
to pay heavy taxes which he forced on his subjects to include the Jews. By 188 B.C. Antiochus
the Great had lost a sizable portion of his territory to the Romans which they used as bargaining
chips to solidify ally relationships. This was a major blow to the Syrian Empire and led to a revolt
by many of the outlying provinces. Antiochus the Great tried to regroup but he died trying to
destroy a Persian temple in 187 B.C. Twelve years later his son takes power and makes it his
mission to terrorize the stubborn Jews who won’t buy into his plan to implement one unified
world religion. In 166 B.C. he suffered a defeat from the Jews and lost Jerusalem. Twenty years
later the Greek Empire lost a major battle to the Roman Republic in the Battle of Corinth who
was fresh off a victory over another world power, Carthage (Third Punic War). This marked the
beginning of Roman domination of Greece, and ultimately the world.
Rome Conquers Jerusalem (63 B.C.)
The Siege of Jerusalem occurred during Pompey the Great's campaigns in the east, shortly after
his successful conclusion of the Third Mithridatic War. Pompey had been asked to intervene in
a civil war between Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II for the throne of the Hasmonean Kingdom.
His conquest of Jerusalem, however, spelled the end of Jewish independence and the
incorporation of Judea into the Roman Republic as a client kingdom. Hyrcanus decided to
become an ally of Rome and fully submit to them in order to keep his throne. His younger
brother Antigonus II didn’t like this arrangement so he started another civil war with Hyrcanus
to fight for independence from Roman control. Herod was loyal to the Romans, who had been
involved in their own civil war between Pompey and Caesar (which Caesar won, and was
assassinated by Antony who took control). Herod in turn defeated Antigonus, ceased
Jerusalem, and handed Antigonus over to the Romans to be executed. Josephus tells us that he
was beheaded by Antony. Hyrcanus was restored as High Priest but was replaced by Herod as
King. This helps us understand a little better why Herod was so despised by the Jews, not only
was he seen as nothing more than a Roman vassal puppet, but a betrayer and deposer of the
Hasmonean Dynasty.
Herod the Great (37 B.C.)
The installation of Herod the Great as king in 37 BC made Israel a Roman client state and
marked the end of the Hasmonean dynasty. Herod was an incredibly wicked man who cared
nothing for those under his rule. He had no rights to the throne of Judea; instead he clawed his
way to the top by cozying up to Rome and talking them into appointing him over the region of
Judea. He paid large sums of money to Antony and Cleopatra (Egypt and Rome united after the
death of Julius Caesar.) to help them with their many and costly wars, and was rewarded with
large chunks of valuable land. After Antony and Cleopatra were defeated by Augustus Caesar,
the true heir to the Roman Empire as Caesar’s adopted son (actually a great nephew and
assumed heir) they committed suicide. When Augustus took over Herod immediately switched
his allegiance to the Caesar and pulled every stop to win his favor. These bribes and promises of
loyalty were enough for Augustus who kept Herod as king of Judea.
Herod was resented by the Jews not only because of his political maneuvers and betrayal to
acquire the throne, but even more because he actually wasn’t even a naturally born Jew. He
was the son of an Idumaean, who were descendants of Edomites, who were descendants of
Esau. This infuriated the Jews even more and was essentially a slap in the face by Rome. This
made them despise Rome who was once an ally even more, and long once again for
independence as they had under the Hasmoneans. There were groups of Zealots that acted as
insurgencies to restore independence but unlike the Maccabees, they could not gain any
traction over the mighty and ruthless Roman Empire. The only thing they accomplished was
more taxation and oppression of the Jews who were seen as nothing more than a nuisance to
the Romans. Many times Rome would not only take an unfair portion for taxes, but would
appoint ruthless and cruel tax collectors that would add whatever they wanted to the tax to
line their own pockets. This is why the New Testament offers such a negative view of tax
collectors.
This led to unrest in Israel that could only be solved by one man, the long awaited Messiah. The
Jews once again began to cry out to God to send the Messiah to deliver them out of the hands
of the Romans and their appointed puppet king of the Jews, and to once again reestablish the
powerful Kingdom of David. This Kingdom was to be everlasting. They believed that when
Messiah came, he would immediately defeat Rome, and establish his Kingdom as the true heir
and king of Israel. It was during Herod’s reign that Jesus was born, and the 400 years of silence
concludes. However, Jesus did not come to overthrow Rome, instead He came to pay the price
for sin, and establish a kingdom to be fulfilled at a later time. He was ultimately rejected by the
very people that had prayed for him to come.
It is important to note that the King Herod of Jesus birth is not the same King Herod of Jesus
adult life and ministry. This Herod was called the great. The Herod of Jesus ministry was called
Antipas. It is also important to note that many of the Jews had detached themselves from their
heritage and had no real attachment to Israel in a religious or national sense. They were
perfectly satisfied not rocking the boat and doing whatever the powers that be required in
order to live peacefully. This had been going on since the Babylonian Empire where they simply
merged with whatever kingdom had rule over them at the time. They took foreign wives, built
homes, and lived as if they were not even Jewish. In fact by this point many of the original
tribes of Israel were virtually unidentifiable. Ten of the tribes of Israel are today considered lost
due to this merging with world empires. The only two that stayed true and fought for Jewish
independence were the tribes of Judah, and Benjamin. Those who stayed faithful were always
in the minority, and even they had their issues as we can clearly see in the Old Testament, but
because of their desire to stay faithful to a Jewish God, and a Jewish nation, the tribes of Judah
and Benjamin were the last to be taken into captivity by the Babylonians. They also remained
faithful through the Persian, Greek, and Roman rule of Israel, called Palestine by the Romans.
Many believe the Romans called it Palestine after the Philistines as an insult to the Jews. It is
safe to say, Rome had no respect for Israel, nor did that have any fear of their silent God.
Herod’s Temple (20 B.C)
Herod was a masterful architect and designed many grand facilities during his reign. He had
palaces in several cities, and had an elaborate fortress in Masada. (More on that later.) It is
believed that Herod wanted to rebuild his territories that had been ravaged by war, in a way
that would rival even Rome’s beauty and architecture. In an effort to earn the favor of the Jews,
which actually despised him, Herod rebuilt the Second Temple that had been destroyed several
times. The first Temple, built by Solomon was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar sometime around
586 B.C. beginning the 70 year period of captivity. In 538 B.C. under King Darius of Persia, many
of the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland where they longed to rebuild the temple.
This Second Temple was under completely different circumstances than the first because the
first was built with Israel as a mighty empire. This one was built while Israel was a captive
nation. 200 Years later, they would become so scattered after Alexander’s death, that they
would only visit the temple and the holy city for feasts and special occasions. They worshiped
weekly in more localized synagogues as suggested by the men of the Great Assembly. (Refer
back to your notes on Dr. Robinson’s teaching on this subject.) The Second Temple was not
near as vital for Jews as the first one was because of these local synagogues where they
practiced their weekly prayers and worship on the Sabbath.
Ezra oversaw the rebuilding of the Second Temple. Around 186 B.C. In about 168 B.C. this
temple was desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes, and many of the scrolls and holy utensils were
burned up and destroyed. This led to the Maccabean Revolt and the restoration of the temple
in sometime around 166 B.C. (Refer back to last week’s notes.) This temple actually stood for
420 years until its destruction by Rome in 70 A.D. which left the Jews now to only worship in
local synagogues. But before its destruction Herod, being an architectural genius, wanted to
expand it and make it more elaborate. He claimed that Ezra’s temple did not match the height
of Solomon’s temple because the Jews had followed a decree by Darius. He also said that it was
built more like a fortress than a place of worship.
Herod expanded the Second Temple sometime around 20-18 B.C. This is not considered a third
temple even though the entire structure was practically rebuilt. Even Herod himself simply
wanted it to be known as a renovation of the Second Temple. According to Josephus, the laity
could not enter certain parts of the building, therefore 1000 Levites were specially trained as
builders and masons, and carried out their work so efficiently and carefully that at no time was
there any interruption in the sacrifices and other services. Another 10,000 laborers were hired
prepare the temple site and do much of the labor outside the restricted areas.
Many wealthy Jews donated funding in order to build the new, more elaborate temple. (This
was clearly a political ploy by Herod to win the loyalty of the Jews, and for a short time it was
somewhat effective.) This temple was not fully completed until 63 A.D and only lasted 7 years
after its completion. It is noted in John 2:20 when Jesus said, “destroy this temple, and I will
rebuild it again in three days” that the temple had to that point been under construction for 46
years. This was a long and elaborate process. Herod’s Temple was beautiful and ornate. But it
was also very corrupt. The office of High Priest instead of going to who God had chosen was
given to the highest bidder, and the people had no interest in true worship, only in making
money, much like their King. This is truly a terrible time in Israel’s History and the good news is,
it was during the time of Herod’s temple that Jesus broke the silence!
Masada Herod’s Fortress. (31 B.C.)
Because Herod was not a natural heir to the throne of Judea, he never felt safe. Not only was
he not a natural heir, he was also very cruel and ruthless and had made many enemies. He was
despised by the Jews, and merely a puppet of Rome so he couldn’t feel safe anywhere. He knew
that at any moment a Hasmonean could fire up another civil war, leading to either
assassination (there were several attempts) or defeat. It could also lead to a rebuke from Rome
for not being able to keep his subjects in line. So he dealt with them very harshly. One thing he
had in his favor was that money was no object for him. He had palaces in several locations,
including Jerusalem; however, he had one palace/fortress built on a cliff top called Masada.
This is Herod’s most remarkable feat of architecture because it is built on the plateau of a 1500
foot mountain. Even considering today’s equipment and technology it is an astonishing
accomplishment.
Herod built this fortress as a place to escape should he need to flee from either Rome, or
Jewish insurgents. He used mass slave labor to carry stones up the 1500 treacherous climb, and
showed little or no concern for their lives. It was deadly work and many died doing it, but Herod
didn’t care, he simply wanted the job done! At the plateau of the mountain he had a defense
wall built all the way around it to keep it secure even if enemies were brave enough to climb to
the top. Herod expected lavish warm baths in the cool and cold baths in the heat, so he had
massive bathhouses built, which even included furnaces for hot baths. Masada was in the
middle of the desert so he had aqueducts built so that water could come in to the base of the
mountain when it rained where it would be carried up, along with the wood for the bath
houses. It is astonishing how little Herod cared about the lives of his subjects.
After the reign of Herod, a group of zealots used Masada as a fortress to escape the Romans
after another failed insurrection to free Jerusalem from Roman power. Once Masada was
seiged by the Romans they all agreed to commit suicide to avoid capture by the Romans.
Historian Josephus was among this group, but he didn’t go through with the suicide and was
captured by the Romans, and was ultimately seen as a betrayer by the Jews. He became a
scribe for the Romans as their Jewish historian, and made many efforts to save Jerusalem
through a compromise. There would be no compromise from the devoted Jews which led to the
final siege of Jerusalem and the final destruction of the Temple.
Israel lost statehood and was left in ruins for nearly 2000 years until 1948 when Israel was
recognized by the United Nations as an independent state and the Zionists came back to
rebuild. It is interesting to note that here have been scrolls found at Masada that give evidence
that the Essenes also had scribes there as well the caves at Qumran. In fact, recently it has been
deduced by architects that some of scrolls found at Masada and the Qumran caves are linked
together by the same author.
The Apocrypha
Below is entirely from the first English translation of the Septuagint. It was translated from
Greek to English by Sir Lancelot C.L. Benton. This gives a nice overview of the Septuagint, and
how the Apocrypha came to be, and its value as fine literature. All of it was written during
the 400 years of silence.
Intro to the Apocypha – The Alexandrian Jews possessed a sacred literature in the Septuagint
translation, and where other works of the same national character were either written in Greek
or translated from the Hebrew, these also were appended to the sacred books which they
before possessed. But the New Testament writers never quote these additional writings as
Scriptures. The writers of the early Church, however, while expressly declaring their preference
for the Hebrew Canon, quote the books of the "Apocrypha" as of equal authority with the Old
Testament. And in this wise the Church popularly regarded them, and consequently made a
free use of them. The influence of such writers as Origen, Cyril of Jerusalem, Athanasius, and
Augustine, in favour of the "Apocrypha," was very great; and Jerome's view, as quoted in the
sixth Article of the Anglican Church ("the other books which the Church doth read for example
of life and instruction of manners; but yet doth it not apply them to establish any doctrine")
and his strictures on some of the books were apt to be forgotten.
During the Reformation period, the Church of Rome decreed her adherence to the popular view
of the Apocrypha held in the main by the early Church, and definitely accepted all the "other
books" as canonical, save I. and II. Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh. The Church of England,
on the other hand, formally adopted the more critical view of Jerome, and while retaining the
Apocrypha in her Bible gave it not canonical but deutero-canonical rank.
In more recent times it has been the unfortunate custom of English-speaking people to neglect
or despise the Apocrypha: yet it forms a portion of the Bible of Christendom; it supplies the
blank leaf between Nehemiah and the New Testament; and it comprises some of the literature
of that period, which well illustrates the development and transition of Jewish religious thought
generally.
Esdras – The first book of Esdras, which the sixth Article of Religion styles the third book, was
written some time within the first century B.C., and is chiefly made up of an independent and
somewhat free version (not without value) of portions of 2. Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah. It is
possibly based upon a Greek, but emended from a Hebrew source. The one portion peculiar to
the book (3–5:6), commonly called “The Three Wise Sayings,” has been thought to be the
nucleus of the whole book round which the rest is grouped.
The second book of Esdras is not included in this volume, as although it was probably composed
in Greek, no Greek version has as yet been found. The book consists of three distinct works, and
its most important portion (3–14) is known as “The Apocalypse of Esdras.” It contains seven
visions, written probably in Domitian’s reign (A.D. 81–96); and in recent years the Apocalypse
has been amplified by the discovery of a lost portion of the Latin translation.
Tobit – The Book of Tobit is one of the most perfect of Hebrew idylls (episodes). It was probably
written within the second century B.C. It has been transmitted in various forms, all of which are
considered to have sprung from a Hebrew or Aramaic original.
Judith - The story of Judith is a contribution to the literature of Jewish patriotism. It is a sacred
historical-novel. The story is laid in the period just after the return from the Captivity. The book
itself was written in the Maccabean age; and in “Nebuchadrezzar” is the probable figure of
Antiochus Epiphanes. The Aramaic and Greek versions were probably derived from a Hebrew
original.
Additions to Esther – These additions to the Canonical Esther supply it with a preface and a
conclusion, and expand the narrative in three places. They were probably written to give a
more definite religious character to the book. The writer of the additional chapters was
probably an Egyptian Jew, who wrote in Greek, in the first or second century B.C.
The Book of Wisdom – This book is one of the most beautiful and important of the apocrypha.
Its first portion is distinguished for the singular beauty of its style, its noble teaching on
immortality, and its panegyric (tributary) on Wisdom. The second portion of the book is very
inferior to the first, from a literary point of view. It contains a pictorial commentary on the story
of the Exodus. The book was, without doubt, written in Greek by an Alexandrian Jew, probably
a short while before the Christian era.
Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of the Son of Sirach – This book was originally written in Hebrew
by Joshua Ben Sira of Jerusalem a few years before the outbreak of the Maccabean
persecution. It was translated by his grandson into Greek, and until recently the book was
known only in its Greek form, but by a surprising series of discoveries nearly the whole of the
work is now extant in a Hebrew text.
The book falls into two distinct and unequal divisions. The first forty-three chapters comprise, in
the main, a text-book of morals, which is of great value as reflecting the manners and customs
of the age. The last eight chapters are occupied chiefly with the beautiful prose-hymn known as
“The Praise of Famous Men.”
The title “Ecclesiasticus” marks the book as the most important or the most popular of the
Ecclesiastical Books.
Baruch –This book contains several minor writings, probably of the first century B.C., having no
connection with each other, but joined together in the first century A.D. by a compiler who
prefixed an historical introduction (1:1–14), attributing the whole work to Baruch the prophet.
The first portion of the book, ending at 3:8, was in all probability originally written in Hebrew;
the second portion (3:9–4:4) in Aramaic; the third portion (4:5–5:9) in Greek. The book of
Baruch is the only work in the Apocrypha modelled on the prophetic utterances of the Old
Testament.
The Epistle of Jeremiah – The pseudepigraphal epistle, containing a denunciation of idolatry,
forms the last chapter of Baruch. It was written in Greek, probably by a Jew of Alexandria in the
first century B.C.
Additions to Daniel – These three additions to the Canonical Daniel were probably composed in
the Maccabean age. Their original language is a matter of much dispute. The Song of the Three
Children contains, for the most part, a prayer put into the mouth of Azarias (Abed-Nego), and
the song which purports to have been sung by the three Jewish youths in the midst of the
burning fiery furnace. This stirring psalm of thanksgiving (the “Benedicite”) is well known, owing
to its being included among the canticles of the Church.
The History of Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon, contain several anecdotes related of Daniel,
which, although of a simple character, are not without interest as historical-parables.
Maccabees – There are four books of the Maccabees extant in Greek, of which the Western
Church receives only the first two as canonical.
The first book of the Maccabees contains a trustworthy history of the Maccabean revolt. It was
originally written in Hebrew by an orthodox Jew, probably during the first or second decade of
the first century B.C. It is a record of priceless and sterling worth.
The second book of the Maccabees is, in the main, an abridgment of a larger history of the
Maccabees in five volumes written by Jason of Cyrene. The epitomiser was perhaps an
Alexandrian Jew, of the first century B.C., who wrote in Greek. The historical value of the book
is much inferior to that of the first book.
The third book of the Maccabees contains no reference to the Maccabees, and the events
recorded in it, which may rest upon some historical basis, are placed at an earlier date (B.C.
217–209). The author was an Alexandrian Jew, who wrote in Greek, perhaps in the first century
B.C., although a much later date is given to the book by some scholars.
The fourth book of the Maccabees contains in an expanded form the story of the Maccabean
martyrs, which is used as a basis of a philosophical treatise on the triumph of reason over the
passions. Eusebius and Jerome attributed this book to Josephus, but it does not resemble his
style, and it is more probably the work of an Alexandrian Jew written during the century before
the fall of Jerusalem.
The third and fourth books of the Maccabees have been translated for this edition of the
Apocrypha.
The Prayer of Mannaseh – This purports to be the penitential prayer of Manasseh, King of
Judah, mentioned in 2. Chronicles 33:18. Its eloquent phraseology is largely derived from the
Old Testament. In MSS. of the Septuagint the Prayer finds a place only among the Ecclesiastical
Canticles.
Sources:
The Annals of the World by Bishop James Ussher
Biblical Archeology Magazine
The Works of Flavius Josephus
Lost Words – History Channel Documentary
The Septuagint with Apocrypha, translated from Greek to English by Sir Lancelot C.L.Brenton
www.chabad.org
www.bible-history.com
www.jewishvirtuallibrary.com