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Chronology of Jewish literature
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On
this page, you will find a chronological overview of Jewish literature,
which means Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts related to the Jewish
cult. No attempt has been made to include the five first books
(Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) or the majority of
the Psalms, because it is impossible to reconstruct the history of
their composition. For similar reasons, the Scrolls of the Dead Sea
have been left out. Most of the texts are included in the Bible, but
some non-Biblical Jewish literature (e.g., the Enochite literature) has also been included. Many texts contain later interpolations.
| Green |
Included in the Jewish and Protestant Bible |
| Grey |
Deuterocanonical: recognized by Catholics |
| Yellow |
Enochite literature |
| Pink |
Other |
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| Psalm
29, 68 |
Canaanitic? |
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| Psalm
110 |
Davidic? |
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| Proverbs |
Tenth century |
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Oldest part of
collection |
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c.930 |
Sheshonq's campaign |
Sheshonq's stela |
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853 |
Battle of Qarqar |
Kurkh stela |
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c.845 |
Independence of Moab |
Mesha stela |
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c.820 |
Jehu pays tribute to Assyria |
Black obelisk |
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Amos
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c.760-750 |
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| Hosea |
c.730 |
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c.724 |
Fall
of Samaria |
ABC 1 |
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| Micah 6-7 |
c.720 |
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| Isaiah |
c.720 |
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= Isaiah 1-39 |
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701 |
Fall of Lachish; siege of Jerusalem |
Lachish reliefs |
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| Ruth |
c.700 |
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| Nahum |
c.640 |
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| Zephaniah |
c.630 |
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| Deuteronomistic History [1] |
c.620 |
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First stage |
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612 |
Fall
of Nineveh |
ABC 3 |
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| Psalm 2, 20, 21, 72 |
Pre-exilic |
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| Habakkuk |
604-600 |
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597 |
First capture of Jerusalem |
ABC 5 |
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| Jeremiah |
600-586 |
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| Joel |
c.600-586? |
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Alternative
date: c. 400 |
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586 |
Fall
of Jerusalem; Exile |
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| Ezekiel |
After 586 |
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| Lamentations |
After 586 |
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| Obadiah |
After
586 |
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| Micah 1 |
After 586 |
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| Deuteronomistic History [1] |
c.550 |
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Addition (2 Kings 23-25) |
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Jehoiachin in Babylonia |
ANET 308 |
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| Second Isaiah |
545-540 |
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= Isaiah 40-55 |
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539 |
Fall of Babylon; end of Exile |
Cyrus Cylinder |
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| Psalm 126, 137 |
Post-exilic |
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| Micah 2-5 [2] |
Post-exilic |
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Collection of prophecies |
| Third Isaiah |
c.530 |
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= Isaiah 56-66 |
| Maleachi [3] |
c.470 |
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| Haggai [3]
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c.450 |
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| Zechariah,
part 1 |
c.450 |
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= Zechariah 1-13 |
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c.450 |
Rebuilding of the Temple [3] |
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| Proverbs |
Fifth century |
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Youngest part of
collection |
| Joel? |
c.400 |
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Alternative date:
c.600-586 |
| Job |
Fourth century |
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| Esther |
Fourth century |
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Chapters added in c.80 |
Jonah
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Fourth
century |
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| Chronicles |
Fourth century |
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| Ezra-Nehemiah |
after 336 |
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a.k.a. 2 Esdras |
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332 |
Alexander the Great |
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| Song of Songs |
After 332 |
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| Zechariah, part 2 |
After 332 |
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= Zechariah 9-14 |
| Epistle of Jeremiah |
c.325 |
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| Astronomical
Book |
Third century |
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= 1 Enoch 72-82 |
| Ecclesiastes |
Third century |
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| Book
of Watchers |
225-175 |
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= 1 Enoch 1-36 |
| Tobit |
c.200 |
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202-195 |
Fifth Syrian War |
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| Jesus
Sirach |
c.180 |
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Original, Hebrew
version |
| Epistle
of Enoch |
c.175 |
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= 1 Enoch 91-108 |
| Jubilees |
c.175 |
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175-164 |
Antiochus IV Epiphanes |
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| Daniel |
165 |
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Chapters added in c.100? |
| Death
of Isaiah |
c.165 |
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| Book
of Dream Visions |
165-160 |
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= 1 Enoch 83-90 |
| Baruch |
163-162 |
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a.k.a. 1 Baruch |
| Judith |
c.150 |
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| Book
of Giants |
Second century |
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| 3 Ezra |
c.125 |
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a.k.a. 1 Esdras |
| Jesus
Sirach |
117 |
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Greek translation |
| Letter
of Aristeas |
c.110 |
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| Prayer
of Manasseh |
150-50 |
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| 1
Maccabees |
c.100 |
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| 2
Maccabees |
c.100 |
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| Additions to Daniel |
c.100? |
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| Additions to
Esther |
80 |
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63 |
Romans take Jerusalem |
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| 3
Maccabees |
First century |
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| Book
of Similitudes |
First century |
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= 1 Enoch 37-71 |
| Psalms
of Solomon |
c.45 |
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40-4 BCE |
King Herod the Great |
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6 CE |
Annexation by the Romans |
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| Assumption of Moses |
c.25 |
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| 2
("Slavonic") Enoch |
c.25 |
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| Wisdom |
37-41 |
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70 |
Destruction of the Temple |
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| 4 Ezra |
after 70 |
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| Flavius Josephus |
75-100 |
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| 4
Maccabees |
c.100 |
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| 2
("Syriac") Baruch |
100-117 |
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| 3
("Greek") Baruch |
c.150 |
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Note 1:
The Deuteronomistic History is the collection Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings.
Note 2:
For the date of Micah 2-5 (a collection of prophecies dated to late
pre-exilic, exilic, and early-post-exilic times), see J. Wagenaar, Judgement and Salvation: The Composition and Redaction of Micah 2-5 (2001 Leiden)
Note 3:
For the date of Haggai, Zechariah, and the rebuilding of the Temple, see Diana Edelman, The Origins of the 'Second' Temple (2005)
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©
Jona Lendering for
Livius.Org,
2007
Revision: 3 January 2007 |
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