Replies

Thanks to all for helpful sources.

I still find it interesting that the original KJV Bible included these deuterocanonical ( Apocrypha) books and inserted them between the OT and NT.

It's also interesting that, e.g., in the modern Jewish Study Bible (shown @ Amazon.com) the TOC doesn't show the inclusion of any of these books, when clearly they were topical stories of the mainly Jewish, pre-Christian, times and time period.

I have a book called the "First Seven Ecumenical Councils", i guess I should dust it off and read it.

You're more than welcome and if I find good list of books on the topic I'll post it or email to you. I may even have a list myself (I know really efficient algorithms for losing things on my own computer).

Regards & God bless you in your study

I think at the very least these give an idea about the interesting happenings between the return of the exiles and the Birth of Christ, laying down the historical background. That's how I initially picked up these books.

And, interestingly, when we read this Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 of 1 Maccabees, we read how Antiochus defiled the Holy Temple and put an abomination in there and the righteous Jews fled to the mountains.

And this connects with Matthew 24:15-20

[15] When therefore you shall see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place: he that readeth let him understand.
[16] Then they that are in Judea, let them flee to the mountains:
[17] And he that is on the housetop, let him not come down to take any thing out of his house:
[18] And he that is in the field, let him not go back to take his coat.
[19] And woe to them that are with child, and that give suck in those days.
[20] But pray that your flight be not in the winter, or on the sabbath.

And you see the parallels in 1 Macc 1.34 "And they took the women captive, and the children, and the cattle they possessed" and 39 "And they shed innocent blood round about the sanctuary, and defiled the holy place"
and 1 MAcc 2:32-38

And forthwith they went out towards them, and made war against them on the sabbath day, [33] And they said to them: Do you still resist? come forth, and do according to the edict of king Antiochus, and you shall live. [34] And they said: We will not come forth, neither will we obey the king's edict, to profane the sabbath day.
[35] And they made haste to give them battle.
[36] But they answered them not, neither did they cast a stone at them, nor stopped up the secret places,
[37] Saying: Let us all die in our innocency: and heaven and earth shall be witnesses for us, that you put us to death wrongfully.
[38] So they gave them battle on the sabbath: and they were slain with their wives, and their children, and their cattle, to the number of a thousand persons

Jesus was no doubt drawing on the historical memory of the Jews