Charlesworth James H. The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Vol. 2: Expansions of the Old Testament and Legends, Wisdom and Philosophical Literature, Prayers, Psalms, and Odes, Fragments of Lost Judeo-Hellenistic works

Doubleday and Company, 1985. — 1057 p.Early Judaism was a religion bound to and defined by the Book, the Torah. Because God had chosen to reveal himself in history, a sacred aura surrounded the events in Israel's past. These stories preserved in the books in the Old Testament were told and retold not only in the synagogues but also around the evening fires or wherever Jews would congregate. The biblical narratives were clarified, enriched, expanded, and sometimes retold from a different perspective. Often circulating first as oral legends, some stories eventually evolved into the documents collected here. Distinguishable from the others is the Letter of Aristeas; it does not center upon a biblical narrative, but glorifies the translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek. Frequently the expansions explain the superiority of Judaism over other religions and may have an apologetic or missionary purpose; almost always they celebrate God's covenant with and guidance of the faithful. The primary focus is upon God's story in history, an ongoing drama in which the author claims to be a participant.