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Exploring the Deuterocanonical Books of the Old Testament Preview Sheet – Diocesan Theological Institute Welcome to a study of seven fascinating yet underappreciated OT books in our Catholic canon of inspired Scripture: 1 and 2 Maccabees, Tobit, Sirach, Wisdom, Judith and Baruch. We will be meeting over two lengthy sessions (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) on Saturday March 4 and 11 at the Diocesan Administration Building. I am sharing this Preview Sheet early so you can have plenty of time to complete the reading for the first class. Session 1 on March 4 th will address the following topics: The Canon of the Bible: Why and How the Deuterocanonical Books Came to Be 1 and 2 Maccabees Tobit Sirach Session 2 on March 11 th will explore the following topics: Wisdom of Solomon Judith Baruch To prepare for Session 1, I would encourage you to read through the Biblical texts as thoroughly as time allows. 1 and 2 Maccabees are challenging books with a surplus of characters and events, so I have chosen just some key chapters. Tobit and Sirach are more entertaining. I suggest the following selections: o 1 Maccabees 1:1-3:26, 4:36-61, 9:1-73, 12:39-13:30, 16:11-24 o 2 Maccabees 1:1-2:32, 5:11-10:8 o The Book of Tobit in its entirety o The Book of Sirach – this is actually a collection of brief wisdom treatises on varied topics like wisdom, happiness, humility and pride, sin, wealth, women, friendship, marriage, death, manners, etc. I would encourage you to skip around the book to get a feel for these presentations. However, don’t miss 1:1-29, 4:11-19, 6:5-17, 6:32-37, 14:20-15:10, 24:1-31, 25:12-26:18, 31:12-31, 32:14-19, 39:1-11, 44:9-14, 51:1-30. FYI: as you will read in any commentary on Sirach, be aware that some of Sirach’s observations on women reflect Israel’s patriarchal culture of the time and can be offensive to our modern ears and attitudes. I have included articles for you to read if you are interested. They will appear at the end of this Preview Sheet: “The Canon of the Bible,” Bible Today, by Fr. Lawrence Boadt, CSP
