From: (Nigel B. Mitchell) Newsgroups: aus.religion.christian Subject: Re: The Apocrypha Date: Wed, 05 Aug 1998 23:13:44 GMT On Wed, 05 Aug 1998 23:59:04 +0900, Michael Smith <> wrote: >[Jude 1:9] But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with >the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous >accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" > >I recollect being told that this passage is a reference to an Apocryphal >book, though I've forgotton which one. > >Nigel, do you know this???? > Hi, Mike. Jude 1:9 is a reference to a work called the Assumption of Moses. This was written by a (probably Pharisee) Jewish author during the 1st century, and it speculates on what happened next after the death of Moses (Deuteronomy 34). AFAIK the Assumption of Moses is not regarded as canonical by anyone. The passage in Jude is definitely a direct quote - there is no mention of Michael or any other angels, Satan etc. in Deuteronomy 34. This is a good example of our need to read the Bible in context, and our need for more than just the Bible. Without a knowledge of the Assumption of Moses, we cannot really understand what Jude 1:9 is on about. Qotation in a canonical book is not an indicator of canonicity, otherwise we would have to look carefully at the works of the Greco-Roman philosophers Epimenedes and Aratus, quoted by Paul in Acts 17:28. There are no direct quotations of the Apocryphal books in the NT, although it is obvious that these books did influence both Jewish and Christian thought in the period. Some of the places where allusions to apocryphal material have been identified include: Romans 1:20-29 // Wisdom 13:5,8; 14:24,27 Romans 9:20-23 // Wisdom 12:12,20 2 Corinthians 5:1,4 // Wisdom 9:15 James 1:19 // Sirach 5:11 James 1:13 // Sirach 15:11-12 > >I would be hesitant to build any doctrine on the contents of the >Apocrypha - but they can provide literary and historical background. >While they are less important that the Cannonical books, they are not >completely valueless. > Spoken like a true Anglican. Cheers N+ Nigel B. Mitchell
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