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Bibliotheca #4
Bibliotheca Volume IV: The Books Commonly Called Apocrypha
Newly Edited Bibliotheca Edition based on the Revised Version and translations from Sir Lancelot C. L. Brenton, J. J. S. Perowne, and R. H. Charles.
552 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 24, 2017
This review in no way is against the craftsmanship of the book by Adam. The set is absolutely beautiful. My two star rating is based on the content. Being a Protestant, I do not believe the Apocrypha to be part of the canon, and for good reasons. #NotMyBible. There are several issues in the books that go directly against biblical teachings and principals. One of the ones that are prevalent throughout the books is that it teaches the giving of alms as a means of salvation. The Bible teaches that salvation is through faith alone in Christ alone. This false teaching appears in several places throughout the books. The other issue I have is the means of witchcraft to drive away evil spirits in the book of Judith, which the Bible is vehemently against witchcraft. There are also several minor historical inaccuracies throughout. Reading through the Bible, one can find a fluidity and harmony in the events that are taking place. Jesus is very prevalent throughout all 66 books. I did not get that vibe from the Apocrypha. However, I did enjoy the stories in the books, especially the ones of battle and action. I also enjoyed the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach as it read much like Proverbs in the Bible. I also enjoyed the Fourth Book of the Maccabees. It was way more philosophical than most books in the Bible and I liked the relation it brought up between divine reason and man's natural urges. So, if you, like myself am a Protestant Christian, and want to read this, read it with a grain of salt.
February 18, 2023
Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed The Apocrypha. This was my first reading. I always viewed it with hesitation not understanding why it wasn't included in the Bible I grew up reading. I didn't really know what to expect, but here's what I encountered. A few of the books were expanded versions of what I was accustomed to (Esther, Daniel). Some were books of history (Maccabees). There were two wisdom books (Solomon & Jesus son of Sirach), and a few other books with fascinating stories. In fact, I've seen a number of paintings that depict the stories from the Book of Judith.
It was fun reading it straight through and noticing themes throughout all of the books. It was also interesting to read Maccabees and see some familiar names like Alexander (the Great), Cleopatra, and Ptolemy. And the final book of Maccabees (book 4) started with a philosophical inquiry answered by stories of martyrdom to prove the point.
The Apocrypha provided some helpful context about occurrences between the Old & New Testaments as well as some memorable stories, deep wisdom, and areas requiring further research. I can't wait to read this again some day.
It was fun reading it straight through and noticing themes throughout all of the books. It was also interesting to read Maccabees and see some familiar names like Alexander (the Great), Cleopatra, and Ptolemy. And the final book of Maccabees (book 4) started with a philosophical inquiry answered by stories of martyrdom to prove the point.
The Apocrypha provided some helpful context about occurrences between the Old & New Testaments as well as some memorable stories, deep wisdom, and areas requiring further research. I can't wait to read this again some day.
September 17, 2017
Religious texts will always be a controversial topic, but my high rating comes from a fresh reading of the Bibliotheca iteration of the apocrypha where a paragraph-style book in partially-updated language made for a fluid reading of old text.
July 26, 2017
It's difficult to review comprehensively a subject as broad, nuanced, and historically controversial as the Bible. Of note, the portion of the Bible covered by Vol. IV of Bibliotheca is part of that controversy, as 500 years ago the Protestant Reformers rejected this "apocypha" from the Biblical Canon of Protestant churches in the West. I've read through the Bible in its entirety before, but that did not include the Aprocrypha. So much of the book felt fresh and odd to me--the world of these books wasn't an alien setting at all, it's the familiar Canaan of the Old Testament and Palestine of the New Testament. But most of the characters and stories were new to me. I get the non-historical nature of much of the material--Tobit and Judith, for example, clearly are ahistorical--but much in this book could be of devotional value for a Christian even if it's not set on par with the rest of the Bible. For example, I read Augustine's Confessions last year, and Augustine favorably quotes from Judith (which is now in the Apocrypha) [https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...]. The Apocrypha is also essential reading if you wish to understand the period in Palestine between Alexander the Great and the arrival of Roman legions.
A few brief comments on Bibliotheca--this edition of the Bible was created via a Kickstarter by Adam Lewis Greene. It took almost two years to complete because the volume of requests he received. But the book is beautiful and I did find it encouraged more extensive reading per sitting since the only breaks are the "books" themselves, not chapter or verse.
A few brief comments on Bibliotheca--this edition of the Bible was created via a Kickstarter by Adam Lewis Greene. It took almost two years to complete because the volume of requests he received. But the book is beautiful and I did find it encouraged more extensive reading per sitting since the only breaks are the "books" themselves, not chapter or verse.
September 3, 2023
An incredible read!
All throughout Christian history, despite not ascribing to it the sacredness of "scripture," Christians have strongly recommended reading these texts for the unique value they contribute to the life of faith. However, as a 21st century Westerner who grew up in the Evangelical church, I'd neither heard of these books nor had I met anyone who'd read them. In my personal journey of learning to read the Bible on its own terms, learning to think like the Biblical authors in order to understand their message within their cultural/literary/linguistic context, these texts helped add valuable layers to the interpretive worldview of 2nd Temple Jews. I never realized how many of the New Testament writings, including some of Jesus' teachings, were variations on/adaptations of stories and ideas introduced in these Apocryphal writings. I will be recommending these texts to everyone in my community of faith who is on a similar journey of desiring to understand the Bible more deeply.
All throughout Christian history, despite not ascribing to it the sacredness of "scripture," Christians have strongly recommended reading these texts for the unique value they contribute to the life of faith. However, as a 21st century Westerner who grew up in the Evangelical church, I'd neither heard of these books nor had I met anyone who'd read them. In my personal journey of learning to read the Bible on its own terms, learning to think like the Biblical authors in order to understand their message within their cultural/literary/linguistic context, these texts helped add valuable layers to the interpretive worldview of 2nd Temple Jews. I never realized how many of the New Testament writings, including some of Jesus' teachings, were variations on/adaptations of stories and ideas introduced in these Apocryphal writings. I will be recommending these texts to everyone in my community of faith who is on a similar journey of desiring to understand the Bible more deeply.
December 30, 2018
The physical set of the Bibliotheca series is absolutely wonderful to see, hold, and read.
The actual contents of the apocrypha were for the most part a continuation of the same kinds of stories found in the Old Testament books of the Bible. There were a couple of stories that were quite interesting, with their moral lessons being more or less consistent with the rest of the collected biblical canon, but it was overall not a huge inspiration or something I will return to often.
The actual contents of the apocrypha were for the most part a continuation of the same kinds of stories found in the Old Testament books of the Bible. There were a couple of stories that were quite interesting, with their moral lessons being more or less consistent with the rest of the collected biblical canon, but it was overall not a huge inspiration or something I will return to often.
December 27, 2019
It's often difficult to find Bibles with the Apocrypha (Mostly Catholic Bibles and academic ones like the Oxford Annotated Bible), and for that, I am eternally grateful to the creator of the Bibliotheca set for including it in his project after it reached its stretch goal on Kickstarter.
It is wonderful to have such a pleasant presentation of the Apocrypha for once.
It is wonderful to have such a pleasant presentation of the Apocrypha for once.
August 21, 2021
First time reading the apocrypha so that was interesting in itself. Wisdom literature is hard to read in large chunks. Reading the Book of the Maccabees was fascinating and a little disturbing. Just the NT left to accomplish my goal of reading Bibliotheca this year.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews