Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!wuarchive!bcm!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: dragon!cms@gatech.edu Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: New Testament References to the Deuterocanonicals (Part I) Message-ID: Date: 17 Dec 90 04:42:08 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Computer Projects Unlimited Lines: 483 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu BY POPULAR DEMAND I bring back to you New Testament references to the deuterocanonicals/apocrypha of the Old Testament. Some people occasionally make the claim that the deuterocanonicals are not quoted in the New Testament, that is, only the protocanonicals are quoted. Jews of the first century took the deuterocanonicals as well as the protocanonicals as the very word of God; other Jews rejected them. Generally, the Greek-speaking Diaspora Jews readily accepted the whole Bible, while the Jerusalem Jews rejected those parts written in the "barbaric" language of Greek. Since the New Testament was written in Greek, Christians tended to side with the Greek-speaking Diaspora Jews (with some notable exceptions such as Jerome). In many cases, it's difficult to know which book from the Old Testament is being cited; the phrases used are generally fairly ambiguous (one witness has it, the prophets say, etc.). Other quotations/allusions are not specified, the author tending to assume that the reader is familiar with the quotation/allustion. With this in mind, here are some possibilities from the Gospels: Matthew 5:33: Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.' But I say to you, do not swear at all...." Ben Sira: Let not your mouth form the habit of swearing, or becoming too familiar with the Holy Name. Just as the slave that is constantly under scrutiny will not be without welts, so one who swears continually by the Holy Name will not remain free from sin. A man who often swears heaps up obligations; the scourge will never be far from his house. If he swears in error, he incurs guilt; if he neglects his obligation, his sin is doubly great. Matthew 6:12 Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one. If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. Ben Sira 28:1 The vengeful will suffer the Lord's vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Should a man nourish anger against his fellows and expect healing from the Lord? Should a man refuse mercy to his fellows, yet seek pardon for his own sins? If he who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins? Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin! Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; of the Most High's covenant, and overlook faults. Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Tkae my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. Ben Sira 51:25 I open my mouth and speak of her: gain, at no cost, wisdom for yourselves. Submit your neck to her yoke, that your mind may accept her teaching. For she is close to those who seek her, and the one who is in earnest finds her. See for yourselves! I have labored only a little, but have found much. Matthew 18:15 If your brother sins [against you], go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.' etc. Ben Sira 19:12 Admonish your friend -- he may not have done it; and if he did, that he may not do it again. Admonish your neighbor -- he may not have said it; and if he did, that he may not say it again. Admonish your friend -- often it may be slander; every story you must not believe. Then, too, a man can slip and not mean it; who has not sinned with his tongue? Admonish your neighbor before you break with him; thus will you fulfill the law of the Most High. Matthew 21:16 Jesus said to them, "Yes; and have you never read the text, 'Out of the mouths of infants and nurslings you have brought forth praise'?" Wisdom 10:21 And they sang, O Lord, your holy name and praised in unison your conquering hand -- Because Wisdom opened the mouths of the dumb, and gave ready speech to infants. Well, that's Matthew. Keep in mind that Jesus could have been drawing from the Psalms or other sources, however, from the context, it's clear that Jesus favored the _approach_ of Ben Sira. Mark 1:3 Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths." Isaiah 40:3 A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Mark 2:27: Then [Jesus] said to them, "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath." 2 Maccabees 5:19 The LORD, however, had not chosen the people for the sake of the Place, but the Place for the sake of the people. [Reference to the Holy of Holies -- cms] On to Luke. Luke 1:17 He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord. [An angel is speaking to Zechariah -- cms] Ben Sira 48:10 You are destined, it is written, in time to come to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD, to turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons, and to reestablish the tribes of Jacob. Blessed is he who shall have seen you before he dies, O Elijah, enveloped in the whirlwind! [Malachi is often cited as the source for this also] Luke 1:28 And coming to her, [Gabriel] said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." Judith 13:18 Then Uzziah said to [Judith], "Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God, above all women on earth; and blessed be the LORD God, the creator of heaven and earth, who guided your blow at the head of the chief of our enemies. Your deed of hope will never be forgotten by those who tell of the might of God." Luke 1:51 He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. Ben Sira 10:14 The thrones of the arrogant God overturns and establishes the lowly in their stead. The roots of the proud God plucks up, to plant the humble in their place. Luke 12:16 Parable of the rich man. He stores his bountiful harvest by tearing down his barns and building larger ones. "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!" the rich man said. "But God said to him, 'You fool, tonight your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?' Thus will it be for one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God." Ben Sira 11:17 The LORD's gift remains with the just; his favor brings continued success. A man may become rich through a miser's life, and this is his allotted reward: When he says: "I have found rest, now I will feast on my possessions," He does not know how long it will be till he dies and leaves them to others. Luke 18:22 [Jesus said to the Rich Young Man], "There is still one thing left for you: sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have a treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Ben Sira 29:10 Spend your money for your brother and friend, and hide it not under a stone to perish; dispose of your treasure as the Most High commands, for that will profit you more than the gold. Store up almsgiving in your treasure house, and it will save you from every evil. Luke 21:24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Tobit 14:4g As for our kinsmen who dwell in Israel, they shall be scattered and led away into exile from the Good Land. The entire country of Israel shall become desolate; even Samaria and Jerusalem shall become desolate! God's temple there shall be burnt to the ground and shall be desolate for a while. But God will again have mercy on them and bring them back to the land of Israel. They shall rebuild the temple, but it will not be like the first one, until the era when the appointed times shall be completed. Luke 21:25 There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. Wisdom 5:21 Well-aimed shafts of lightnings shall go forth and from the clouds as from a well-drawn bow shall leap to the mark; and as from his sling, wrathful hailstones shall be hurled. The water of the sea shall be enraged against them and the streams shall abruptly overflow. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. Wisdom 9:1 God of my fathers, Lord of mercy, you who have made all things by your word And in your wisdom have established man" Ben Sira 24:3 From the mouth of the Most High I came forth, and mistlike covered the earth. In the highest heavens did I dwell, my throne on a pillar of cloud..... 9 Before all ages, in the beginning, he created me, and through all ages I shall not cease to be. John 1:5 the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Wisdom 7:29-30 For she is fairer than the sun and surpasses every constellation of the stars. Compared to light, she takes precedence; for that, indeed, night supplants, but wickedness prevails not over Wisdom. John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and pitched his tent with us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth. Ben Sira 24:8 Then the Creator of all gave me his command, and he who formed me chose the spot for my tent, Saying, "In Jacob make your dwelling, in Israel your inheritance." .... .... In the holy tent I ministered before him, and in Zion I fixed my abode. Thus in the chosen city he has given me rest, in Jerusalem is my domain. John 1:21 So they asked him, "What are you then? Are you Elijah?" And he said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." Ben Sira 47:10 You are destined, it is written, in time to come, to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD, To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons, and to reestablish the tribes of Jacob. Blessed is he who shall have seen you before he dies! O Elijah, enveloped in the whirlwind! John 1:49 Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Ben Sira 4:10 To the fatherless, be as a father, and help the mother as a husband would; Thus will you be like a son to the Most High, and he will be more tender to you than a mother. Wisdom 2:18 For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes. John 3:24 But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well. Ben Sira 42:17 Yet even God's holy ones must fail in recounting the wonders of the LORD, Though God has given these, his hosts, the strength to stand firm before his glory. He plumbs the depths and penetrates the heart; their innermost being he understands. The Most High possesses all knowledge, and sees from of old the things that are to come: He makes known the past and the future, and reveals the deepest secrets. No understanding does he lack; no single thing escapes him. Perennial is his almighty wisdom; he is from all eternity one and the same, With nothing added, nothing taken away; no need of a counselor for him! John 3:12 If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? Wisdom 9:16-17 And scarce do we guess the things on earth, and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty; but when things are in heaven, who can search them out? Or whoever knew your counsel, except you had given Wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high? And thus were the paths of those on earth made straight, and men learned what was your pleasure, and were saved by Wisdom. John 3:14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. Wisdom 16:5-8 For when the dire venom of beasts came upon them and they were dying from the bite of crooked serpents, your anger endured not to the end. But as a warning, for a short time they were terrorized, though they had a sign of salvation, to remind them of the precept of your law. For he who turned toward it was saved, not by what he saw, but by you, the savior of all. And by this also you convinced our foes that you are he who delivers from all evil. John 3:21 But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God. Tobit 4:5 Through all your days, my son, keep the Lord in mind, and suppress every desire to sin or to break his commandments. Perform good works all the days of your life, and do not tread the paths of wrongdoing. For if you are steadfast in your service, your good works will bring success, not only to you, but also to all those who live uprightly. John 4:9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.) Ben Sira 50:25-26 My whole being loathes two nations, the third is not even a people [Samaritans]: Those who live in Seir [Edomites] and Philistia, and the degenerate folk who dwell in Shechem [a city in Samaria]. John 4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." Ben Sira 24:20 He who eats of me will hunger still, he who drinks of me will thirst for more. [that is, he who eats and drinks Wisdom will always desire more; compare Jesus in next few verses who says we will never thirst who drink from him because a wellspring within us will constantly nourish us; same concept] John 4:48 Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe." Wisdom 8:8 Or again, if one yearns for copious learning, she knows the things of old, and infers those yet to come. She understands the turns of phrases and the solutions of riddles; signs and wonders she knows in advance and the outcome of times and ages. John 5:18 For this reason the Jews tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God. Wisdom 2:16 He judges us debased; he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure. He calls blessed the destiny of the just and boasts that God is his Father. John 5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. Tobit 13:2 For he scourges and then has mercy; he casts down to the depths of the netherworld, and he brings up from the great abyss. No one can escape his hand. Wisdom 16:13 For you have dominion over life and death; you lead down to the gates of the netherworld, and lead back. Man, however, slays in his malice, but when the spirit has come away, it does not return, nor can he bring back the soul once it is confined. But your hand none can escape. John 5:35 He [John the Baptist] was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light. Ben Sira 48:1 Till like a fire there appeared the prophet whose words were as a flaming furnace. John 8:44 You belong to your father the devil and you willingly carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies. Wisdom 1:11-12 Therefore guard against profitless grumbling, and from calumny [lies] withold your tongues; For a stealthy utterance does not go unpunished, and a lying mouth slays the soul.... Wisdom 1:13 Because God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.... 16 It was the wicked who with hands and words invited death, considered it a friend, and pined for it, and made a covenant with it, Because they deserve to be in its possession. Wisdom 2:24 But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who are in his possession experience it. John 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand." Wisdom 3:1 But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. John 14:15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Wisdom 6:18 love means the keeping of her [Wisdom's] laws; To observe her laws is the basis for incorruptibility; and incorruptibility makes one close to God; thus the desire for Wisdom leads up to a kingdom. John 17:3 Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began. Wisdom 14:7 For blest is the wood through which justice comes about. -- Sincerely, Cindy Smith emory!dragon!cms [Well, some of these seem OK. But some have other sources that are probably most likely. I only had time to look through the Mat. ones. Mt 5:33: Num 30:3, Dt 23:33 Mt 12:16: Ps 8:2 (LXX) --clh]