PB - The Book of Jasher

Wyn Laidig said:

Attached is a PB of the Book of Jasher,  published in 1887 by J.H. Parry & Company, Salt Lake City. 

Thank you for making this available.

If anyone else is wondering, this isn't the rabbinical one.

But we are sure lucky someone finally wrote Jasher; what if you lived in the 1600s? You couldn't read it!

Love it DMB, love it!!!  lol!

Forgive me for asking:

I know there are 2 refs to this book in scripture, but... with the publisher being from Salt lake, and date of publication, is this another "rediscovered" book, what's its pedigree/source?
Why might I want it, or is it more aimed towards our LDS users?

Thanks for the book!

"Book of Jasher"
Among the various pseudepigraphic texts called "Book of Jasher" the 16th Century Hebrew Sefer haYashar (midrash) (first edition 1552, later popular among early Mormons) mentions the magicians.3

Editor Mark Barnes, Dictionary of Christianity and the Bible, n.d., 7459.

But this Dictionary is comprise by an evangelical from Wikipedia

JASHER, BOOK OF (Hebrew, “Sefer ha-Yashar” = “Book of the Righteous One”): A book, apparently containing heroic songs, mentioned twice in the Old Testament: in the account of the battle of Gibeon a fragment of a song of Joshua is given as taken from it (Josh. 10:13); and another fragment is quoted in David’s lamentation for Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam. 1:18).
The nature of this book has been a matter of discussion from the time of the Septuagint up to the present day. The Septuagint, in Joshua, omits all reference to the Book of Jasher, while in II Samuel it refers to it as Βιβλίον τοῦ Εὐθοῦς. On the other hand, in 1 Kings 8, transposing verses 12–13, which are a fragment of a song, after verse 53, it adds, “is it not written in the book of songs (ἐν βιβλίῳ της ᾠδῆς)?” It is evident that the Septuagint had a text which in this passage read הלא היא כתובה בספר השיר; and it may be supposed that the word הישר, which occurs in the two passages mentioned above, is simply an anagram of השיר. This supposition is supported by the Peshiṭta, which reads in II Samuel “Sefer Ashir,” while in Joshua it translates “Sefer ha-Yashar” by “Sifra de-Tushbeḥata” (= “Book of Praises”). Another theory is that “Sefer ha-Yashar” is a misreading for “Sefer Az Yashir” (אז ישיר; comp. Ex. 15:1), the book beginning with this phrase, and containing songs.
The Rabbis, followed by Jerome, translated “Sefer ha-Yashar” by “Book of the Righteous” (“Liber Justorum”); but while following the rendering of theTargum Yerushalmi, “Sifra de-Oraita” (= “The Book of the Law”), they did not agree as to which book was meant. R. Johanan referred it to Genesis, finding there allusions both to the title (“Book of the Righteous”) and to the incidents in connection with which it is quoted; R. Eleazar referred it to Deuteronomy; and Samuel b. Naḥmani to the Book of Judges (‘Ab. Zarah 25a). Sixtus Senensis (“Bibl. Sanct.” book ii.) states that some Hebrew writers (whose names he does not give) understand by the “Book of Jasher” the twelve Minor Prophets.
Levi b. Gershon was the only commentator who thought that the “Sefer ha-Yashar” was a special book, lost during the Captivity. His opinion has been adopted by Junius, Hottinger (“Thes. Phil.” ii. 2, § 2), and many others. For further details in regard to the opinions of modern critics and Donaldson’s attempt to reconstruct the book, see W. A. Wright in Smith, “Dict. Bible.” For the more modern midrash of the same name see YASHAR.
E. G. H.
M. SEL.

Isidore Singer, ed., The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day, 12 Volumes (New York; London: Funk & Wagnalls, 1901–1906), 74.

YASHAR, SEFER HA-: One of the latest works of the midrashic Haggadah; known also under the titles “Toledot Adam” and “Dibre ha-Yamim he-‘Aruk.” It is written in correct and fluent Hebrew, and treats of the history of the Jews from the time of Adam to that of the Judges. Three-fourths of the work is devoted to the pre-Mosaic period, one-fifth to the Mosaic period, and only three pages to later history. In his endeavors to explain all Biblical subjects the author invented entire narratives, interweaving them with certain passages of the Bible.

Contents
Among such narratives and additions originating with the author may be especially mentioned an explanation of the murder of Abel by Cain, and also an extended and ingenious genealogy of the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. In this genealogy the origin of Seir, which Ibn Ezra states to be shrouded in obscurity, is explained by the assertion that Seir was the son of Hur, the grandson of Hori, and the great-grandson of Cainan. The life of Abraham is described at great length, the account beginning with his birth and the appearance of the star (viii. 1–35), and including the smallest details, such as, for example, his two journeys to his son Ishmael (xxi. 22–48). Similar minuteness is displayed with regard to the last days of Sarah and her funeral, which, according to the author, was attended not only by Shem, Eber, Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre, but also by Canaanitish kings with their retinues (xxii. 41–44). The enumeration of the doctrines which the three Patriarchs received through Shem and Eber also occupies considerable space; and the life of Joseph is depicted in an especially impressive manner (xxxvii.–xli.).
In connection with the different “blessings” which Jacob before his death gave to his sons, the author depicts the bloody warfare waged between the kings of Canaan and the sons of Israel on account of the violation of Dinah, the war ending with the victory of Israel (xxxiv.–xxxv.). In the history of the sojourn of the Israelites in Egypt and of their exodus from that country are also interwoven several legends, though these lack the completeness that marks the narratives of the pre-Mosaic history (part ii.). The author, moreover, gives an entire song of Joshua, which is merely indicated in the book of that prophet (x. 13); but this consists only of Biblical passages artistically put together.

Sources
In the compiling of the work the following sources were made use of, namely: the Babylonian Talmud; Bereshit Rabbah; Pirḳe R. Eliezer; the Yalḳuṭ; the Chronicle of Moses; Yosippon; Midrash Abkir; and various Arabic legends. As to the place and time of the work’s origin various legendary accounts are given in the preface of the first edition (Naples, 1552).

Modern Translations
In 1750 the London printer Thomas Ilive issued an English translation of the work, asserting that he had published the real “Book of Yashar” mentioned in the Bible; and in 1828 the London “Courier” (Nov. 8) reported that a man from Gazan in Persia, by name Alcurin (Noah has “Alcuin”), had discovered the book named after Joshua, and brought it with him to London. Eleven days later (Nov. 19) a Jew of Liverpool named Samuel reported in the same paper that he was working on a translation of this work, which he had obtained in North Africa. Zunz thereupon found himself compelled to assert, in the “Berliner Nachrichten” of Nov. 29, 1828, that the work mentioned was the same as that published in Naples in 1552 or 1613; and in his “Gottesdienstliche Vorträge,” 1832, the same author declared that the book originated in Spain in the twelfth century. That Italy, however, was the land of its origin seems evident from the author’s knowledge of Italian names, as Tuscany, Lombardy, and the Tiber (x. 7–36), and also from the description of the rape of the Sabines (xvii. 1–14). The appearance of Arabic names, such as Sa‘id, Allah, Abdallah, and Khalif, only tends to show that the book was written in southern Italy, where Arabic influence was strongly felt even in the eleventh century.

Editions
The “Yashar” has appeared in the following editions: Naples, 1552; Venice, 1625; Cracow, 1628; Prague, 1668; Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1706; Amsterdam, 1707; Constantinople, 1728; Fürth, 1768; Koretz, 1785; Frankfort-on-the-Oder, 1789; Grodno, 1795; Lemberg, 1816 and 1840; Warsaw, 1846; Wilna, 1848; Lemberg, 1850; Wilna, 1852; Warsaw, 1858. It was translated into Judæo-German by Jacob ha-Levi, and published with various annotations and Arabic glosses (Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1674; Sulzbach, 1783). A Latin version by Johann G. Abicht appeared in Leipsic in the middle of the eighteenth century under the title “Dissertatio de Libro Recti.” The work was first translated into English by Thomas Ilive, as mentioned above, and later by M. M. Noah under the title “The Book of Yashar” (New York, 1840).

BIBLIOGRAPHY: The passages mentioned in this article refer to the New York edition, since the Hebrew editions are not divided into either chapters or paragraphs. See also Zunz, G. V. 2d ed., pp. 162–165 and notes; Carmoly, in Jost’s Annalen, 1839, i., No. 19, pp. 149–150; M. M. Noah, in preface to The Book of Yashar, New York, 1840; Benjacob, Oẓar ha-Sefarim, p. 233; Fürst, Bibl. Jud. ii. 111; Israel Lévi, Une Anecdote sur Pharaon, in R. E. J. xviii. 130.
J.
S. O.

Isidore Singer, ed., The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day, 12 Volumes (New York; London: Funk & Wagnalls, 1901–1906), 588–589.

But the above is not from a evangelical source... but I thought I would give you the best i could locate in my Library.

-Dan

Two footnotes from K.J. Cathcart & M. Maher (Eds.). (1996). Targumic and Cognate Studies: Essays in Honour of Martin McNamara, p.82:

7. Sefer ha-Yashar is another example of the ‘rewritten Bible’. Written in pseudo-biblical Hebrew it tells the biblical story from creation to the beginning of the age of the Judges. Besides using classical midrashic works and the Babylonian Talmud the author borrows from such late texts as Maʿase Abraham, Midrash va-Yissaʾu, Josippon, and the Chronicle of Moses. The author of Sefer ha-Yashar added to the version of the Chronicle that was available to him. This view seems preferable to the opinion of Ginzberg and others who regarded the Chronicle as an abridged version of Sefer ha-Yashar; cf. L. Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews (7 vols.; Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1909–46), V, p. 402, n. 65. See further Shinan, ‘The Chronicle’, p. 102, with nn. 25–26.

8. Some hold that it may have been written in Spain in the eleventh or twelfth century. This view has often been repeated since it was put forward by Zunz; ... D. Flusser is a modern defender of this view; cf. Flusser, The Josippon, I, pp. 17–24. Others believe that the work was composed in Italy at the beginning of the seventeenth century. ... Although it was believed that Sefer ha-Yashar was first published in Naples in 1544 it seems that it was in fact published for the first time in Venice in 1625. ...

Great info! Many thanks gentlemen!