What happens when a people lose everything they thought made them God's people?
The temple is gone. Jerusalem lies in ruins. Foreign armies rule the land. The promises of God seem distant. The covenant people ask questions that still echo today: Where is God when life falls apart? How do believers hold on to faith after disappointment, tragedy, and loss? Can hope survive when the evidence seems to point in the opposite direction?

For centuries before and after the time of Christ, Jewish writers wrestled with these questions through some of the most profound religious literature ever written. They retold scripture, mourned catastrophe, defended their faith, reimagined covenant identity, and searched for hope in a broken world.

In Ancient Scripture Beyond the Bible, Volume 2: Israel Reimagines Scripture, Taylor Halverson, Ph.D., introduces readers to sixteen remarkable texts from the world of Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity.

Journey through works such as Jubilees, 4 Ezra, 2 Baruch, Joseph and Aseneth, Psalms of Solomon, Odes of Solomon, Prayer of Manasseh, Letter of Aristeas, 3 and 4 Maccabees, Ascension of Isaiah, and many others that shaped how ancient Jews and early Christians understood covenant, scripture, suffering, identity, and redemption.

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