A Pick of the Apocrypha Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sirach

"Sirach" is the shortened name of the book "The Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach". "Sirach" is also known as "Ben Sira" or "Book of Ecclesiastus" (don't confuse this with "Ecclesiastes" in the Old Testament).

The original Hebrew author was a Jerusalem scribe called Ben Sira. He was inspired by his father, Jesus son of Eleazor, son of Sirach, also known as Joshua son of Sirach. This Jesus (Joshua) lived many centuries after Joshua of the Old Testament, and about two centuries before Jesus Christ of the New Testament.

The Hebrew version was translated into Greek by the grandson of Ben Sira. This translator wrote a prologue explaining how to understand the Greek text. The translator tells us where he is in history by writing, "When I came to Egypt in the thirty-eighth year of the reign of Euergetes". Ptolemy Euergetes reigned from 170 BC to 116 BC.

"Sirach" has 51 chapters. Chapter 21 begins, "Have you sinned, my child? Do so no more, but ask forgiveness for your past sins. Flee from sin as from a snake; for if you approach sin, it will bite you".

Answer: Judith

"Judith" was written about 100 BC when the Maccabees ruled over Samaria and Judea (called the Hasmonean Dynasty).

It takes the form of history, but it mixes the names of nations, rulers, and places in a symbolic way. In chapter one, it begins, "It was the twelfth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar who ruled over the Assyrians in the great city of Nineveh". Nebuchadnezzar was a Babylonian (not Assyrian) king who died in 562 BC. The author isn't reporting precise history. He is giving theological significance to ancient events.

In chapter 6, we read Holofernes saying, "What god is there except Nebuchadnezzar? He will send his forces and destroy them from the face of the earth". The people of Israel cried out to the Lord and were preparing for war. They were under siege and being deprived of water by the Assyrian forces. Some wanted to surrender to Holofernes, but a rich, beautiful widow called Judith was against surrendering.

After praying to the Lord, Judith bathed, put away her sackcloth, dressed beautifully, and went with her maid into the Assyrian camp. She offered to show Holofernes an easy way to "capture all of the hill country" without losing any men.

Spoiler alert. For three days, Judith was a guest of Holofernes. On the fourth day, he wanted to take advantage of her. He held a banquet and became drunk. Alone in his tent, and with Holofernes unconscious from the effects of alcohol, she used his sword to behead him. The maid placed his head in a food bag, and they escaped back to Israel. The Assyrians later fled in panic.

Answer: Susanna

"Susanna" also known as "Susanna and the Elders" is one of the four additions to the Greek version of "Daniel". It is not included in the Hebrew Bible.

The first chapter begins, "There was a man living in Babylon whose name was Joakim. He married the daughter of Hilkiah, named Susanna, a very beautiful woman, and one who feared the Lord".

Susanna's beauty attracted two elders who had been appointed as judges. They did not disclose their lustful intentions to one another until they met by accident and confessed how they felt. They attempted to seduce Susanna by blackmailing her into consenting, but she said, "I choose not to do it; I will fall into your hands rather than sin in the sight of the Lord".

Spoiler alert. The elders shouted against Susanna and accused her of adultery with another man in her garden after she had sent the maids on an errand. She was put on trial, found guilty, and sentenced to death. Susanna prayed and the Lord heard her cry. He stirred up the holy spirit in Daniel who shouted, "I want no part in shedding this woman's blood".

During her trial, nobody had cross-witnessed the elders as was required in the laws of Deuteronomy 19. Now Daniel separated them for questioning. One elder said that he saw Susanna committing adultery under a mastic tree; the other said it was under an evergreen tree. Susanna was acquitted. The elders were sentenced to death "in accordance with the law of Moses".

Answer: Bel and the Dragon

There are three additions to the Greek version of "Daniel". These are "The Prayer of Azariah in the Furnace and the Song of the Three Jews" (to be inserted into chapter 3 of "Daniel"), "Susanna", and "Bel and the Dragon".

In "Bel and the Dragon" we read, "Now the Babylonians had an idol called Bel, and every day they provided for it twelve bushels of choice flour and forty sheep and six measures of wine. The king revered it and went every day to worship it. But Daniel worshipped his own God".

King Cyrus assumed that Bel devoured the food and drink. Daniel laughed and said that the idol was made of clay and bronze and was unable to devour anything. The priests of Bel wanted to prove to the king that Bel ate all the food. This was under pain of death to either Daniel or themselves, whoever was wrong.

Spoiler alert. The priests of Bel had a hidden entrance so that they and their families could go in and consume everything. We read, "Then Daniel ordered his servants to bring ashes, and they scattered them throughout the whole temple in the presence of the king alone". The following day, Daniel showed the king the footprints and the secret door. The culprits and their families were put to death. Daniel destroyed the idol.

The next section of "Bel and the Dragon" is about how Daniel kills the dragon by feeding it cakes made from pitch, fat, and hair. The last section is about Daniel in the lion's den. The prophet Habakkuk had made a stew with bread. The angel of the Lord carried him with the food to Daniel so that he could survive until the seventh day of his captivity when the king pulled Daniel out of the den.

Answer: Baruch

Baruch was a scribe who recorded Jeremiah's prophecies around 605 BC. In Jeremiah 36:4, we read, "So Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and while Jeremiah dictated all the words the Lord had spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll".

Many scholars agree that neither Baruch or Jeremiah are the authors of the "Book of Baruch", also known as "1 Baruch" or just "Baruch". It seems likely that "Baruch" was written in Hebrew, postdating Daniel, around 150 BC. It was later translated into Greek in 116 BC. It mentions Belshazzar who, in reality, was the grandson (not the son) of Nebuchadnezzar. This book is mostly words of wisdom and prayer.

Chapter 1 gives an account of God's judgements, such as the Exile, the years of the ancestors in Egypt, and the time of the Judges. We read, "We did not listen to the voice of the Lord our God in all the words of the prophets whom he sent to us". This theme continues into Chapter 2.

The other four chapters concern prayer for deliverance; what God promises; wisdom and commandments; encouragement for Israel; and how Jerusalem will be comforted.

Baruch 5:5 reads, "For God will lead Israel with joy, in the light of his glory, with the mercy and righteousness that come from him".

Answer: Manasseh

Manasseh was the king of Judah (698-642 BC). In 2 Chronicles 33, we read, "But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites". He was punished by the Lord, who allowed him to be taken captive to Babylon by Assyrian invaders with a hook in his nose. Whilst there, he became penitent and prayerful, so the Lord allowed him to return to Jerusalem. Manasseh destroyed the pagan altars, rebuilt city fortifications throughout Judah, and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel.

"The Prayer of Manasseh" is a short book of only 15 verses. It was most likely written in either the second or first century BC, five centuries after the events of the king himself. It seems to have been used as an encouragement to resist the demands of idolatrous occupiers of the day, probably the Seleucid Empire (until 164 BC), or the Roman Empire (after 63 BC).

"The Prayer of Manasseh" begins with praise to the Lord. The next section is a confession of Manasseh's sins, written in the first person. It finishes with a supplication for pardon.

Answer: The Wisdom of Solomon

The style, vocabulary, and rhetorical features show that "The Wisdom of Solomon" was written with Hellenistic influences, probably in the first century BC. This was many centuries after King Solomon ruled over Israel (c 970 to 931 BC). It seems likely that the writer wanted to be associated with the real Solomon, famous for his wisdom. In 1 Kings 3:12, we read that God said to Solomon, "I will give you a wise and discerning heart".

The name of Solomon is never spoken of in the apocryphal book, except in the title. Wisdom is spoken of using female pronouns, for example in Wis 6:12, we read, "Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her". In Wis 10:9, we read, "Wisdom rescued from troubles those who served her". The female pronouns show Egyptian influences. The book also has the outlook of Greek Stoics along with Jewish apocalyptic views.

"The Wisdom of Solomon" includes a call to righteousness and wisdom; how the ungodly view life; the final judgement; and a history of God's people from Adam to Moses.

Answer: 1 Esdras

The name Ezra in Hebrew is Esdras in Greek and Latin. The explanation of the differences between "Ezra" and "Nehemiah" in the Old Testament, "1 Esdras", and "2 Esdras" is too complex and confusing, to sum up in a few sentences here.

Let's focus on Chapters 3 and 4 of "1 Esdras" which have no parallels in the Old Testament scriptures. Chapter 3 introduces us to King Darius. This was Darius I, also known as Darius the Great (ruled 521 to 486 BC).

In 1 Esd 3:4, we read, "Then the three young men of the bodyguard, who kept guard over the person of the king, said to one another, 'Let each of us state what one thing is strongest; and to the one whose statement seems wisest, King Darius will give rich gifts and great honours of victory'". The young men were called to explain their statements to the king and other men with authority in Persia and Media.

Spoiler alert. The first bodyguard spoke about the strength of wine; the second about the strength of the king; the third about the strength of women. After that, Zerubbabel spoke about the strength of truth. The king found Zerubbabel to be the wisest and said, "Ask what you wish ... and we will give it to you, for you have been found to be the wisest". His wish was to rebuild Jerusalem, to have the stolen sacred vessels sent back, and to destroy Babylon.

Answer: 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees

1 Maccabees is a historical account of Jewish resistance to the attempts by the Hellenistic rulers to impose their culture, religion, and values on the Jews of Palestine. This persecution was initiated by King Antiochus IV Epiphanes. His reign began in 175 BC. Antiochus was one of the successors to Seleucus who had won control of Syria after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC.

The second half of chapter one describes how the Jews were persecuted. With a strong force, Antiochus entered the sanctuary in Jerusalem to steal treasures and holy items, shedding blood, telling lies, plundering the city, sacrificing unclean animals, burning the books of the law, and putting to death any women who had their children circumcised.

Resistance begins in chapter two with Mattathias, a priest of the family of Jourib. Mattathias and his sons witnessed the blasphemies being committed and mourned greatly. They refused to do what the king commanded. Mattathias began by killing a Jew who was obeying the king's command and sacrificing on the altar.

The book continues with the stories of Mattathias, and his sons Judas Maccabeus, Jonathan, Simon, and John. They fought against Antiochus, and his successors such as Demetrius, as well as Nicanor (a Syrian general), and the renegade and godless men of Israel.

2 Maccabees gives more emphasis on the religious persecutions at the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, such as the martyrdom of seven brothers. It focuses more on the resistance of Judas Maccabeus.

Answer: 1 Enoch

Recent discoveries of "1 Enoch" have been found amongst the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran. Scholars have dated these Greek writings to the second century BC. They are likely to have been translated from earlier Aramaic versions. "1 Enoch" is included in the scriptural canon of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Ethiopian Jews in the Ge'ez language. It seems unlikely that "1 Enoch" was written by the patriarch Enoch, the father of Methusaleh, even though it is attributed to him. He lived several thousand years before.

There are parallels between some of the words of Jesus and "1 Enoch". The writers of the New Testament were greatly influenced by it. There are prophecies in "1 Enoch" that are similar to those in "Revelation", "Jude", and "Daniel". It has details about Nephilim, demons, and holy angels not found in the generally accepted books of the Bible.

"1 Enoch" is not just one manuscript. It is composed of different manuscripts written by several authors over many centuries. We have "The Book of Watchers", "The Book of Parables", "The Book of Astronomy and Calendar", "The Book of Visions", "The Book of Warnings and Blessings of Enoch", and "Later Additions such as the Book of Noah".

In 1 En 23:4 and 24:1 ("The Book of Watchers"), we read, "Then Raguel, one of the holy angels who was with me, answered me and said to me, 'This course of fire which you have seen is the fire in the west, and is the fire of all the lights of heaven'. And from here I went to another place on the earth, and he showed me a mountain range of fire which burned night and day".