From: daniels@math.ufl.edu (TV's Big Dealer)
Subject: Re: Deuterocanonicals, esp. Sirach
Organization: University of Florida's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Lines: 35


	What we call today the "Old Testament" was being written up to approx-
imately 168 BCE, according to most modern scholars.  Aside from the book of
Daniel, the whole OT predates Alexander (the Great).  These books were written
(predominantly) in Hebrew.
	There were also other books being written at about this time and later
by Greek-speaking, or "Hellenistic", Jews.  These books are those which are
reckoned by many denominations as "Apocrypha".
	Before the closing of the Writings, the third part of what is today
called the canon, all of the books were in use by Jews of the day.  However,
there were those who reckoned (based on Zech. 13) that prophecy had ceased.
This faction maintained that there were no true prophets in their day.  They
also maintained that literature of a prophetic character could not be genuine
teachings from God.
	By the time of c.65 CE, another faction had entered the mess.  Christians
had come in claiming that THEIR writings were also suitable to be read in
synagogues and used for worship.  Therefore, the Palestinian Jewish leaders
got together and stated that the books written from the time of Ben Sira (Sirach)
onward were not sacred writings.  They justified this from Zech. 13.  In
particular, they said, the writings of the Christians (called heretics) were
not inspired.
	At about 90 CE, they codified things further by closing the canon in
somewhat of an official sense at the Council of Jamnia.  A few books (Ecclesi-
astes, Song of Songs, Esther) made it in after that date, but these were those
which had been written prior to the official cut off point (the time of Ben
Sira) for inclusion that they had established in order to keep out the Christian
and Hellenistic writings.
	Jerome excluded the 'apocrypha' because they were not in use by Jews
of his day and because they were (except for Sirach) not found in Hebrew in his
time.  His criterion for separating them from the other pre-Christian writings
was not based on 'inspiration'.

	There is plenty more to say, but I do not have time.
	The passage you quote concerns the book (Rev.) in which it is found.
						Frank D.
