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A Question on the Book of Jasher
Posted by Lev/Christopher on November 9, 2009 at 5:28am in Book of Yasher/Jasher
QUESTION: I'm currently leading an adult Bible study on Abraham, and a friend of mine is pressuring me to use the Book of Jasher as a resource. He has a large paperback edition of the 1840 edition of the work. I've not found any major commentary that refers to it. An old Bible teacher friend of mine said there was some question re: the validity of the 1840 edition / translation / etc. of the work. It might be a fake. Even the editor of my friend's copy admitted he did not think the work belonged in canonized scripture. This Book of Jasher says Sarai was Abram's niece (as does Josephus), but Gen. 20 says she was Abram's half sister. I have not checked for other discrepancies, but I'm reluctant to use the work as a resource. To me it reads like something out of ancient mythology or fictional literature, say, the Gilgamesh legend. I've not found any reputable support for it. Do you have any insights, information, and / or references into this work that many claim is the Book of Jasher referred to in the Old Testament?
ANSWER: The Book of Jasher in the Bible is a lost history book. The Book of Jasher that your friend has is a work of fiction created in the 19th century. It is not even included in standard collections of the Pseudepigrapha (Pseudepigrapha are like the Apocrypha -- Bible type books from ancient times that didn't make it into either the Bible or the Apocrypha). Your friend's Book of Jasher is not ancient at all.
The idea that Sarah was the cousin or niece of Abraham, rather than his half-sister, is a tradition among the rabbis who have a problem with Abraham and Sarah violating the law of Moses (Lev 18:9; 20:17). This tradition can be found in some Targums, Genesis Rabbah and other rabbinic commentaries. Josephus shows that the tradition goes back to the 1st century.
Jim Miller
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Bible-Studies-1654/2009/10/Book-Jasher-1...
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