Dr. Alex Jassen: Uncovering The Lost Books of The Bible

While today’s standard Hebrew Bible contains 24 books, they did not suddenly appear as a single text at one single moment; the canonization evolved over centuries, involving discussions among religious and scholarly leaders. In this course, we will explore that evolution, the books that were ultimately excluded, why they were left out and how we still know about them today. We will explore lost books such as the Wisdom of Ben Sira, the books of Maccabees, Enoch and the Jubilees among others, and discuss what the Dead Sea Scrolls teach us about the origins of the Bible.