Logos Chose NOT to Carry Pseudepigrapha from the Pseudepigrapha

If you haven't read 'Qumran and Jerusalem: Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the History of Judaism' it's quite interesting. It's part of the Dead Sea Scrolls collection or can be purchased alone: http://www.logos.com/product/17011/qumran-and-jerusalem-studies-in-the-dead-sea-scrolls-and-the-history-of-judaism

The title is a little misleading; it actually covers a lot of ground that some of the other 2nd Temple judaism ones don't.

Most interesting is just how many pseudepigrapha there were. You really wonder about the 'purchasing' audience. Real book worms. And great imaginations too.

But most interesting were what I didn't know about and thus the title: pseudepigrapha quoted inside the pseudepigrapha! And appararently these were NOT real works but mentioned to support the claims of the PG authors. Those guys were definitely 'pseude'.

This may be one reason that Logos has selected not to carry them (at least at this time).

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Comments

Philana Crouch

Are you saying that Logos does not carry the pseudepigraphal works quoted by authors of the pseudepigrapha? Or are do they quote each other? Are those works even preserved, we do have the pseudepigrapha, but do they quote works no longer available. The Bible does this to (Joshua makes reference to the Book of Jashur) so that could be why. Do you know of any specific examples in the pseudepigrapha where they quote these I'd be interested in checking them out in my Logos library.

Hapax Legomena

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/369197#Comment_369197

"The purpose of this study is to investigate a phenomenon observable in a variety of Second Temple-period texts, namely reference to, or even quotation of, texts that do not exist." (emphasis added) at p. 383.

Philana Crouch

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/369210#Comment_369210

Thanks for the clarification. I wonder how would I search my copies of the pseudepigrapha in Logos to find these quotes. It would be interesting to see how these were used.

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/369210#Comment_369210

"The purpose of this study is to investigate a phenomenon observable in a variety of Second Temple-period texts, namely reference to, or even quotation of, texts that do not exist." (emphasis added) at p. 383.

It's all in the grammar "do not exist" says they don't exist now. Is the claim: (a) they existed only orally (b) they never existed in any form or (c) they are internal inventions designed to credit other sources or lend credence to their own work.

Also note the Old Testament refers to books that we have no other record of.

DMB

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/369197#Comment_369197

Philana ... I cut some clips from chap23 of the cited book above (normally I don't like to cut pieces but no agenda here). Where the author is going with the lengthy review is his assertion that many early Qumran writings were sadducee prior to them secularizing. The sadducees didn't accept oral law and so the argument is that the rich library of pseudepigrapha was created to track back to Adam etc It's fascinating how even 'minor' participants in the 'chain' were given writings.

Clips for ch23 (my emphasis):

The purpose of this study is to investigate a phenomenon observable in a variety of Second Temple-period texts, namely reference to, or even quotation of, texts that do not exist. ... The second possibility [dmb: first was literally lost books], which will constitute the bulk of our discussion, concerns the quotation of pseudepigraphic texts that never existed. Nonetheless, they were mentioned or even quoted as if they were real in preserved apocryphal or pseudepigraphic texts. We might go so far as to term this phenomenon "fictitious pseudepigrapha."
...
The phenomenon we are describing is found as well in the biblical corpus. Numerous books that are not extant today are referred to in the Bible. It is certainly true that some of these books may be actual books that were lost in antiquity. They might have been lost for a variety of reasons, most likely because they were overpowered by those books eventually canonized in the Hebrew Bible but also because of the change in the script. This is most likely the case for books like the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah and Israel. It is probable that those books once actually existed since all ancient Near Eastern monarchs kept such chronicles. But other books referred to in the Bible may simply be literary devices, books that never existed, the quotation of which served the needs of the author who cited them. An example may be the Book of the Wars of the Lord. The rabbis saw the Book of Jashar as referring to an existing book of the Bible, as they thought that no separate book with this title had ever really existed.
...
1 Enoch 14:1, partially preserved in 4QEnc 1 vi 9, refers to the "Book of the Words of Truth and Reprimand" that Enoch apparently sent to the Watchers. The book itself represents a vision that Enoch had received indicating the banishment of the Watchers from heaven.
...
The Book of Giants (4QEnGiantsa 8 1) begins by alluding to a book (sefer). Apparently this is the beginning of a section of the text that describes fictitious writings of Enoch. Indeed, line 3 continues by mentioning a copy (parshegen) of the second tablet of the epistle ('igarta') written by Enoch's own hand (bi-khetav yad).
....
In 1 Enoch 82, a chapter that is the conclusion of the Book of the Heavenly Luminaries (chs. 72-82), Enoch refers to the books he has written for Methuselah and other writings he is passing down to him (82:1-2).
...
2 Enoch represents an adaptation of Enoch traditions found in the 1 Enoch corpus as well as others not included there. Chapter 2 deals specifically with books attributed to Enoch. In 2 En. 33:9-10, God instructs Enoch to take the books that he has written and to go down to earth.

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/369228#Comment_369228

Quite interesting and worth a bit of research

James W Bennett

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/369250#Comment_369250

Quite interesting and worth a bit of research

As is usual, some has already been done. We could do worse than to have Logos try to get electronic rights to:

Baynes, Leslie; The Heavenly Book Motif in Judeo-Christian Apocalypses 200 BCE-200 CE (Brill, 2011).

Maybe I'll apologize another time for this shameless plug for my thesis advisor

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/369329#Comment_369329

Maybe I'll apologize another time for this shameless plug for my thesis advisor

No apologies needed - it's a great way to hear about books worth checking out.