Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Moshe Shulman <mshulman AT ix.netcom.com>]

At 07:38 AM 12/28/1999 -0800, you wrote:
>We are dealing with different questions.  In my original reply, I was
responding to
>Peter Kirk's question:
><In the late first century or early second century CE Jewish canon, was Enoch
>included?>
>Therefore, my replies are in light of that question, which concerns the
"late first
>century or early second century CE Jewish canon."  It would appear that we
are
>considering the canon of nascent rabbinic Judaism here, not the canon of
the Essenes
>or other apocalyptic groups.  And for me, "canon" means canon of the
Tanach. Or, so I
>understood the question.
>I am sure that the apocalyptic and pseudepigraphic writings were
considered as sacred
>or "canonical" by various sects or schools of thought among first century
Jews.  But
>in my estimation, an "early second century CE Jewish canon" stems from the
work of
>authorities such as Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai at Yavneh, and beyond.

What do YOU mean buy 'canon'. (BTW just to clarfy. I understand 'canon' to
mean a list of texts that are considered 'sacred texts'. As such I contend
that there never has been a fixed Jewish canon, nor is there one now. At
best a work can be formally declared as 'non-sacred' as was the case with
Ben Sirach. Consider the burning of the works of Maimonides, for example.)

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