Abstract of Knibb, Michael A. “Temple and Cult in Apocryphal and Pseudepigraphal Writings from Before the Common Era.”

Knibb, Michael A.  “Temple and Cult in Apocryphal and Pseudepigraphal Writings from Before the Common Era.”  In Temple and Worship in Biblical Israel.  Proceedings of the Oxford Old Testament Seminar, edited by John Day, 401-16.  London: T&T Clark, 2007. [Israel]

This article overviews the major references to the temple found in Sirach, Jubilees, 1 Enoch, Tobit, Jubilees, 1-3 Macabees, Judith, and 1 Esdras, all from around 200-150 BCE.  The dating is important as it provides political and religious context for the various views of the authors of these books and their points of view about the temple.  Sirach is positive about the temple and the priesthood while many of the others are probably written by dissident priests who oppose the political and religious administrations of the time.  Disappointingly, the author makes little attempt to draw significant conclusions from his review.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *