The non-canonical books referenced in the Bible includes non-Biblical cultures and lost works of known or unknown status. By the "Bible" is meant those books recognized by Christians and Jews as being part of
Old Testament (or
Tanakh) as well as those recognized by most Christians as being part of the
Biblical apocrypha or of the
Deuterocanon.
It may also include books of the Anagignoskomena (
Deuterocanonical books § In Eastern Orthodoxy) that are accepted only by
Eastern Orthodox Christians. For the purposes of this article, "referenced" can mean direct quotations, paraphrases, or allusions, which in some cases are known only because they have been identified as such by ancient writers, or the citation of a work or author.
The
Book of Jasher is mentioned in Joshua 10:13[1] and 2 Samuel 1:18[2] and also referenced in 2 Timothy 3:8.[3][4] From the context in the Book of Samuel, it is implied that it was a collection of poetry.
Several books have claimed to be this lost text, some of which are discounted as
pseudepigrapha. Certain members of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints secured the copyright to a particular English translation of
one of these and republished it in 1887 in Salt Lake City.[5]
The
Book of the Wars of the Lord[6] is mentioned in Numbers 21:14.[7] The Book of the Wars of the Lord is also cited in the Book of Jasher (translated by
Moses Samuel
c. 1840, edited by J. H. Parry 1887) chapter 90:48 as being a collaborative record written by Moses, Joshua and the children of Israel.
The
Annals of King David (also called The Book of the Annals of King David or The Chronicles of King David, which could be a reference to the rest of 1 Chronicles);[15] referenced in 1 Chronicles 27:24.[16]
The
Book of Gad the Seer (also called Gad the Seer or The Acts of Gad the Seer);[20] referenced in 1 Chronicles 29:29.
The
Prophecy of Ahijah (also called The Prophesy of Ahijah the Shilonite,[15] which may be a reference to 1 Kings 14:2–18); referenced in 2 Chronicles 9:29.
The
Acts of Uzziah (also called The Book by the prophet Isaiah); perhaps the same as the
Book of Isaiah.[17] Referenced in 2 Chronicles 26:22.[26]
The
Vision of Isaiah (also called The Vision of the Prophet Isaiah); may be identical to the pseudepigraphal
Ascension of Isaiah, and may also refer to the existing Book of Isaiah. Referenced in 2 Chronicles 32:32.[23]
The
Acts of the Kings of Israel (also called The Acts and Prayers of Manasseh);[27] may be identical to The Book of the Kings of Israel. Referenced in 2 Chronicles 33:18.[28]
The Chronicles of King
Ahasuerus (also called The Book of Records of the Chronicles or The Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia); referenced in Esther 2:23,[31] 6:1,[32] 10:2,[33] and Nehemiah 12:23.[34]
"letters of the kings" referenced in 2 Maccabees 2:13[39]
"five books by
Jason of Cyrene" referenced in 2 Maccabees 2:23:[46] the author of 2 Maccabees here states that their work is abridged from the history by Jason.
"the king's letter" referenced in 2 Maccabees 11:22[47][39]
Paul's letter to the Corinthians before
1 Corinthians (1 Corinthians 5:9,[74] "I wrote to you in my letter...")
Paul's letter to the Ephesians before Ephesians (Ephesians 3:3,[75] "As I wrote afore in few words...")
An unknown messianic prophecy possibly from a non-canonical source, quoted in
Matthew 2:23 that states "he will be called a Nazorian" (ὅτι Ναζωραῖος κληθήσεται). "Nazorian" is typically rendered as "Nazarene" ("from
Nazareth"), as in Acts 24:5,[76] where Christians are referred to as "the sect of the Nazorians/Nazarenes" (τῶν Ναζωραίων αἱρέσεως). This is speculated[by whom?] to be a vague allusion to a quote about Samson in Judges 13:5 that uses a similar-sounding word: "the child shall be a Nazirite" (ναζιρ)
An unknown version of Genesis (possibly a targum, midrash or other commentary), quoted by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:45,[77] as a reference to Christ's being "the
Last Adam who became a life-giving spirit" (οὕτως καὶ γέγραπται· Ἐγένετο ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος Ἀδὰμ εἰς ψυχὴν ζῶσαν· ὁ ἔσχατος Ἀδὰμ εἰς πνεῦμα ζῳοποιοῦν). It has been speculated[by whom?] that Paul is simply paraphrasing Genesis 2:7,[78] but there is no clear indication that this is not a complete quote.
An unknown text quoted by Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:9,[79] suggested by Origen to be a lost apocryphal book:[80] "But as it is written, 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him." This may also be an allusion to the similar Isaiah 64:4,[81] "For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.'".
An unknown messianic prophecy, possibly from a non-canonical source, quoted in Luke 24:46,[82] speculated to be a vague allusion to Hosea 6:2:[83][84] "Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day."
An unknown messianic prophecy, possibly from a non-canonical source, quoted in Mark 9:12,[85] speculated[by whom?] to be a vague allusion to
Isaiah 53: "and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought."
^Edward J. Brandt, "The Book of Jasher and the Latter-day Saints," in Apocryphal Writings and the Latter-day Saints, ed. C. Wilfred Griggs (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1986), 297–318.
^Sometimes called The Book of the Wars of Yahweh. One source says "The quotation is in lyrical form, so it is possibly a book of poetry or a hymnal...Moses quoted it, so the date of its composition must have been prior to the completion of the Pentateuch, perhaps during the wanderings in the wilderness. Nothing else is known about it, and it survives only in Moses’ quotation."
[1]
^Rollston, Chris A. (April 2001). "Ben Sira 38:24–39:11 and The Egyptian Satire of the Trades". Journal of Biblical Literature. 120 (Spring): 131–139.
doi:
10.2307/3268597.
JSTOR3268597.