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Second Temple Period

This is an archive of extra-canonical (deuterocanonical) compositions from the period of the Second Temple.

Resources filtered by TAG: “2nd century B.C.E.” (clear filter)

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Wise Counsel: Selected verses from the Book of ben Sira for a Seliḥot Service by Paltiel Birnbaum

Selected verses from the book of ben Sira for a Seliḥot service

Categories:

Second Temple Period

Tags:

2nd century B.C.E., 36th century A.M., Cairo Geniza, Classical Antiquity, deuterocanonical works, Ecclesiasticus, Jews of Alexandria, מוסר mussar, wisdom

Contributor(s):

Paltiel Birnbaum (translation), Shimon ben Yeshua ben Eliezer ben Sira and Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

💬 מזמור לבן סירא על זכות אבותינו (פרקים מד-נ)‏ | Paean of Ben Sira on the Merit of the Ancestors (ch. 44-50), vocalized and cantillated with the Poetic Masoretic System by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

The poem lauding the ancestors from Chapters 44 to 50 of Ben Sira (Ecclesiasticus) is considered by many scholars to be the original influence for the Yom Kippur Avodah service, and the paean to Shimon the Righteous bears a striking similarity to the beloved piyyut “Mar’eh Khohen.” This passage from Ben Sira, the great paean on the merit of the ancestors, takes the Hebrew text of one of the Cairo Geniza manuscripts — Bodleian MS Heb e62 — and versifies it according to the standard Septuagintal text, along with vocalization and cantillation per the standard Masoretic EMe”T system for poetic books. It could be read on Yom Kippur for the avodah service, or just studied as a fascinating piece of Jewish history.

Categories:

Second Temple Period, Yom Kippur

Tags:

2nd century B.C.E., 36th century A.M., Cairo Geniza, Classical Antiquity, deuterocanonical works, Ecclesiasticus, Jews of Alexandria, Mar'eh Kohen

Contributor(s):

Shimon ben Yeshua ben Eliezer ben Sira, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut) and Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

💬 ילקוט מזמורים לבן סירא פרק נ״א | An Appendix of Psalms of Ben Sira chapter 51, vocalized, cantillated, and translated by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

The end of the scroll of Ben Sira (Ecclesiasticus) reconstructed from Cairo Geniza fragments not contained within the Septuagint.

Categories:

Second Temple Period

Tags:

2nd century B.C.E., 36th century A.M., acrostic, Alphabetic Acrostic, Cairo Geniza, Classical Antiquity, Dead Sea Scrolls, deuterocanonical works, Ecclesiasticus, Jews of Alexandria, reconstructed text

Contributor(s):

Shimon ben Yeshua ben Eliezer ben Sira, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut) and Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

סֵפֶר חֲנוֹךְ | The Animal Apocalypse (1 Enoch 83-90), with Aramaic Fragments and translations in Ge’ez and English

A mytho-historical chronicle of the story of humanity and Israel up until the Maccabean revolt depicted as a fable through a dream vision of Ḥanokh.

Categories:

Second Temple Period, Ḥanukkah Readings

Tags:

2nd century B.C.E., 36th century A.M., anti-predatory, deuterocanonical works, early Judaism, חנוך Ḥanokh (Enoch), mytho-historical chronicles, pre-rabbinic judaism

Contributor(s):

Robert Henry Charles (translation), Aharon N. Varady (transcription) and Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

ספר היובלים | መጽሐፈ ኩፋሌ | Sefer haYovelim (the book of Jubilees, in Ge’ez)

We are grateful to Dr. James VanderKam for preparing this critical text of the Book of Jubilees (Sefer Yubalim) in its Ge’ez translation in Ethiopic script. The book of Jubilees is an early Jewish deutero-canonical text originally written in Hebrew and composed during the Second Temple period sometime before the Maccabean struggle (164 BCE).

Categories:

Second Temple Period, Shavuot Readings

Tags:

2nd century B.C.E., 36th century A.M., anti-predatory, deuterocanonical works, early Judaism, Ethiopian Jewry, Mäṣḥäf Ḳədus, mytho-historical chronicles, parabiblical aggadah, pre-rabbinic judaism, יובל Yovel Jubilee

Contributor(s):

Unknown

💬 בן סירא מב:כא-מג:לא | ben Sira 42:21-43:31, a hymn of creation translated by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan

Ecclesiasticus (ben Sira) 42:21-43:31 is presented as “God the Lord of Nature” in The Sabbath Prayer Book of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan (The Reconstructionist Foundation 1945), p. 376-372 in the Supplements subsection, “God in Nature.” The text of Ben Sira used here differs in places found in other manuscripts.

Categories:

Second Temple Period, Rosh Ḥodesh Readings

Tags:

2nd century B.C.E., 36th century A.M., Classical Antiquity, deuterocanonical works, Ecclesiasticus, hymns of creation, Jews of Alexandria, Openers

Contributor(s):

Mordecai Kaplan, Shimon ben Yeshua ben Eliezer ben Sira, Aharon N. Varady (transcription) and Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

Selections from 1 & 2 Maccabees and Pesiqta Rabbati on the Desecration and Rededication of the Temple and the Rekindling of the Sacred Fire

Selections from 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, and Pesiqta Rabbati which inform the story of Ḥanukkah: the desecration and re-dedication of the Temple (especially as it relates to Sukkot and the Brumalia), divine intervention in the Maccabean battles, and the Rekindling of the Sacred Fire.

Categories:

Second Temple Period, Ḥanukkah Readings

Tags:

2nd century B.C.E., 37th century A.M., Angels, Classical Antiquity, combating anti-Jewish oppression, dedications and consecrations, kindling, Maccabean Revolt, המקבים Maccabees, military, נר תמיד ner tamid, המזבח the Mizbe'aḥ

Contributor(s):

Jason of Cyrene, Septuagint/ⅬⅩⅩ (translation), Unknown and Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Βαροὺχ | Sefer Barukh (3:9-5:8), a poem of wisdom in exile and its ultimate liberation

The poetic portion of the deuterocanonical work, Barukh, in Greek with English translation.

Categories:

Second Temple Period

Tags:

2nd century B.C.E., 37th century A.M., Classical Antiquity, deuterocanonical works, early Judaism, exile, שבת נחמו Shabbat Naḥamu, wisdom

Contributor(s):

Jospeh Ziegler (translation), Septuagint/ⅬⅩⅩ (translation), Barukh ben Neriyah and Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

ספר ברוך | Sefer Barukh (1:1-3:8), from the Reconstructed Hebrew Vorlage by Prof. Emmanuel Tov, vocalized and cantillated by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

The book of Barukh (also, Baruch and Barouch) in its reconstructed Hebrew vorlage from verse 1:1 till 3:8.

Categories:

Second Temple Period

Tags:

2nd century B.C.E., 37th century A.M., Classical Antiquity, deuterocanonical works, early Judaism

Contributor(s):

Jospeh Ziegler (translation), Emmanuel Tov (Hebrew reconstruction), Septuagint/ⅬⅩⅩ (translation), Barukh ben Neriyah, Aharon N. Varady (transcription) and Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

💬 מגילת ניקנור | Megillat Niqanor (Ⅱ Maccabees, chapters 13-15), a reading for the Day of the Elephantarch

It is challenging to think of how to mark Nicanor Day, as it remains at a disadvantage, not only on years when it conflicts with Ta’anit Esther but on all years since it has no mitzvot. This is probably the main reason that, unlike Chanukah and Purim, it was lost to Jewish practice for more than a thousand years. Nevertheless, we do have its megillah, which has been translated into Hebrew and English. Perhaps, if we start reading chapters 13-15 of 2 Maccabees, even just to ourselves, on the 13 of Adar, we can begin to resurrect a holiday that was celebrated and instituted by Judah Maccabee and his followers over two millennia ago, and which they envisioned would continue throughout Jewish History. With the return of Jews to Israel and Jewish sovereignty to Jerusalem, I believe it is about time.

Categories:

Second Temple Period, Extracanonical Megillot, Yom Niqanor Readings

Tags:

2nd century B.C.E., 37th century A.M., ארץ ישראל Erets Yisrael, המקבים Maccabees, military

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Seckel Isaac Fränkel (translation), Unknown and Jason of Cyrene

Stable Link: https://opensiddur.org/index.php?cat=3404

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Dirk van Santen and the Keur Bible New Insights into Jacob Judah (Arye) Leon Templo's Model Temple, p. 9

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." (Psalms 90:17)

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