To get a grasp of the extra-biblical Jewish literature what should I read?
For the Talmud take this free Coursera course The Talmud: A Methodological Introduction | Coursera Then read the Talmud.
For the pseudepigrapha, simply read in with a volume that has decent introductory materials.
Extra-biblical ... per your church's perspective? Personally I'd recommend you just sit (I suppose you're currently forced to ... smiling), and read Sirach, and when you're done, Wisdom of Solomon.
You could read an Intro, etc. But simply reading these two will give you a good flavor of what a 1st century Jewish view might look like (both not only showed up in various archaeological sites, but later the Apocrypha or Deuterocanon. You'll also pick up random factoids ... like they had 'doctors'. Paul's teachings often paralleled Wisdom.
Thanks for the suggestions. I read Sirach and now on to Wisdom. Both are very good reads.
