William John Ferrar

The object of this Introduction is to provide a short account not only of the books in the Church Apocrypha, but of the other Jewish writings from 200 B. C. to A. D. 100, which should be now occupying the attention of those interested in the New Testament. For without some knowledge of the contemporary literature of the period, we lose the chief key to the understanding of the world to which Christ came, and the atmosphere in which the Church was born. - From the Preface

The Book of Baruch is a Bible pseudepigrapha; a deuterocanonical work attributed to Baruch ben Neriah, the scribe of the prophet Jeremiah. The Assumption of Moses is a Jewish apocryphal work concerning hidden prophecies that Moses revealed to Joshua prior to the latter inheriting his leadership of the ancient Jews. Together these works constitute typical examples of popular Biblical texts which are extra-canonical; most Christian and Jewish groups do not regard their contents as true. Their origins are definitively proven to be several centuries after the time they purport to be from. However, theological scholars have expressed some interest, particularly given the time and context of the writing; being as these pseudepigrapha are old texts, they themselves carry value. This edition contains a lengthy, explanatory introduction by W. O. E. Oesterley, and the well-regarded translations of Bible scholars R. H. Charles (for Baruch) and William John Ferrar (for Moses).

The Book of Baruch is a Bible pseudepigrapha; a deuterocanonical work attributed to Baruch ben Neriah, the scribe of the prophet Jeremiah. The Assumption of Moses is a Jewish apocryphal work concerning hidden prophecies that Moses revealed to Joshua prior to the latter inheriting his leadership of the ancient Jews. Together these works constitute typical examples of popular Biblical texts which are extra-canonical; most Christian and Jewish groups do not regard their contents as true. Their origins are definitively proven to be several centuries after the time they purport to be from. However, theological scholars have expressed some interest, particularly given the time and context of the writing; being as these pseudepigrapha are old texts, they themselves carry value. This edition contains a lengthy, explanatory introduction by W. O. E. Oesterley, and the well-regarded translations of Bible scholars R. H. Charles (for Baruch) and William John Ferrar (for Moses).