The Book of Jasher: The 'book of the Upright' - Bible Pseudepigrapha and Apocrypha (Hardcover)

Book excerpt: The Book of Jasher, a lost book of the Bible comprising ninety-one chapters, is presented here complete in the celebrated 1840 English translation by Moses Samuel. Referenced twice in the New Testament scripture - once in Joshua and once in Second Samuel - the Book of Jasher is also known as the Sefer haYashar or the Book of the Upright. Its contents are wide-ranging; the creation of Man and the story of Adam and Eve, and the descendants of Noah comprise part of the text. The testing of Abraham by God also features, while Abraham's dialogue is notably expanded far beyond what is said in the Hebrew Bible. The text has gained a great following since its translation to English in the mid-19th century. The Church of Latter-Day Saints founder Joseph Smith praised its detail, noting the book's elaboration on the condition of the Earth following the Great Flood.