Stories Between the Testaments: Meeting of the People of the Apocrapha

Rating:
Summary: Not scholarly but rather a student paraphrase
Review: A look at the bibliography reveals the research that went into this book. The books are The Jerome Biblical Commentary, Old Testament Story and Faith, Introducing the Old Testament, The World's Religions, Introduction to the Old Testament, The Oxford Companion to the Bible, the NRSV, Exploring Religion, The Women's Bible Commentary, and The New Unger's Bible Handbook. These are all popular treatments, and none of them are devoted to discussing the Apocrypha. Nowhere to be found are the important introductions to the Apocrypha by Bruce Manning Metzger or Daniel J. Harrington, nor the commentaries in the Anchor Bible series, let alone any journal articles. The author has not put in the work necessary for a scholarly treatment of the material.

And that's fine--if you don't care for an introduction that is filled with arguments and technical details. This book is not an introduction but a survey, a paraphrase of the books in the Apocrypha for the general reader (and specifically for a class mentioned in the dedication). There is less than a paragraph in each chapter for the higher criticism concerning the text. This book rather touches upon the highlights of the story. Get this book if what you want is an epitome with some comments from personal reflection. People like me would get more enjoyment from reading the texts themselves and wrestling with a footnote-filled monograph. If that describes you as well, consider the impressive and up-to-date Introducing the Apocrypha by David A. deSilva.

Rating:
Summary: Not scholarly but rather a student paraphrase
Review: A look at the bibliography reveals the research that went into this book. The books are The Jerome Biblical Commentary, Old Testament Story and Faith, Introducing the Old Testament, The World's Religions, Introduction to the Old Testament, The Oxford Companion to the Bible, the NRSV, Exploring Religion, The Women's Bible Commentary, and The New Unger's Bible Handbook. These are all popular treatments, and none of them are devoted to discussing the Apocrypha. Nowhere to be found are the important introductions to the Apocrypha by Bruce Manning Metzger or Daniel J. Harrington, nor the commentaries in the Anchor Bible series, let alone any journal articles. The author has not put in the work necessary for a scholarly treatment of the material.

And that's fine--if you don't care for an introduction that is filled with arguments and technical details. This book is not an introduction but a survey, a paraphrase of the books in the Apocrypha for the general reader (and specifically for a class mentioned in the dedication). There is less than a paragraph in each chapter for the higher criticism concerning the text. This book rather touches upon the highlights of the story. Get this book if what you want is an epitome with some comments from personal reflection. People like me would get more enjoyment from reading the texts themselves and wrestling with a footnote-filled monograph. If that describes you as well, consider the impressive and up-to-date Introducing the Apocrypha by David A. deSilva.