Religion

• Setting of Tobit in Assyria and Media

  Late 8th and 7th centuries BCE
• God sends the angel Raphael to help them and bring them together
• The main message of Tobit is emphasized several times in the book: almsgiving saves one from death and leads to life
• Tobit is a "biblical novella" that intertwines the stories of two families
• Most likely written in Israel during the Hellenistic period


  3rd or 2nd century BCE
• References to Tobit's main message

  • Tob 4:7-11
  • Tob 16
  • Tob 12:8-9
  • Tob 14:2
  • Tob 14:9-11
• Bethulia


  The exact location of the town is unknown, and it may simply be a fictional name
• Biblical novella


  A fictional character in the Book of Judith
• The Book of Judith is set in the 6th century BCE
• Book of Judith

  • Emphasizes prayer and reliance on God in the battle against Israel's enemies
  • Israel is actually saved by the carefully planned actions Judith, who is clearly the hero of the story
• Holofernes


  Not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible
• Historical errors are found in the Book of Judith
• The Book of Judith was written during the Maccabean period

  Mid-2nd century BCE
• Historical errors

  • Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon, not Assyria!
  • The exact location of the town Bethulia is unknown
  • Neither Bethulia nor Holofernes are mentioned anywhere else in the Bible
• 2 Maccabees


  • Focuses more on the religious dimensions, with greater attention to the temple of Jerusalem
• 2 Maccabees is one of the first Jewish sources that attests to belief in the individual resurrection from the dead
• 1 Maccabees

  • Mentions many letters and proclamations written by various rulers, often quoting the exact text of these documents
• 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees are not two parts of one chronologically-connected story; they are independent, partly overlapping narratives
• 2 Maccabees is notable for its main author discussing the process of writing at the beginning of the main account
• 1 Maccabees


  • Focuses more on the military or political aspects of the story, with greater attention to the rulers
• 2 Maccabees


  • Contains angelic figures that sometimes miraculously intervene to fight along with the human forces of the Maccabeans
• Speaker: 'Quote'
• An adapter should aim at brevity of expression and forgo complete treatment of the matter
• The author begins the account without adding to what has already been said
• "Skillfully composed story"

  A well-written and to-the-point story
• "Skillfully composed story"

  Delights the ears of those who read the work
• "If it is well written and to the point, that is what I wanted; if it is poorly done and mediocre, that is the best I could do"
• The task of the historian is to enter into questions and examine them from all sides and to be busy about details
• "Nicanor's doings ended in this way, with the city remaining in the possession of the Hebrews from that time on"
• Baruch was an associate of the prophet Jeremiah and sometimes functioned as his secretary
• "Letter of Jeremiah" (Baruch 6) is included as a separate "book" in some ancient and modern Bibles
• "Letter of Jeremiah" (Baruch 6) was only later appended to this book
• Various sections of Baruch

  • Different literary genres
  • Deal with various situations encountered by Jews during or after the Babylonian Exile
  • Warnings against idolatry
• Many scholars consider most of the Book of Baruch actually written in the 2nd or 1st centuries BCE
• Many scholars consider the Book of Baruch pseudepigraphic
• Jeremiah


  Baruch was an associate of the prophet Jeremiah and sometimes functioned as his secretary
• "Letter of Jeremiah" (Baruch 6) seems to have been slightly older (written in the 3rd century BCE)
• The Book of Baruch claims to have been written in the 6th century BCE by Baruch
• Baruch


  An associate of the prophet Jeremiah who sometimes functioned as his secretary
• Cycle of speeches

  Job's friends insist his plight is a punishment for personal wrongdoing and an invitation from God to repent. Job rejects their explanation and challenges God to respond