Why The Books of I & II Maccabees Is Important: Interestingly, most people may not know where to find the account of the magnificent Hanukkah story. Hanukkah or "Chanukah" is an annual Jewish celebration in the late fall/early winter that dates back to circa 164 BC (or the intertestamental period - between the Old and New Testaments) and was also referred to as "Festival of Lights" or "Feast of the Dedication" or "Feast of the Maccabees." So where can one find it? It is found in the Apocrypha (meaning "hidden things") in I & II Maccabees (1 Macc 4:36-59; 2 Macc 10:1-8). This book is an...

Between 1947 and 1956, approximately 15 copies of the "Book of Jubilees" were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. This is second only in number to Psalms, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Exodus, and Genesis, and far greater than any other extra-biblical text found there, including "The Book of Enoch. Also called the "The Little Genesis," "Book of Divisions," and the "Apocalypse of Moses," the "Book of Jubilees" is an apocryphal work (not accepted as Scripture) which historians believe was delivered to Moses by God on Mount Sinai. It was almost lost over thousands of years, but was retrieved from the...

Found in the Apocrypha, The Books of I & II Esdras use supplemental materials taken from II Chronicles and Nehemiah to revise the book of Ezra, which is contained in the Bible. Esdras is the Greek form of Ezra, which is Hebrew. The story about the King of Persia questioning the three young men is found in this book as well. The King asks the three to enter into a debate over his question, "What is the strongest thing in the world?" He promises to reward the winner with a prize. This book is not included in the Roman Catholic Bible. In 2 Esdras, Ezra has conversations with angels who are sent...

Wisdom of Solomon Early Christian writers used this book and apparently respected its comparison of Greek philosophy and Jewish religion. The book contains essays of theological and devotional tone which theorize that faith is the highest kind of wisdom. The essays are written as if they are from King Solomon, and the book itself often goes by the title "Wisdom." Ecclesiasticus These writings in this book were originally in Hebrew and then translated into Greek. They are the collected proverbs, statements and discourses of teacher Joshua Ben Sirach, translated by and his grandson. In early...