The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes - Hardcover

Concordia Publishing House

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0758625472 ISBN 13: 9780758625472

Publisher: Concordia Pub House, 2012

Synopsis

For more than 100 years, the Apocrypha has been left out of English versions of the Bible. Concordia Publishing House is proud to announce the 2012 release of the first and only ESV edition of the Apocrypha with notes and annotations by Lutherans.

Described by Martin Luther as useful texts to read, but not divinely inspired, the Apocrypha allows Lutherans to look back at their heritage and see the Bible as our forefathers would have. Furthermore, the texts of the Apocrypha are essential reading for filling in the 400-year gap between the Old and New Testaments

A key resource for understanding the New Testament's background, Concordia's The Apocrypha includes notes, maps, charts, illustrations, introductions to the books, and an extensive set of articles that provide guidance to those who are studying ancient literatures such as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

This Study Bible-style treatment of the Apocrypha is certain to be the most extensive, popular edition available; especially to those eager to study the unique Lutheran perspective on these books and the time between the testaments.

Features of The Apocrypha

ESV text
Lutheran notes
Maps
Charts
Illustrations
Book introductions
Helpful articles

About this title

About the Author

Dr. Paul Maier is a professor of ancient history at Western Michigan University. He holds degrees from Harvard University and Concordia Seminary. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including Pontius Pilate.

Review

Scripture in Jesus' Judaism and in the Early Church included more documents than those found in the Protestant canon. Some of these works, called "Apocrypha" by Protestants and "Deuteron-canonical Works" by Roman Catholics are expertly and attractively collected in The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes. In these writings you will find a deep expression of the need for God's forgiveness (the Prayer of Manasseh) and a vision of the future with the coming of the Messiah (2 Esdras or Ezra Apocalypse = 4 Ezra). The introductions are superbly well written and engaging. One can see how the Apocrypha ... bridges the "Old" Testament with the "New" Testament. Highly recommended, as Athanasius said in 367 "for instruction in the word of godliness."
--James H. Charlesworth
Director and Editor, Princeton Dead Sea Scrolls Project
George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language and Literature
Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
This book provides a well-balanced blend of sound scholarship and religious beliefs on the Apocrypha, especially those of Luther and the Lutherans. The reader will find all the necessary background information on the Apocrypha in an attractive presentation, as well as religious guidance for instruction and preaching. A wealth of introductory essays and appendixes make this a very useful compendium.
--Prof. Emanuel Tov, PhD
J. L. Magnes Professor of Bible
Hebrew University, Jerusalem
I recommend this edition of the Apocrypha as a timely and useful addition to The Lutheran Study Bible. The Apocrypha have been considered as a part of the biblical canon for most of the church's history, and while the Reformers may have had good reasons for thinking differently, they still had a high regard for them. This edition enables both scholars and lay readers to understand why.
--Knut Alfsvåg, ThD
Professor of Systematic Theology

School of Mission and Theology, Stavanger, Norway
Luther recommended the Apocrypha as books that are not regarded as equal to the Holy Scripture, and yet are profitable and good to read. Lutheran piety up to now seems to have remembered just the first part of this statement and did not very often exercise itself in the profitable reading. This present edition gives us occasion to get a fresh approach to books like Wisdom of Solomon, Maccabees, and others. Accompanied with quotations mainly from Luther and John Gerhard, and useful explanations, the reader may gain a deeply spiritual approach to the Apocrypha and explore anew these treasures of the Lutheran faith! --Prof. Dr. Volker Leppin
Eberhard Karls University
Tuebingen, Germany

The books of the Apocrypha are absolutely essential for understanding the Jewish context of early Christianity. The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes is an outstanding work of scholarship that provides a welcome service to Lutherans and, indeed, to Christians of other traditions interested in reading and studying these fascinating and often entertaining writings, which the great Luther himself deemed "useful and good to read." A thoughtfully edited and attractively produced volume, it includes many unique features and has the fullest annotations of any comparable study edition. In all, this is a monumental achievement and valuable resource for scholars, students, and lay people alike.
--Daniel C. Harlow, PhD
Professor of Religion, Calvin College
Editor, The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism
Concordia Publishing House, General editor Edward Engelbrecht, and the several contributing editors have placed Bible scholars and students into their debt by bringing out a new and updated version of The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes. --Gaylin R. Schmeling
President, Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary

The books of the Apocrypha are absolutely essential for understanding the Jewish context of early Christianity. The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes is an outstanding work of scholarship that provides a welcome service to Lutherans and, indeed, to Christians of other traditions interested in reading and studying these fascinating and often entertaining writings, which the great Luther himself deemed "useful and good to read." A thoughtfully edited and attractively produced volume, it includes many unique features and has the fullest annotations of any comparable study edition. In all, this is a monumental achievement and valuable resource for scholars, students, and lay people alike.
--Daniel C. Harlow, PhD
Professor of Religion, Calvin College
Editor, The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism
Concordia Publishing House, General editor Edward Engelbrecht, and the several contributing editors have placed Bible scholars and students into their debt by bringing out a new and updated version of The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes. The introduction includes explanation of what the books of the Apocrypha are, what their value is, and a concise overview of history from Persian rule to Roman rule. Next come judicious commentaries on the several books of the Apocrypha, followed by ten appendices that provide readers with additional related information concerning such things as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the writings of Josephus, rabbinic literature, and New Testament Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha. What a treasure trove! This marvelous commentary belongs in the study of every student and scholar of the Bible. --Rev. Craig A. Evans, PhD
Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament
Acadia Divinity College
Nova Scotia, Canada

Concordia Publishing House is to be commended for publishing The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes. It is a fitting companion to The Lutheran Study Bible. The introductions, historical articles, appendices, and reference guide provide a concise and immensely helpful overview of the intertestamental period. All who lead or participate in Bible studies will find these resources, as well as the text of the Apocrypha, to be of great value in better understanding the Old and New Testaments.
--Rev. Mark C. Chavez
General Secretary, North American Lutheran Church
Martin Luther commented that the Apocrypha "were not equal to scripture, yet useful and good to read." This volume helpfully guides the reader in exploring how and why this is so. Useful historical explanations, wisely chosen excerpts from the prefaces of the Apocryphal books by Luther and Gerhard, helpful textual explanations and charts, and wise advice on the challenges and blessings for readers make this edition of the Apocrypha shine. This is a delightful study resource and devotional guide to complement one's reading of Scripture.
--Rev. Gordon A. Jensen, PhD
William Hordern Professor of Theology
Lutheran Theological Seminary Saskatoon, Canada
One of the great rewards of biblical study is an increased awareness of the historical and cultural setting in which the Scriptures were written. In The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes, Editor Engelbrecht and his team of contributors have provided an attractive and accessible overview of one of the most interesting periods in the Bible's history, namely, the Intertestamental or Second Temple Period. It was during this time that the Old Testament was completed and the New Testament was on the threshold of emerging. Succinct introductions with helpful maps and diagrams enrich the presentation. A distinctive strength is the churchly and confessional assessment from a Lutheran perspective that provides a framework for the historical material--a significant contribution that lifts the reader beyond the merely academic.
--Rev. Dean O. Wenthe, PhD
General Editor, Concordia Commentary
Professor and President Emeritus,
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana
There recently has been a renewed interest in the Lutheran devotional writers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In this literature their use and interest in the Apocrypha is clearly evident. The devotional writers have a genuine appreciation of these books and especially for Ecclesiasticus and the Wisdom of Solomon. This is certainly in keeping with Luther's evaluation of the Apocrypha: "These books are not held equal to the Scriptures but are useful and good to read" (AE 35:337). Concordia is to be commended for this excellent Lutheran edition of the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes will definitely be edifying for twenty-first century Christians. --Gaylin R. Schmeling
President, Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary

Edition details

• Publisher: Concordia Pub House
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0758625472
• ISBN 13: 9780758625472
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 520