There are at least twenty-one extra-biblical books mentioned
in the Bible. Each of these books may have been and probably were consulted by
the Holy Spirit-inspired writers of the canonical books. The Hebrews clearly had many other books than those included in the Bible. Some, such as the Book of Jasher, are
mentioned in several verses.
"And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day." Joshua 10:13
"(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)" 2 Samuel 1:18
Jasher is not the name of a person. This is ספר הישר Sefer (Book) Ha (the) Yashar (Upright, Correct, Just). The Latin Vulgate translates this as Book of the Just Ones while the Greek Septuagint translates the Hebrew as Book of the Upright.
This lost book was probably a collection of songs and poems about Hebrew battles and heroes. There are several books of Jasher which were composed much later than the biblical period and which are not the book mentioned in the Bible.
1. Sefer HaYashar: A collection of rabbinical theological writings which makes no claim to be the original book.
2. Pseudo-Jasher: ca 1625, a collection of Jewish legends.
3. Book of Jasher: 18th century. Claims to be a translation of the original book but most scholars consider this book to be an eighteenth century forgery.
No comments:
Post a Comment