| Author | Message | ||
| Heretic Registered user Username: Heretic Post Number: 148 Registered: 2-2005 |
Does anyone know anything about the Book of Jashar? I was perusing the dictionaries on blueletterbible.org and found a defense of the Sabbath where this book is cited as historical proof that the Jews kept the Sabbath before the manna episode: I'm pretty sure that the author of this portion, W.W. Prescott, is an SDA. I'm curious if anyone has ever heard this or seen this before and if so, what's the deal with this book? Heretic Heretic | ||
| Jerry Registered user Username: Jerry Post Number: 463 Registered: 6-2002 |
Try this link. | ||
| Melissa Registered user Username: Melissa Post Number: 976 Registered: 7-2003  |
Sooooo, Pharoah is the original person who "gave" the sabbath day? Regardless, the intro (from Jerry's link) says it was written much later than Biblical times, which makes it impossible to be the book referred to in Joshua and 2 Samuel, right?? If you read on into Chapter 71, it just then has Moses 18, when it claims he kills the Egyptian. So, if this is a chronologial "account", it would seem chapter 70 happens somewhere between Ex 2:10 and Ex 2:11. It sounds to me, someone has done a book version of the movie version of "The Ten Commandments". Meaning, it's someone trying to fill in blanks of time for entertainment. Even at that, the day of rest was still given to Hebrew slaves and a long time after creation. It sounds like fiction to me. I have never heard of it before myself, so this is all my opinion. | ||
| Chris Registered user Username: Chris Post Number: 926 Registered: 7-2003  |
| ||
| Jwd Registered user Username: Jwd Post Number: 55 Registered: 4-2005 |
Adding this, from the Bible Dictionary, edited by Merrill C. Tenney: Jashar in RSV, (but spelled JASHER in this volume) quoted in Josh. 10:13; 2 Sam 1:a8 and in the LXX of 1 Ki 8:53. This ancient book is thought to have been a collection of poetry, probably odes and psalms in praise of Israel's heroes and exploits. Many ideas about the book have been advanced: 1. It contained the Song of Deboray (Jud.5), 2. It contained the book of the law. 3. It vanished during the Babylonian captivity. It was certainly a well-known bit of Hebrew literature. | ||
| Jeremy Registered user Username: Jeremy Post Number: 863 Registered: 10-2004  |
Yes, it appears that this "Book of Jashar" is a recently written, fictional book which has no historical credibility. It also contradicts the Bible's account. GOD gave the Israelites the Sabbath after they crossed the Red Sea and went into the wilderness, the Bible says, and it was supposed to remind them that He had brought them out of Egypt where Pharaoh refused to ever give them any rest (see Exodus 5). To attribute God's words and actions to Pharaoh is a gross mutilation of Scripture. Pharaoh refused to give the Israelites rest and only made the Israelites' work harder--he would not listen to Moses. It just totally goes against what the Bible says and, like I said, is only a fictional book anyway. Jeremy | ||
| Raven Registered user Username: Raven Post Number: 277 Registered: 7-2004  |
In reading through the link to the supposed "Book of Jashar" I found another contradiction to the Bible's account. This Jashar account says that Zipporah brought food to Moses while he was supposedly in prison for several years, all before he "met her at the well" and married her. The account in the Bible seems pretty clear that he met her for the very first time at the well. I've seen nothing in the several chapters I read to lead me to consider taking anything serious from this "Book of Jashar." Looks like someone with an imagination is trying to fill in the gaps. | ||
| Jeremy Registered user Username: Jeremy Post Number: 866 Registered: 10-2004 |
"Looks like someone with an imagination is trying to fill in the gaps." Exactly...sounds a lot like someone else we're all familiar with... (her first name starting with an E...) Jeremy |
