Part IV: Pagan, Gnostic and Christian Literalist Books

1- Pagan Books

- Aeneid (The, tells the story of Rome's legendary founder and proclaims the Roman mission to civilize the world under divine guidance, by Virgil.
- Aethiopica or "An Ethiopian Romance", a romance by Heliodorus, 3d century AD.
- Against the Christians by Porphyry.
- Against the Dogmatists by Sextus.
- Ahikar (Book of) an Oriental wisdom book, probably of Assyrian origin, that survives in Syriac, Arabic, Armenian, ... It was written before the 5th century BC.
- Against Flaccus, on the crimes of Aulus Avillius Flaccus, the Roman governor of Egypt, against the Alexandrian Jews and on his punishment, by Philo Judaeus.
- Agamemnon describes the victorious return of that king from the Trojan War and his murder by his wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus by Aeschylus.
- Alexander, demystification and attack on a popular magician by Lucian.
- Alexander, presumably the author's nephew Tiberius Julius Alexander, who raises doubts, by Philo Judaeus.
- Allegories of the Laws, a commentary on Genesis, by Philo Judaeus.
- Amores (The love), erotic poems centred on Corinna by Ovid.
- Annals, dealing with the empire in the period from AD 14 to 68, by Tacitus.
- Apocolocyntosis divi Claudii (The) (The Pumpkinification of the Divine Claudius) is a political skit, witty and unscrupulous on the theme of the deification, or "pumpkinification", of Claudius by Seneca the Younger.
- Apologia ("Defense"), by Apuleius, the major source for his biography.
- Apologia for the theses, by Pico della Mirandola.
- Apology (The), was probably written in the early 380s, by Plato.
- Aporiai kai lyseis peri ton proton archon (Problems and Solutions About the First Principles), by Damascius, elaborates the comprehensive system of the Neoplatonist thinker Proclus.
- Ars amatoria (The Art of Love), by Ovid.
- Auction of Lives (The), a lighthearted work in which Zeno, Epicurus, and others are auctioned by Hermes in the underworld but very little is offered for them, by Lucian.
- Bacchae, work about the Mystery school doctrines, an important source of information about the cult of Dionysus, by Euripides.
- Banquet, an amusing account of an imaginary wedding feast given by a patron of the arts. Among the guests are representatives of every philosophical school, who all behave outrageously and start fighting over delicacies to take home when the party comes to an end, by Lucian.
- Bellum Catilinae -43/42 BC- (Catiline's War), describes the corruption in Roman politics by tracing the conspiracy of Catiline and describes the course of the conspiracy and the measures taken by the Senate and Cicero, by Sallust.
- Bellum Jugurthinum -41/40 BC- (The Jugurthine War), explores the origins of party struggles that arose in Rome when war broke out against Jugurtha, the king of Numidia, who rebelled against Rome at the close of the 2nd century BC, by Sallust.
- Bibliotheca Historica (Historical Library), a history of the world in 40 books, from the creation through the Gallic Wars and up to the first years of the empire, by Diodorus Siculus.
- Bioi sophiston, Lives of the Sophists, treating both the classical Sophists of the 5th century BC and later philosophers and rhetoricians by Philostratus.
- Bioi paralleloi (Parallel Lives) describes the deeds and characters of Greek and Roman soldiers, legislators, orators, and statesmen, by Plutarch.
- Cave of the Nymphs (The), by Porphyry.
- Charon, a dialogue by Lucian.
- Choephoroi (The Libation Bearers) deals with Agamemnon's daughter Electra and his son Orestes. Orestes avenges his father's murder by killing his mother and her lover, by Aeschylus.
- Commentary on Cicero's "Somnium Scipionis" ("The Dream of Scipio") from the De Republica, a Neoplatonic work in two books, by Macrobius.
- Concerning the Gods, an agnostic view about the common belief in the gods, by Protagoras.
- Commentationes Joannis Pici Mirandulae (1495-96), a collection of Pico della Mirandola's works.
- Consolationes, three treatises by Seneca the Younger. Ad Marciam consoles a lady on the loss of a son; Ad Helviam matrem, notes to his mother on his exile; Ad Polybium, the powerful freedman Polybius on the loss of a son but with a sycophantic plea for recall from Corsica.
- Corpus Hermeticum (The), 17 treatises of theological writings by Hermes Trimegistos.
- De Deo Socratis ("On the God of Socrates"), by Apuleius Lucius.
- De differentiis et societatibus Graeci Latinique verbi ("On the Differences and Similarities Between Greek and Latin Words") of which only fragments remain, by Macrobius.
- De ente et uno (Of Being and Unity), a synoptic treatment of Plato and Aristotle, by Pico della Mirandola.
- De fraterno amore by Plutarch, describe the fusion of religious cults that occurred in the Greco-Roman world between 300 and 200 BC.
- De hominis dignitate oratio ("Oration on the Dignity of Man"), a Renaissance work composed in 1486, with the author taking the best elements from other philosophies and combining them in his own work, by Pico della Mirandola.
- De mundo ("On the World") adapts a treatise incorrectly attributed to Aristotle, by Apuleius Lucius.
- De Mysteriis (On the Egyptian Mysteries) by Iamblicus. - De mysteriis Aegyptorium", a defence of ritual magic, by Amblicus, important for occult beliefs and practices of his time.
- De occulta philosophia, an explanation of the world in terms of cabalistic analyses of Hebrew letters and Pythagorean numerology, use of magic as the best means to know God and nature, by Agrippa of Nettesheim.
- De Platone et eius dogmate ("On Plato and His Teaching") which expounds the Platonic notion of demons, beneficent creatures intermediate between gods and mortals, by Apuleius Lucius.
- De viris illustribus ("Concerning Illustrious Men"), a collection of short biographies of celebrated Roman literary figures, by Suetonius.
- De vita Caesarum (Lives of the Caesars), a book with bits of gossip and scandal relating to the lives of the first 11 emperors, by Suetonius.
- Dialogues of the Dead, Satirical philosophy by Lucian.
- Dialogues of the Gods, the discreditable love affairs of Zeus with mortal women play a prominent part in this work, by Lucian.
- Dialogue on Orators, by Tacitus.
- Dionysiaca (Dionysus), a hexameter poem in 48 books; its main subject is the expedition of the god Dionysus to India, by Nonnus of Panapolis.
- Eclogues, a collection of 10 pastoral poems composed between 42 and 37 BC by Virgil.
- Electra (418), by Euripides.
- Elements (The), a concise exposition of Neoplatonic metaphysics in 211 propositions, by Proclus.
- Elements of Physics, distilled the essence of Aristotle's views, by Proclus.
- Enneads (The), lecture notes by Plotinus.
- Enneads, a systematised and edited collection of the works of Plotinus to which was prefixed a biography, unique for its reliability and for the information provided, by Porphyry.
- Epistles, "Love Letters", by Philostratus.
- Epistulae ex Ponto ("Letters from the Black Sea"), a stream of pathetic pleas, chiefly through his wife and friends, to the emperor, by Ovid.
- Exhortation to Philosophy (The), or Protrepticus, by Iamblichus.
- Eumenides describes Orestes driven by the Furies (Erinyes), a matricide to avenge his father's death, is infamous in the eyes of the gods. He is absolved at the court of the Areopagus by the goddess Athena, by Aeschylus.
- Fasti, a poetic calendar describing the various Roman festivals and the legends connected with each, by Ovid.
- Fisher, where hypocritical philosophers are attacked and in which the founders of the philosophical schools return to life to indict the author for writing The Auction of Lives, by Lucian.
- Geographike hyphegesis (Guide to Geography), eight books including information on how to construct maps and lists of places in Europe, Africa, and Asia tabulated according to latitude and longitude, by Ptolemy.
- Georgics (The), composed between 37 and 30 BC (the final period of the civil wars), is a superb plea for the restoration of the traditional agricultural life of Italy, by Virgil.
- Germania, a description of the Germanic tribes, by Tacitus.
- Golden Ass (The) also known as The Metamorphoses of Lucius Apuleius, an allegorical tale of his initiation into the Mysteries, by Apuleus.
- Gymnasticus, a treatise dealing with athletic contests by Philostratus.
- Harmonica, a three-book treatise on music, by Ptolemy.
- Heptaplus (Greek hepta, "seven"), an exposition of Genesis indicating his seven points of argument, by Pico della Mirandola.
- Hepta epi Thebais (Seven Against Thebes) by Aeschylus, 467 BC.
- Hermetica, works of revelation on occult, theological, and philosophical subjects ascribed to the Greek Hermes Trismegistos [Hermes the Thrice-Greatest, the Egyptian god Thoth).
- Heroides (Epistolae Heroidum, Epistles of the Heroines), 21 fictional love letters, mostly from mythological heroines to their lovers, by Ovid.
- Hiketides by Aeschylus, c. 463 BC.
- Hippolytus (428), by Euripides.
- Historiae (Histories), concerning the Roman Empire from Ad 69 to 96, by Tacitus.
- History of Rome, a classic Roman history that exercised a profound influence on the style and philosophy of historical writing down to the 18th century, by Livy of Patavium.
- History (of the Greco-Persian Wars) by Herodotus.
- How to Write History, the author's best work in the field of literary criticism. He stresses the impartiality, detachment, and rigorous devotion to truth that characterize the ideal historian, by Lucian.
- Hymn to Zeus" sets forth the unity, omnipotence, and moral government of the supreme deity by Cleanthes of Assos
- Hypotheseis ton planomenon ("Planetary Hypothesis"), by Ptolemy.
- Hypothetica ("Suppositions"), a defense of the Jews against anti-Semitic charges to which Josephus' treatise Against Apion bears many similarities, by Philo Judaeus.
- Hypotyposes, philosophical treaty republished in 1562 by Sextus.
- Iliad, epic poem by Homer, 9th or 8th century BC.
- Institutio theologica (Elements of Theology), by Proclus.
- Ion (413), by Euripides.
- Iphigenia at Aulis (406), by Euripides.
- Laws (The), was the work of an old man, and the text shows that Plato never lived to give it its final revision, by Plato.
- Life of Pythagoras (the) or "On the Pythagorean Life", by Iamblichus.
- Life of the Pythagorean philosopher Apollonius of Tyana by Philostratus.
- Lifes of the Philosophers and Sophists by Eunapius.
- Litterae curiosius scriptae ("letters written with special care") was a fashion among the wealthy, and the author developed it into a miniature art form, by Pliny the Younger.
- Medea, a tragedy highly praised by ancient critics by
- Medea (431 BC), by Euripides.
- Medicamina faciei ("Cosmetics"), by Ovid.
- "Metamorphoses", 15 books about the transformations recorded in mythology and legend from the creation of the world to the time of Roman emperor Julius Caesar by Ovid.
- Misopogon ("Beard Hater"), a pamphlet that assailed the Antiochenes for the ridicule that they poured on the author for his personal conduct, his religion, and his claim to be a philosopher on the strength of his beard, by Julian the Apostate.
- Moralia, or Ethica, about 60 essays on ethical, religious, physical, political, and literary topics, by Plutarch.
- Natural History, an encyclopaedic work that was an authority on scientific matters up to the Middle Ages, by Pliny the Elder.
- Nigrinus, philosophical work by Lucian.
- Odyssey, epic poem by Homer, 9th or 8th century BC.
- On nature (Peri physeos), explanation of universe and negation of immortal soul, by Empedocles.
- Of the Vanitie and uncertainties of arts and sciences, an attack on occultism and all other sciences, by Agrippa of Nettesheim (about 1530).
- On Abstinence, a plea for vegetarianism, by Porphyry.
- On Alexander, extant in Armenian, concerning the irrational souls of animals, by Philo Judaeus.
- On Nature, the author implies that the multiplicity of existing things, their changing forms and motion, are but an appearance of a single eternal reality ("Being"), thus giving rise to the Parmenidean principle that "all is one", by Parmenides.
- On Providence, extant in Armenian, a dialogue between Philo, who argues that God is providential in his concern for the world, by Philo Judaeus. - On Signs, by John Lydus, a Byzantine bureaucrat of the 6th century.
- On the Arithmetic of Nicomachus, by Iamblichus.
- On the Contemplative Life, describes the author's renewed pain at being forced once again to participate in civic turmoil, by Philo Judaeus.
- On the Creation of the World, by Philo Judaeus.
- On the Embassy to Gaius, an attack on the Emperor Caligula (Gaius) for his hostility toward the Alexandrian Jews and an account of the unsuccessful embassy to the Emperor headed by the author, by Philo Judaeus.
- On the Eternity of the World, proving, particularly in opposition to the Stoics, that the world is uncreated and indestructible, by Philo Judaeus.
- On the General Science of Mathematics, by Iamblichus.
- On the Special Laws, the author describes his longing to escape from worldly cares to the contemplative life, his joy at having succeeded in doing so, by Philo Judaeus.
- Optica, the original edition consisted of five books. The last book deals with a theory of refraction, and discusses the refraction suffered by light from celestial bodies at various altitudes, by Ptolemy.
- Oresteia, a trilogy of tragic dramas by the Aeschylus, first performed in 458 BC. Include Agamennon, Choephoroi and Eumenides.
- Outlines of Pyrrhonism by Sextus.
- Periegesis Hellados (Description of Greece), an invaluable guide to ancient ruins, written in the 2d century AD by the Greek traveller and Geographer, Pausanias.
- Peri Psyches", about the soul, by Iamblicus…
- Peri ropon ("On Balancing"), a book on mechanics, by Ptolemy.
- Persai (Persians) by Aeschylus, 472BC
- Planisphaerium, concerned with stereographic projection -the delineation of the forms of solid bodies on a plane- where the author used the south celestial pole as his centre of projection, by Ptolemy.
- Platonis theologiam (Platonic Theology) explains Plato's metaphysics, by Proclus.
- Prometheus desmotes (Prometheus Bound), by Aeschylus.
- Purifications (Katharmoi), fewer than 100 verses remain from his poem dealing with metempsychosis, by Empedocles.
- Remedia amoris (Remedies for Love), reflecting the brilliant, sophisticated, pleasure-seeking society, in which he moved, by Ovid.
- Republic (The), which described an anarchist utopia in which men lived "natural" lives, by Diogenes (non extant).
- Republic (The), by Plato.
- Saturnalia (The), give an imaginary account of discussions in private houses on the day before the Saturnalia and on three days of that festival, by Macrobius.
- Seventh Letter (The), by Plato.
- Sophist, by Plato.
- Statesman The), by Plato.
- Tabula Smaragdina ["Emerald Tablet"], a favourite source for medieval alchemists), and magic, by Hermes Trismegistus.
- Teacher of Orators, ironical advice on how to become a successful orator by means of claptrap and impudence, by Lucian.
- That Every Good Man Is Free, proving the Stoic paradox that only the wise man is free, by Philio Judaeus.
- Theaetetus, by Plato.
- Theogeny, describes the origin of the myths and the gods of Greek mythology, by Hesiod.
- Theological Principles of Arithmetic, by Iamblicus.
- Timaeus, a Pythagorian treatise by Plato.
- Timon Lucian recounts how Timon, after impoverishing himself by his generosity and becoming a hermit, is restored to wealth, once again to be surrounded by toadies to whom he gives short shrift, by Lucian.
- Tragic Zeus, the leader of the gods is powerless to intervene on earth and prove his omnipotence to coldly sceptical Cynic and Epicurean philosophers, by Lucian.
- Transformations of Lucius (The), relates the myth of Eros and Psyche, by Lucius Apuleius.
- Tristia (Sorrows) describes the main events of the author's life in an autobiographical poem, by Ovid.
- Trojan Women (415), by Euripides. - True Doctrine (The), a critic of emerging Christianity, survives as quotations in the work of Origen, by Celsus.
- True History, imaginary voyage and satirical parody of travellers' tales by Lucian.
- Works and Days, a description of peasant life, by Hesiod (about 700 BC).
- Zeus Confuted, by Lucian.

2- Gnostic Books

- Acts of John
- Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles (The), Nag Hammadi.
- Acts of Thomas.
- Alexandria quartet by Lawrence Durell.
- Allogenes, Nag Hammadi
- Analemma (Greek Peri analemmatos; Latin De analemmate), analyses the details of the projection of points on the celestial sphere onto three planes at right angles to each other -the horizon, the meridian, and the prime vertical, by Ptolemy.
- Antitheses, by Marcion.
- Apocalypse of Adam (The), Nag Hammadi, about 120-130 AD
- Apocalypse of James (The), Nag Hammadi, about 120-130 AD
- Apocalypse of James (The First), Nag Hammadi
- Apocalypse of James (The Second), Nag Hammadi
- Apocalypse of Paul (The), Nag Hammadi
- Apocalypse of Peter (The), Nag Hammadi
- Apocryphon of James (The), Nag Hammadi, about 120-130 AD
- Apocryphon of John (The), about 100 AD, Nag Hammadi
- Apostolic Tradition (The) (extant only in later versions), the Church order that illuminates the rites and liturgies in use at Rome in the early 3rd century AD is now generally attributed to Hippolytus of Rome.
- Asclepius (or Asklepios), Nag Hammadi.
- Askew Codex (The), Gnostic Christian texts written probably in the 2d century AD.
- At the Hawk's Well (first performed 1916), by Yeats.
- Auguries of Innocence, by William Blake.
- Authoritative Teaching, Nag Hammadi.
- A Vision (1925, revised version 1937), the author explains his own philosophy, by Yeats.
- Baptism of Hibil Ziwa (The), describing the purification of the heavenly saviour of the Mandaeans.
- Book of Adam (The) or the Ginza, a cosmological treatise.
- Book of Ieou.
- Books of Jeu, a work attributed to Enoch. Identified in 1905.
- Book of John (The), describing the activities of John the Baptist.
- Book of the Great Logos (The).
- Book of the Logos (The).
- Book of the Saviour (The).
- Book of the Zodiac (The), a collection of magical and astrological texts.
- Book of Thomas the Contender (The), Nag Hammadi
- Book of Urizen, by William Blake, 1793.
- Candide), a story by Voltaire.
- Cathleen ni Houlihan, a play by Yeats.
- Celtic Twilight (The) (1893), a volume of essays, by Yeats.
- Chronicle of Edessa (The).
- Concept of Our Great Power (The), Nag Hammadi
- Contradictions by Marcion.
- Corpus Hermeticum I (Poimandres), about 150 AD
- Corpus Hermeticum (written between the 2d and 4th century).
- Countess Cathleen (The), a play by Yeats.
- Deirdre (1907), by Yeats.
- Dialogue of Destiny, or The Book of the Laws of the Countries, the oldest known original composition in Syriac literature by Bardesanes.
- Dialogue of the Saviour (The), Nag Hammadi.
- Dialogue (or Discourse) of the Eighth and Ninth (The), Nag Hammadi.
- Diatessaron (Greek: "From Four," or "Out of Four"), a version of the four Gospels arranged in a single continuous narrative that, in its Syriac form, served the biblical-theological vocabulary of the Syrian church for centuries. Its Greek and Latin versions influenced the Gospel text, by Tatian.
- Eugnostos the Blessed, Nag Hammadi.
- Excerpta ex Theodoto ("Extracts from Theodotus"), a scrapbook by Theodotus the Gnostic that the 2nd-3rd-century Christian philosophical theologian Clement of Alexandria added to his Stromata ("Miscellanies").
- Exegesis of the Soul (Nag Hammadi), about 120-130 AD.
- Falkner (1837), a roman by Mary Shelley.
- First Apocalypse of James (The).
- Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck (The) (1830), a roman by Mary Shelley.
- Four Plays for Dancers (1921), by Yeats.
- Four Zoas by William Blake, about 1800.
- Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (1818), narrates the dreadful consequences that arise after a scientist has artificially created a human being, by Mary Shelley.
- Gnostic Centuries, emphasized that the essential function of spiritual beings is to experience union with God, the transcendent One, expressed as pure light, by Evagrius.
- Gospel (The), in which the author removed what he regarded as interpolations from the Gospel According to Luke, by Marcion.
- Gospel According to Mary (The).
- Gospel of the Ebionites (The).
- Gospel of the Egyptians (The), Nag Hammadi.
- Gospel of Judas (The), a Cainite text.
- Gospel of Paul (The), Marcionite gospel, no copy found.
- Gospel of Peter is a pseudepigraphal, noncanonical and unauthentic, Christian writing of the mid-2nd century AD, which covers the condemnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus. As the work reflects the view that Christ's body had only the appearance of reality, Serapion, bishop of Antioch, believed it was written by a member of the heretical Docetist sect. Modern scholars attribute it to a Syrian Christian Gnostic because the Gospel does not view the Crucifixion as an act of atonement. It lacks the mythological or cosmological speculations characteristic of most Gnostic sects. Possibly to convince non-Christians of the truth of the Resurrection, the Gospel of Peter goes beyond the canonical Gospels in claiming that Roman soldiers and Jewish officials witnessed the event.
- Gospel of Philip (The), Nag Hammadi.
- Gospel of the Nazarenes (The).
- Gospel of the Twelve Apostles (The).
- Gospel of Thomas (The), An Apocryphal Gospel found in 1945 near Nag Hammadi in Egypt. It is believed that it was written about 120-130 AD. It is ascribed to the Apostle Thomas and contains 114 alleged sayings of Jesus, some unrecorded in the canonical Gospels.
- Gospel of Truth (The), Nag Hammadi. Could have been written by Valentinus.
- Green Helmet (The) (1910), by Yeats.
- He mathematike syntaxis ("The Mathematical Collection"), which later became known as Ho megas astronomos ("The Great Astronomer") and finally as the Almagest, the name still used today, by Ptolemy.
- Herne's Egg (The), the author most raucous work, in 1938, by Yeats.
- Histoire de Charles XII (1731), history, by Voltaire.
- Histoire de l'Empire de Russie sous Pierre le Grand (1759-63), by Voltaire.
- History of a Six Weeks' Tour (1817) a travel book that recounts the continental tour that the author and Shelley took in 1814 following their elopement and then recounts their summer near Geneva in 1816, by Mary Shelley.
- Hour Glass (The) (1903), by Yeats. - Hymn of the Pearl (also known as Hymn of the Robe of Glory), by Bardesanes.
- Hypsiphrone, Nag Hammadi
- In the Seven Woods (1903), by Yeats.
- Interpretation of Knowledge (The), Nag Hammadi
- Jeannot et Colin (1764), a story by Voltaire.
- Jerusalem, Epic Poem by William Blake, 1804.
- Jesus and the Goddess by Thimothy Frreke and Peter Gandy, 2001.
- Jesus Mysteries (The), Thimothy Freke and Peter Gandy.
- Kephalaia, collection of discourses of Mani with his disciples.
- King's Threshold (The) (1904), by Yeats. - Land of Heart's Desire (The) (1894), by Yeats.
- La Princesse de Babylone (1768), a story by Voltaire.
- Last Man (The), 1826, an account of the future destruction of the human race by a plague, ranked as Mary Shelley best novel.
- Last Poems, by Yeats.
- Le Blanc et le noir (1764, a story by Voltaire.
- Les Voyages du baron de Gangan (1739, a story by Voltaire.
- Le Taureau blanc (1774), a story by Voltaire.
- Le Siècle de Louis XIV (1751), history, by Voltaire. - Letter of Peter to Philip (The), Nag Hammadi.
- Lodore (1835), a roman by Mary Shelley.
- Marsanes, Nag Hammadi.
- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor.
- Melchizedek, Nag Hammadi.
- Milton, by William Blake.
- Monachikos ("The Monastic Life"), a treatise, by Evagrius.
- Monsieur by Lawrence Durell.
- Mystery of the Great Logos found in the Codex Brucianus discovered in Egypt by James Bruce
- Naassene Psalm attributed by Hippolytus to the Phrygians.
- Nature (Hypostatis) of the Archons (The) or "Reality of the Rulers", Nag Hammadi, 120-130 AD.
- Nausea by Jean Paul Sartre.
- New Poems, by Yeats.
- On Animals, a treaty that shows that man without the divine spark is comparable to animals, by Tatian.
- On Baile's Strand (1905), by Yeats.
- On Justice by Epiphanes, condemn property and social authority and declares that all people, free or slaves, have the same divine rights.
- "On the Eight Principal Vices," by Evagrius.
- On the Origin of the World, Nag Hammadi.
- On the pythagorian Symbols by Alexander states that Pythagoras was a pupil of "Nazaratus the Assyrien.
- On the Three Natures by Valentinus.
- Oration against the Greeks, an attack on the Greco-Roman culture, by Tatian.
- Oxford Book of Modern Verse, 1892-1935, a gathering of the poems loved by the author, by Yeats.
- Paraphrase of Shem (The), Nag Hammadi.
- Pistis Sophia (Faith Wisdom), 4th or 5th century AD.
- Poems (1895), by Yeats. - Prayers of Thanksgiving, Nag Hammadi.
- Prayer of the Apostle Paul, Nag Hammadi.
- Précis du siècle de Louis XV (1768), by Voltaire.
- Psychology of Religions East and West (The), by Carl Yung.
- Responsibilities: Poems and a Play (1914), by Yeats.
- Revelations of the Prophetess Philumene by Apelles.
- Second coming (The) by W.B. Yeats.
- Second Treatise to the Great Seth (The), Nag Hammadi
- Secret Book of John.
- Secret Gospel of Mark (The).
- Sentences of Sextus (The), Nag Hammadi.
- Shepherd, a well known early Christian writing that is one of the works representing the Apostolic Fathers, Greek Christian writers of the late 1st and early 2nd centuries, by Hermas.
- Songs of Experience (1794) by William Blake.
- Songs of Innocence (1789) by William Blake.
- Song of Los, ended the experimental period of William Blake poetic career.
- Sophia of Jesus Christ (The) Nag Hammadi, about 120-130 AD.
- Syllogisms, by Apelles in which he shows the untruths of the Books of Moses.
- Teachings of Silvanus (the), Nag Hammadi.
- Testimony of Truth (The), Nag Hammadi.
- The Two Genies, 1895), a story by Voltaire.
- Three Steles of Seth (The), Nag Hammadi.
- Thought of Norea (The), Nag Hammadi.
- Thunder (The): Perfect Mind, Nag Hammadi.
- Tower (The) (1928), named after the castle the author owned and had restored, it is the work of a fully accomplished artist; in it, the experience of a lifetime is brought to perfection of form, by Yeats.
- Treatise on the Resurrection (The), Nag Hammadi.
- Trimorphic Protennoia, Nag Hammadi.
- Tripartite Tractate (The), Nag Hammadi, probably by Heracleon.
- Two Plays, by Yeats.
- Vala by William Blake, about 1800.
- Valentinian Exposition (A), Nag Hammadi.
- Valperga (1823), a roman by Mary Shelley.
- Vision de Babouc (1748), a story by Voltaire.
- Wanderings of Oisin (The), and Other Poems (1889), the work of an aesthete, often beautiful but always rarefied, a soul's cry for release from circumstance, by Yeats.
- Wandlungen und Symbole der Libido (Psychology of the Unconscious, 1916) ran counter to many of Freud's ideas, by Carl Yung.
- Wild Swans at Coole (The), by Yeats. - Wind Among the Reeds (The) (1899), by Yeats. - Zadig (1747), a story by Voltaire.
- Winding Stair (The) (1929), their dominant subjects and symbols are the Easter Rising and the Irish civil war, by Yeats.
- Zostrianos, Nag Hammadi.

3- Christian Literalist Books

A- Old Testament

B- New Testament
B.1 The four Gospels
The word Gospel refers to any of four biblical narratives covering the life and death of Jesus Christ. Written, according to tradition, respectively by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (the four evangelists), they are placed at the beginning of the New Testament. The word gospel means "good news" or "good telling." Since the late 18th century the first three have been called the Synoptic Gospels, because they present a similar treatment of the life and death of Jesus Christ.

- Gospel of St. Matthew (The) is the first of the four New Testament Gospels, and, with Mark and Luke, one of the three so-called Synoptic Gospels. It has traditionally been attributed to Matthew, one of the 12 Apostles, described in the text as a tax collector. The Gospel was composed in Greek, sometime after AD 70, and based on the earlier Gospel According to Mark. There has been many suggestions about an earlier version in Aramaic. The author was most probably a Jewish Christian writing for similar Christians. The Gospel emphasizes Christ's fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies and his role as a new lawgiver whose divine mission was confirmed by repeated miracles. After tracing the genealogy of Jesus back to Abraham, the evangelist mentions certain details related to the infancy of Christ that are not elsewhere recorded; e.g., Joseph's perplexity on learning that Mary is pregnant, the homage of the Wise Men, the flight into Egypt to escape Herod's soldiers, the massacre of the innocents, and the return of the holy family from Egypt. Matthew then describes the preaching of John the Baptist, the call of the Apostles, and major events in the public ministry of Jesus. The final section describes the betrayal, Crucifixion, burial, and Resurrection of Christ. One passage, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church" (16:18), has become the basis of Roman Catholic belief in the divine institution of the papacy.

- Gospel of St. Mark (The), also called The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to St. Mark, is the second of the four New Testament Gospels, and, with Matthew and Luke, one of the three Synoptic Gospels. It is attributed to John Mark, an associate of Paul and a disciple of Peter, whose teachings the Gospel may reflect. It is the shortest and the earliest of the four Gospels, presumably written during the decade preceding the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. More than 90 percent of the content of Mark's Gospel appears in Matthew's, and more than 50 percent in the Gospel of Luke. It is simple and direct and, as the earliest Gospel, it is the primary source of information about the ministry of Jesus. Mark's explanations of Jewish customs and his translations of Aramaic expressions suggest that he was writing for Gentile converts. After an introduction (1:1-13), the Gospel describes Jesus' ministry in and around Galilee (1:14-8:26); his journey to Jerusalem (11-13); the Passion (14-15); and the Resurrection (16). Mark's Gospel stresses the deeds, strength, and determination of Jesus in overcoming evil forces and defying the power of imperial Rome. Mark also emphasizes the Passion, predicting it as early as chapter 8 and devoting the final third of his Gospel (11-16) to the last week of Jesus' life. Mark stresses that Jesus as reluctant to reveal himself as the Messiah only calling himself the Son of Man. While acknowledging Peter's declaration that Jesus is the Christ, he cautions his followers not to tell anyone about him.

- Gospel of St. Luke (The) is the third of the four New Testament Gospels, and, with Mark and Matthew, one of the three Synoptic Gospels. It is traditionally credited to Luke, "the beloved physician", a close associate of the Apostle Paul. Luke's Gospel is clearly written for Gentile converts: it traces Christ's genealogy back to Adam, the "father" of the human race, rather than to Abraham, the father of the Jewish people. The date and place of composition are uncertain; many date the Gospel to AD 63-70, others later. Like Matthew, Luke derives much of his Gospel from that of Mark but they share a good deal of material not found in Mark, suggesting another common source. Luke's narrative also contains much that is unique. It gives details of Jesus' infancy found in no other Gospel: the census of Caesar Augustus, the journey to Bethlehem, Jesus' birth, the adoration of the shepherds, Jesus' circumcision, the words of Simeon, and Jesus at age 12 in the temple talking with the doctors of the Law. It also is the only Gospel to give an account of the Ascension. Among the notable parables found only in Luke's Gospel are those of the Good Samaritan and the prodigal son. Luke, and its companion book, Acts of the Apostles, portrays the church as God's instrument of redemption on Earth in the interim between the death of Christ and the Second Coming. The two books combined provide the first Christian history, outlining God's purpose through three historical epochs: the epoch of the Law and the prophets, which lasted from ancient Israel to the time of John the Baptist; the epoch of Jesus' ministry; and the epoch of the church's mission, from the Ascension to the return of Christ.

- Gospel of St. John (The). The actual identity of the author, its place of composition, and date are unknown; many scholars suggest that it was written at Ephesus, Asia Minor, in about AD 100 for the purpose of communicating the truths about Christ to Christians of Hellenistic background. Its language and its theology suggest that the author may have lived later than John and based his writing on John's teachings and testimonies. Several episodes in the life of Jesus are recounted out of sequence with the Synoptic, and the final chapter appears to be a later addition, suggest that the text may be a composite. John's Gospel differs from the Synoptic Gospels: it covers a different time span than the others; it locates much of Jesus' ministry in Judea; it portrays Jesus discoursing at length on theological matters; it does not record many of the symbolic acts of Jesus; it includes certain episodes in order that his readers may understand and share in the mystical union of Christ's church, that they "may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that, if believing, they may have life in his name". The author begins his account as in Genesis ("In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."). The author adds interpretative comments to clarify Jesus' motives. In the narration of certain miracles, for example, the feeding of the 5,000, John's version is explained as symbolic of a deeper spiritual truth ("I am the bread of life; . . ."). Throughout John's Gospel, Jesus openly presents himself as the divine Son of God, not hiding his identity as he does in Mark. Because of its special theological character, the Gospel According to John was considered in ancient times to be the "spiritual Gospel," and it had a profound and lasting influence on the development of early Christian doctrine.

C- Acts of the Apostles, book of the New Testament traditionally attributed to St. Luke. It describes the story of the early Church and the career of St.Paul.

D- The Epistles of Saint Paul
- Romans (Letter of Paul to the) is the longest and doctrinally most significant of St. Paul the Apostle's New Testament writings, probably composed at Corinth in about AD 57. It was addressed to the Christian Church at Rome, whose congregation Paul hoped to visit for the first time on his way to Spain. Paul's lengthy presentation is more a treatise than a letter but falls far short of a complete survey of his theology; there is no discussion, for example, of the Eucharist, the Resurrection, or eschatology. Paul declares that God's righteousness has always been manifest in his dealings with men. The Apostle notes with pride the unique religious heritage of the Jewish people: the Covenant, the Law, the patriarchs, and Christ himself. Paul also cautions his readers that righteousness is not a license to sin. The letter contains several specific exhortations, such as to repay evil with good, to support and love one another, and to be obedient to civil rulers.

- 1 Corinthians: This Epistle to the Corinthians was addressed by St.Paul to the Christian Community at the Roman colony of Corinth in Achaea, Greece. It was written from Ephesus between AD 52 and 55.

- 2 Corinthians: This Epistle to the Corinthians was addressed by St.Paul to the Christian Community at the Roman colony of Corinth in Achaea, Greece. It was written from Macedonia again between 52 and 55 AD.

- Galatians, The Letter of Paul to, is also called "The Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Galatians". It is a New Testament writing addressed to Christian churches; the Jewish faction within the early Christian church rejected it because they believed that Christian converts were obliged to observe circumcision and other prescriptions of the Mosaic Law whereas Paul said the contrary. In the letter Paul reaffirms that the Mosaic Law is obsolete and that a return to Jewish practices would be regressive. The date of the letter is unknown.

- Ephesians (Letter of Paul to the) is a New Testament writing once attributed to Paul while in prison, but now believed to be written by one of Paul's disciples before AD 90, on the base of Paul's letter to the Colossians. The letter declares that the Christian mystery of salvation is the source of true wisdom and that salvation through Christ is offered to Jews and Gentiles alike. The writer affirms that there is but "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all", who united all things in Christ, through whose death all men are redeemed. The author exhorts his readers, parents and children, masters and slaves, to lead exemplary Christian lives and to resist the wiles of the devil.

- Philippians (Letter of Paul to) is a New Testament letter written by Paul the Apostle, while he was in prison probably at Rome about AD 62, and addressed to his Christian congregation in Macedonia. Fearful that he would soon be executed, but hoping to visit the Philippians again, Paul explains that he was imprisoned for preaching the gospel of Christ. Though he welcomes death for Jesus' sake, he would like to continue his apostolate. Paul exhorts his readers to remain firm in their faith and to imitate the humility of Christ. Paul also asks the Philippians to work out their "own salvation with fear and trembling".

- Colossians (The Letter of Paul to the), also called The Epistle of St. Paul The Apostle To The Colossians, is a New Testament writing addressed to Christians at Colossae, Asia Minor, a congregation founded by Paul's colleague Epaphras. The theology of the letter indicates that Paul composed it in Rome about AD 62, although some question Pauline authorship on the basis of vocabulary. The Colossians' views and practices were incompatible with the Christian doctrine. The author condemns these practices by recalling the pre-eminence of Christ in everything, because he is "the image of the invisible God" (1:15), who reconciled man to God "by the blood of his cross" (1:20). Paul then exhorts the Christian community to put away anger, malice, and foul talk and to show kindness, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and love in imitation of Christ.

- 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians (Letters of Paul to the Thessalonians) are two New Testament letters written by Paul from Corinth, Greece, about AD 50 and addressed to the Christian community he founded in Macedonia. The first letter, written after Timothy, his co-worker, returned from Thessalonia, reports that the new converts had stood fast in the Lord despite persecution. In answer to a question that disturbed the community, Paul explained that everyone, both the living and the dead, will share Christ's Resurrection at the time of his Second Coming. The second letter was written shortly after the first, but Paul's authorship is not certain because of the ambiguity about the date of Christ's Second Coming. Christians apparently believed that working was useless because the end of the world was close at hand. The letter explains that the final day will not arrive until after the Antichrist appears and proclaims himself God. Christians must consequently continue "to earn their own living".

- 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy (The Letters of Paul to) are also called The Epistle of St. Paul The Apostle To Timothy, or Pastoral Epistle. These two New Testament writings, addressed to Timothy, one of Paul's most faithful co-workers together with the Letter of Paul to Titus, have been called Pastoral Epistles, because they deal mainly with church administration and the growth of heresies. Roman Catholic exegetes still hold that Paul was the author whereas Protestant exegetes are doubtful, as the style is different from Paul's normal way of expressing himself. The First Letter of Paul to Timothy insists on the need to avoid unorthodox teachings and dangerous speculations and repeats the qualities expected of bishops and deacons. It exhorts Timothy to fulfil his duties faithfully and to instil in his congregation traditional beliefs, notions of proper conduct, and respect for one another. The Second Letter similarly asks Timothy to "guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit" and to accept his share of suffering "as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." He is also admonished to "have nothing to do with stupid, senseless controversies" and to avoid "men of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith."

- Titus (The Letter of Paul to), also called The Epistle of St. Paul The Apostle To Titus, is a New Testament writing addressed to one of Paul's close companions, Titus, who was the organizer of the churches in Crete. With the two letters of Paul to Timothy, they have been called Pastoral Letters because they deal principally with heresies and church discipline. The letter urges Titus to appoint worthy elders to positions of responsibility, to preach sound doctrine, and to exemplify in his own life the virtues that are expected of all Christians. It warns against the disruptive influence of "Jewish myths," especially those put forward by the "circumcision party." Paul's authorship is often put in doubt.

- Philemon (The Letter of Paul to), also called The Epistle of Saint Paul The Apostle To Philemon, is a brief New Testament letter written by Paul the Apostle probably about 61 AD to a wealthy Christian of Colossae, Asia Minor, on behalf of Onesimus, Philemon's former slave. Paul, writing from prison, expresses affection for the newly converted Onesimus and asks that he be received in the same spirit that would mark Paul's own arrival, even though Onesimus may be guilty of previous failings. While passing no judgment on slavery, Paul exhorts Philemon to manifest true Christian love that removes barriers between slaves and free men.

E- The Non-Pauline Epistles
- Hebrews, Letter to, is a New Testament letter attributed to Paul but now believed to be the work of a Jewish Christian, perhaps one of Paul's associates. The letter was composed during the latter half of the 1st century. The letter was addressed to a Christian community who was loosing faith because of strong Jewish influences. Against this, the author describes the perfect priesthood of Christ, who, unlike the Jewish high priest, offered but one sacrifice as God's own Son, thereby redeeming all of mankind. The Jewish high priest, by contrast, was a temporary appointee whose imperfect sacrifice had to be repeated over and over. The author concludes that Christianity is superior to Judaism.

- James, The Letter of, also called "The Epistle of St. James the Apostle", is a New Testament writing addressed to the early Christian churches ("to the twelve tribes in the dispersion") and attributed to James, a Christian Jew, whose identity is disputed. The date of composition is unknown. The letter is moralistic rather than dogmatic and reflects early Jewish Christianity. The writer covers such topics as endurance under persecution, poverty and wealth, control of the tongue, care for orphans and widows, cursing, boasting, oaths, and prayer.

- 1 Peter and 2 Peter (Letters of) are two New Testament writings attributed to the Apostle Peter, but in fact the authors are unknown. The first letter is addressed to persecuted Christians living in five regions of Asia Minor; it tells the people to emulate the suffering Christ in their distress, remembering that after his Passion and death Jesus rose from the dead and is now in glory. The Christians are urged to repay evil with goodness and to love one another and are cautioned to safeguard their reputation as good citizens of high morality. The second letter is concerned with the Second Coming of Christ. The author attributes the apparent delay to God's patience in allowing time for universal redemption and notes that in the sight of God 1,000 years are like one day. The writer also warns against false teachers, whose conduct is as immoral as their words are deceptive.

- 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John are three New Testament writings composed around AD 100 and traditionally attributed to John the Evangelist, son of Zebedee and disciple of Jesus. The first letter's author is unknown, but the writer of the second and third calls himself "presbyter" (elder). The language and contents of the three letters suggest a common source. The first letter was addressed to churches where "false prophets," denounced as Antichrist, denied the incarnation of Jesus and caused secession. Christians are exhorted to persevere in leading a moral life, which meant imitating Christ by keeping the Commandments, especially that of loving one another. The second and third letters are similar to the first in language and ideas. The second exhorts a church to boycott heretics who deny the reality of the incarnation. The third letter is addressed to a certain Gaius and complains that "Diotrephes, who lies to put himself first, does not acknowledge my authority".

- Jude (Letter of) is a brief New Testament letter written in the first quarter of the 2d century AD to a general Christian audience by "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James" but whose real identity is unknown. The letter asks the Christians to "contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" and to be careful of "ungodly persons who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." The cultivated Greek style is obvious in the numerous figures of speech and references to both the Old and New Testaments and to other sources. References to apocryphal literature has led to a 3rd-century dispute about the letter's authenticity, but its canonical status in the early church is well attested.

F- The Revelations of St.John the Divine
- Revelation to John, also called Book of Revelation and Apocalypse of John, is the last book of the New Testament. It is the only book of the New Testament classified as apocalyptic literature, rather than didactic or historical, indicating thereby its extensive use of visions, symbols, and allegory, especially in connection with future events. Revelation to John is a collection of separate units composed by unknown authors who lived during the last quarter of the 1st century, even if it is attributed to John, "the beloved disciple" of Jesus, at Patmos, in the Aegean Sea. The book comprises two main parts: the first (chapters 2-3) contains moral admonitions in individual letters addressed to the seven Christian churches of Asia Minor. In the second part (chapters 4-22:5), visions, allegories, and symbols fill the text and exegetes differ in their interpretations. Christians are exhorted to remain firm in their faith and to keep hope that God will ultimately be victorious over his, and their, enemies. This view refers to current problems in an eschatological context, but the message of Revelation is also relevant to future generations of Christians who, too, will suffer persecution. The victory of God over Satan typifies similar victories over evil in ages still to come and God's final victory at the end of time.

G- Q Gospel.
Q is an abbreviation of the German word "Quelle" meaning "Source". It describes a Gospel that has been extracted from the common material (source) found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke but that do not appear in the Gospel of Mark.

H- Apocrypha
- Gospel of the Hebrews (The), a book of the New Testament Apocrypha. It was probably written in Egypt in the second century AD. It reflects Jewish Christianity and is known mainly from quotations by contemporary and later Christian writers.

I Apocalyptic Literature
This is a literary genre that flourished from about 200 BC to about AD 200, especially in Judaism and Christianity. Written primarily to give hope to religious groups undergoing persecution or the stress of cultural upheavals, apocalypses (from the Greek apokalypsis: "revelation") describe in cryptic language, understood by believers, the sudden, dramatic intervention of God in history on behalf of the faithful elect. Accompanying or heralding God's dramatic intervention in human affairs will be cataclysmic events of cosmic proportions, such as a temporary rule of the world by Satan, signs in the heavens, persecutions, wars, famines, and plagues. These writers generally concentrated on the future, for instance the future overthrow of evil, on the coming of a messianic figure, and on the establishment of the Kingdom of God and of eternal peace and righteousness. The wicked are described as consigned to hell and the righteous or elect as reigning with God or a messiah in a renewed earth or heaven. The Revelation to John in the New Testament represent apocalyptic writing, and several inter-testamental books contain apocalyptic themes.

- Apocalypse of Peter, also called Revelation to Peter, is a pseudepigraphal, non-canonical and unauthentic, Christian writing dating from the first half of the 2nd century AD. The unknown author, who claimed to be Peter the Apostle, relied on the canonical Gospels and on Revelation to John to construct a conversation between himself and Jesus regarding events at the end of the world. Unlike Revelation to John the Apocalypse of Peter dwells on eternal rewards and punishments. The graphic account of the torments to be borne by sinful men was apparently borrowed from Orphic and Pythagorean religious texts, thereby introducing pagan ideas of heaven and hell into Christian literature.

J- Various Writings
- Acts of Barnabas, an apocryphal work of late date, recounts the missionary tours and the death by martyrdom of Barnabas in Cyprus, by Barnabas.
- Ad martyras ("To the Martyrs"), by Tertullian.
- Ad nationes ("To the Nations"), by Tertullian.
- Ad objectiones Gallorum calumniantium ("To the Objections of the Gallic Calumniators"), a reply to the general attack on Augustine by Prosper of Aquitaine.
- Ad uxorem, a gentle and sensitive treatise to his wife, by Tertullian.
- Adversus Hermogenem ("Against Hermogenes," a Carthaginian painter who claimed that God created the world out of pre-existing matter), by Tertullian.
- Adversus Jovinianum (393), a polemical diatribe against the monk Jovinian who asserted the equality of virginity and marriage, brilliant but needlessly crude, influenced by Tertullian writings unnecessarily harsh toward marriage.
- Adversus Marcionem ("Against Marcion," an Anatolian heretic who believed that the world was created by the evil god of the Jews), by Tertullian.
- Adversus Nationes (about 303 AD) by Arnobius (seven books: books 1 and 2, defence of Christianity from Pagan calumnies; books 3, 4 and 5, attack against Neoplatonism, anthropomorphism and heathen mythology; books 6 and 7, worship of images, temples and ceremonials)
- Adversus Valentinianos ("Against Valentinus," an Alexandrian Gnostic, or religious dualist), by Tertullian.
- Aeterne rerum Conditor" ("Framer of the earth and sky"), by Ambrose.
- Against Images, three works, by Epiphanius.
- Against the Schism of the Donatists, an important source for the history of the Donatists, by Optatus.
- Ancoratus, a polemic against Origen by Epiphanius.
- Apocriticus or, better, "Apokritikos e monogenes pros Hellenas" ("Response of the Only-Begotten to the Greeks"). Its doctrine is derived from the Cappadocian school. The critic questions biblical texts, particularly concerning Christ's Incarnation and Resurrection.
- Apokritikos e monogenes pros Hellenas, 5 books (Response of the Only-Begotten to the Greeks), commonly called the Apocriticus, a theological defence of Christianity, based on a doctrine derived from the Cappadocian school, by Macarius Magnes.
- Apologeticus (197?), by Tertullian
- Apologia to Pope Anastasius, the author's orthodoxy was questioned, and he was obliged to write an apology to the Pope who had summoned him to Rome, by Rufinus Tyrranius.
- Apologies for the Christians by Justin Martyr (two books).
- Apology for the Christian faith, a discussion of the harmony in creation, also a correlation with the Divine Being responsible for the creation and preservation of the universe, by Aristides.
- Apology for Origen, five books now lost, by Pamphilus.
- Apophthegmata patrum, writings and discourses of Saint Anthony, edited by Athanasius.
- Apotheosis, directed against disclaimers of the Trinity and the divinity of Christ, on incarnation, by Prudentius.
- Autoritative Teaching.
- Bazaar of Heracleides", an apology, by Nestorius.
- Book of Divine Consolation (The) (1308?), by Eckhart.
- Book of Heraclides of Damascus, intended as a defence of the author's teaching and a history of his life, by Nestorius.
- Book of observances, rules for monks, by Pachomius.
- Canonical Epistle (c. 256) contains valuable data on Eastern Church discipline in the 3rd-century, resolving moral questions incident to the Gothic invasion of Pontus, by Gregory Thaumaturgus.
- Carmen de Ingratis, a poem on hexameters describing ideas on grace by Prosper of Aquitaine.
- Carmen de se ipso, "Song Concerning One-self", autobiographical poem, by Gregory of Nazianzus.
- Catecheses, a collection of 23 catechetical lectures delivered to candidates for Baptism, by Cyril of Jerusalem.
- Cathermerinon, ("Book in Accordance with the Hours") comprises 12 lyric poems on various times of the day and on church festivals, hymns for daily use, by Prudentius.
- Catholic Epistles to churches in Greece, Bithynia, Crete, Pontus and Rome as well as to Chrysophora, by Dyonisius of Tarsus.
- Chronica (2 volumes, circa 402-404), sacred histories from the Creation to his own time but omitting the Gospels; the latter part is a valuable contemporary document, especially for the tragic history of the Priscillianists, followers of an unorthodox Trinitarian doctrine teaching that the Son differs from the Father only in name, by Sulpicius Severus.
- Chronicles by Eusebius of Caesarea.
- Chronographiai (221), a five-volume treatise on sacred and profane history from the Creation (which he placed at 5499 BC) to AD 221, by Julius Africanus.
- Church History (Ecclesiastical History) in 12 books, the work covers the period 300 to 425, it was intended to continue the monumental Ecclesiastical History by the 4th-century chronicler Eusebius of Caesarea, by Philostorgius.
- Clementine Literature, includes Recognition and Homilies. Attributed to St Clement of Rome (died around 100 AD) but were written in the fourth century AD.
- Collations of the Fathers (or Conferences of the Egyptian Monks), written as dialogues of the Desert Fathers by Cassian.
- Commentary on the Psalms, by Hilary of Poitiers.
- Concept of our Great Power (The)
- Confessio, a spiritual autobiography, by Saint Patrick.
- Confessions, the story of the restless youth and conversion of the author, by St Augustine
- Contestatio, a work summoning the faithful to rise against Nestorius, by Eusebius of Dorylaeum.
- Contra Symmachum ("Books Against Symmachus") were written in reply to that pagan senator's requests that the altar of Victory be restored to the Senate house, against paganism, by Prudentius.
- Contra Vigilantium, 406, a defence of monasticism, clerical celibacy, and certain practices connected with the cult of martyrs, by Saint Jerome.
- Contra Celsum (about 248), written at Ambrose's request, survives in its entirety in one Vatican manuscript, by Origen.
- Creation of Man (The), by Gregory of Nyzza.
- De anima ("Concerning the Soul"), a book on the Christian doctrine of man, by Tertullian.
- De Baptismo (On Baptism), by Tertullian.
- De bono mortis ["On the Goodness of Death"] betray a deep acquaintance with Neoplatonic mystical language, by Ambrose.
- De Consideratione (Consideration to Eugene III) by Bernard of Clairveaux.
- De corona ("Concerning the Crown"-a military decoration), by Tertullian. - De cultu feminarum ("Concerning the Dress of Women"), by Tertullian.
- De Diligendo Deo (The Love of God) by Bernard of Clairveaux.
- De dono perseverantiae ("Concerning the Gift of Perseverance"), by Saint Augustine of Hippo.
- De exhortatione castitatis ("Concerning the Exhortation to Chastity"), on marriage and remarriage, by Tertullian.
- De fuga in persecutione ("Concerning Flight in Persecution"), whether one should flee under persecution, by Tertullian.
- De Gratia gave the final form to Semi-Pelagianism, by Faustus de Riez.
- De idollatria ("Concerning Idolatry"), by Tertullian.
- De Isaac et anima ["On Isaac and the Soul"], sermons on the patriarchs by Ambrose.
- De libero arbitrio ("On Free Will"), by Pelagius (416).
- De Mensuris et Ponderibus by Epiphanius.
- De monogamia ("Concerning Monogamy"), by Tertullian.
- Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching, written in Greek, is extant only in an Armenian translation; it was probably intended for the instruction of young candidates for Baptism, by Irenaeus
- De Nabuthe ["On Naboth"], denunciation of social abuses; he frequently secured pardon for condemned men, by Ambrose.
- De officiis ministrorum (386), on the moral obligations of the clergy, is modelled on Cicero's De officiis, by Ambrose.
- De Oratione (On Prayer), by Tertullian.
- De patientia), a virtue that he admitted was conspicuously absent from his life, by Tertullian.
- De poenitentia ("Concerning Repentance"), on repentance after Baptism, by Tertullian.
- De praedestinatione sanctorum ("Concerning the Predestination of the Saints"), by Saint Augustine of Hippo.
- De resurrectione carnis ("Concerning the Resurrection of the Flesh"), by Tertullian.
- De septies percussa ("Concerning Seven Beatings"), by Saint Jerome.
- De spectaculis ("Concerning Spectacles"), on the arts, theatre, and civic festivals, by Tertullian.
- De synodis ("Concerning the Synods") explains the history of the Arian controversy and asks the faithful in the East to rally against those who believed the Son was unlike the Father, by Hilary of Poitiers.
- De Trinitate, long attributed to Athanasius or Bishop Vigilius of Thapsus, are presently accepted as Eusebius of Vercelli' work.
- De trinitate, the first work in Latin to deal with the issues of the Trinitarian controversies, by Hilary of Poitiers.
- Deus Creator omnium (Maker of all things, God most high), by Ambrose.
- De viris illustribus ("Concerning Illustrious Men"), a catalogue of Christian authors, was written in 392/393 to counter pagan pride in pagan culture, by Saint Jerome. - De vocazitone omnium gentium, view on predestination and grace that explains the universal saving will of God, by Prosper of Aquitaine.
- Dialogue of Papiscus with Jason, on the Jewish-Christian, by Aristo of Pella.
- Dialogue on the Life of St. John Chrysostom, by Palladius.
- Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, by Justin Martyr.
- Dialogi (404), a masterpiece in which the relative merits of Martin's monastery (at Marmoutier, near Tours) are debated by one of its inmates with a traveller recently returned to Aquitania from the ascetics of the North African desert, by Sulpicius Severus.
- Dialogi contra Pelagianos (three books, 415), using fictitious interlocutors to make the author's arguments impersonal, by Saint Jerome.
- Didascalia Apostolorum or "The Catholic Teaching of the Twelve Holy Apostles Ecclesiastical History, a landmark in Christian historiography, by Eusebius of Caerarea.
- Disciples of the Saviour (also named the Directions of the Apostles), written by Epiphanius in the early 3d century for a Jewish-Christian Church in northern Syria by its bishop.
- Discourse Concerning the Salvation of Rich Men by Clement of Alexandria.
- Dittochaeon ("The Double Testament"), 49 quatrains intended as captions for the murals of a basilica in Rome, is of interest mainly to art historians, by Prudentius.
- Divinae institutiones, a repudiation of the deluding superstitions of pagan cults, proposing in their place the Christian religion as a theism, or rationalized belief in a single Supreme Being, by Lactantius.
- Ecclesiastical History (Historia ecclesiastica), in seven books, by Socrates Scholasticus.
- Eclogae Propheticae (or Extracts), in the form of notes, by Clement of Alexandria.
- Epistle of Barnabas (The), one of the best known writing of the early Christian Church. Not included in New Testament because it is a mixture of Pagan, Gnostic, and Christian ideas.
- Epistle (The), of Polycarp.
- Epistle to Diognetus, by Pantaenus.
- Epistola, a denunciation of British mistreatment of Irish Christians, by Saint Patrick.
- Euchologion ("Collected Prayers," or "Sacramentary"), contains liturgical texts for various rites and blessings, including some of the earliest formulas in the Eucharist, by Serapion of Thmuis.
- Evangelium de nativitate Mariae ("Gospel of the Nativity of Mary"), 3d century AD.
- Exhortation to Martyrdom, addressed to Ambrose, by Origen.
- Exhortation to the Greeks (Protrepticus)", an attack on Pagan beliefs and religion, by Clement of Alexandria.
- Exhortation to Patience or Address to the Newly Baptized, a moral work, by Clement of Alexandria.
- Explanation of the Sayings of the Lord, important apostolic source accounts of the history of primitive Christianity and of the origins of the Gospels, by Papias of Hieropolis (2d century AD).
- Exposition of Faith, a theological apology for Trinitarian belief that incorporates doctrinal instructions to Christian initiates, express arguments against heretical groups, and was the forerunner of the Nicene Creed of the early 4th century, by Gregory Thaumaturgus.
- Exposition of the Symbol of Nicaea, by Theodotus of Ancyra.
- Exposito psalmorum, a florilegium of Augustine's comments on psalms 100 to 150 by Prosper of Aquitaine.
- Feast of the Lights, in honour of the Virgin Mary, by Theodotus of Ancyra.
- Five Theological Orations, a presentation of trinitarian doctrine by Gregory of Nazianzus.
- Four Orations Against the Arians, by Athanasius (Saint)
- Great Catechesis (or Address on Religious Instruction), a classic outline of orthodox theology, by Gregory of Nyssa.
- Hamartigenia ("The Origin of Sin") attacks the Gnostic dualism of Marcion and his followers, by Prudentius.
- Hexaëmeron ("On the Six Days of Creation") sermons expounding the Bible and defending the "spiritual" meaning of the Old Testament by erudite philosophical allegory, by Ambrose.
- Hexaëmeron ("Six Days"), sermons on the days of the Creation, Gregory of Nyssa completed Basil's work.
- Hexapla, a synopsis of six versions of the Old Testament by Origen.
- Historia ecclesiastica (Ecclesiastical History), by Eusebius of Caesarea.
- Historiarum adversus paganos libri VII (Seven Books of Histories Against the Pagans). This book chronicles the history of the world from its creation through the founding and history of Rome up until AD 417, by Orosius.
- Homilies, a survey of the Christian faith predominantly in theological, ascetical, and disciplinary matters, by Aphraates.
- Homilies, attributed to St Clement of Rome but Written in the 4th century AD.
- II and III John, Letters written by John the Presbyter.
- Institutes of the Monastic Life (420-429) by Cassian.
- Jewish Foods by Novatian.
- Lausiac History, an account of early Egyptian and Middle Eastern Christian monasticism, a valuable source on the origins of Christian asceticism, by Palladius.
- Legenda aurea (Golden Legend), a hagiographic collection by Jacobus de Voragine, 13th century.
- Letter to the Philippians, a refutation of the Gnostics' argument that God's incarnation in, and the death and Resurrection of, Christ were all imaginary phenomena of purely moral or mythological significance, by Polycarp.
- Letters (Three), attributed to Saint John.
- Letters of Barnabas, an exegetical treatise on the use of the Old Testament, attributed to Barnabas (?).
- Letter to the Church of Corinth (I Clement), written to settle a controversy among the Corinthians against their church leaders, attributed to Clement of Rome.
- Letters to Anastasius I, by Gelasius I.
- Letter to Cyprian concerning baptism, by Firmilian of Caesarea.
- Letter to Theopompus on the Passible and Impassible in God, deals with the Hellenistic theory of God's incapacity for feeling and suffering, by Gregory Thaumaturgus.
- Letters to the Churches of Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia and Smyrna as well as to Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, by Saint Ignatius. They have survived.
- Letters (or Epistle) to the Hebrews attributed to Barnabas.
- Libellus fidei ("Brief Statement of Faith"), by Pelagius.
- Liber Hebraicarum quaestionum in Genesim ("Book of Hebrew Questions on Genesis") gives an important place to geography, etymology, and rabbinic tradition (post-biblical Jewish scholarly views), by Saint Jerome.
- Liber interpretationis Hebraicorum nominum ("Book of Interpretation of Hebrew Names"), an alphabetical list, with quite fanciful etymologies or origins, of Hebrew proper names in the Bible, by Saint Jerome.
- Liber locorum ("Book of Places"), a useful translation and adaptation of Eusebius' work on Palestinian place-names, by Saint Jerome.
- Liber sententiarum Sancti Augustini ("The Book of the Sentences of St. Augustine"), a collection of Augustinian propositions by Prosper of Aquitaine.
- Life of Constantine, a biography of Constantine written after his death in 337, Eusebius of Caesarea or Eusebius Pamphilus.
- Life of Macrina blends biography with instruction in the monastic life, by Gregory of Nyssa.
- Life of Polycarp, that still exists in part, by Pionius.
- Life of Saint Anthony, from his writings and discourses, edited by Athanasius.
- Lives of the Friends of God (The), deals with the earliest Christian ascetics in the wilderness areas of Egypt and Asia Minor, by Palladius.
- Lord's Passion (The), a theological treatise on Easter, by Melito de Sardis, 2d century AD.
- Macarian writings, a collection of 50 Spiritual Homilies, possibly recorded in expanded form by a monastic colleague and attributed to Macarius the Egyptian after his death.
- Matheseos libri ("Books on Astrology") (circa 335), by Firmicus Maternus.
- Memoirs (five books), a prime source on the organizational structure and theological ferment of the primitive Christian church, by Hegesippus.
- Metabole, a hexameter paraphrase of St. John's Gospel, by Nonnus of Panapolis.
- Mystical Life of Moses, treats the 13th-century-BC journey of the Hebrews from Egypt to Mount Sinai as a pattern of the progress of the soul through the temptations of the world to a vision of God, by Gregory of Nyzza.
- Nine treatises against the Jews, particularly acrimonious, they treat of Easter, circumcision, dietary laws, the supplanting of Israel by Gentiles as the new chosen people, and Jesus' divine sonship, by Aphraates.
- Nobleman (The), by Meister Eckhart.
- Ode to Solomon, a collection of 42 hymns known to the early Christian Church, partly of Jewish origin.
- On Detachment, by Meister Eckhart.
- On First Principles (De principiis) by Origen.
- On Not Three Gods, a brief treaty that relates the Cappadocian Fathers' theology of three Persons in the Godhead (i.e., the Trinity) to Plato's teachings of the One and the Many, by Gregory of Nyssa.
- On Prayer (about 233), a tract preserved in one manuscript at Cambridge; it expounds the Lord's Prayer and discusses some of the philosophical problems of petition, arguing that petition can only be excluded by a determinism false to the experience of personality, while the highest prayer is an elevation of the soul beyond material things to a passive inward union with Christ, mediator between men and the Father, by Origen.
- On the Death of Persecutors, held that the Christian God could intervene to right human injustice, by Lactantius.
- On the Incarnation of the Lord, a theological dissertation written against the heretic Nestorius at the request of Pope Leo I, by Cassian.
- On the Government of God, an attack the complacency of the church and the empire, 8 volumes, by Savian.
- On the Resurrection (Peri anastaseos) by Origen.
- On the Trinity by Novatian.
- On the Unity of the Catholic Church, which stressed the centrality of the see of Peter (Rome) as the source of the episcopacy, by St Cyprian.
- On virginity, by Gregory of Nyzza.
- Ordinances of the Holy Apostles through Clement (Apostolic Constitutions) reputedly drafted by the Apostles, it is the largest collection of early -Christian ecclesiastical law, attributed to Clement of Rome.
- Outlines, based on the doctrines of Origen, by Theognotus.
- Panarion or Medicine Chest against (or Refutation of) all Heresies, a treatise on heresies by Epiphanius.
- Panegyric to Origen, a florid eulogy, by Gregory Thaumaturgus.
-"Peri physeos anthropou" ("On the Nature of Man"), the first known book of theological anthropology with a Christian orientation, by Nemesius of Emesa.
- Peri Stephanon ("Crowns of Martyrdom") contains 14 lyric poems on Spanish and Roman martyrs, by Prudentius.
- Physica, an explanation of Aristotle's Physics, dealing with all the branches of natural science, logic, rhetoric, mathematics, astronomy, ethics, economics, politics, and metaphysics, by Magnus Albertus.
- Praescriptione Hereticorum (On the Claims of Heretics), by Tertullian
- Prayer of the Apostle Paul (A).
- Presbeia peri Christianon (Embassy for the Christians), circa 177 AD, uses Neoplatonic concepts to interpret Christian belief and worship for Greek and Roman cultures and to refute early pagan charges that Christians were disloyal and immoral, by Athenagoras.
- Protevangelium of James ("First Gospel of James"), 2d century AD.
- Psychomachia ("The Contest of the Soul"), the first completely allegorical poem in European literature, was immensely influential in the Middle Ages, by Prudentius.
- Quest of the Historical Jesus (The), by Albert Schweitzer.
- Recognitions, attributed to St Clement of Rome but Written in the 4th century AD.
- Refutation and Subversion of Knowledge Falsely So Called or "Adversus Haereses" (Against Heresies -Gnostic Heresies), by Irenaeus, 180 AD.
- Refutation of All Heresies (The), traces the Gnostic heresies to their origin in Greek schools of philosophy, by Hippolytus, 220 AD.
- Regula prima, "First Rule," or Regula non bullata, "Rule Without a Bull"), which reasserted devotion to poverty and the apostolic life and introduced greater institutional structure but was never officially sanctioned by the pope, by St. Francis of Assisi.
- Regula secunda ("Second Rule"), or Regula bullata ("Rule with a Bull") a revision of the rule. Pope Honorius III approved it in the bull Solet annuere ("Accustomed to Grant") on November 29, 1223, by St. Francis of Assisi.
- Retractions by St. Augustine.
- Revelations to John, attributed to Saint John.
- Sermons on the Canticle of Canticles, by Bernard de Clairvaux.
- Sinaitic text, the text of the Codex Sinaiticus, a Greek manuscript of the bible dating to the fourth century AD. It was discovered in 1884 in the monastery of Ste Catherine on Mount Sinai. It is now in the British Museum.
- Six Books Against Nestorius, by Theodotus of Ancyra.
- Stromateis (Carpet bags), relation of Christianity to Gnosis and to Greek philosophy by Clement of Alexandria.
- Stromateis (Miscellanies) by Origen.
- Talks of Instruction (1300?), by Eckhart.
- Three books of defence of Christianity by Theophilus of Antioch.
- To the Friends of God, addressed to younger monks, by Macarius the Egyptian.
- Tractatus mysteriorum, on typology, by Hilary of Poitiers.
- Treatise on the Resurrection (The), by St. Paul.
- Trimorphic Protennoia.
- Tutor (The) (Paidagogos)", instructions to the converted, by Clement of Alexandria.
- Two sermons on Christmas, by Theodotus of Ancyra.
- Vita S. Martini, the first draft was written before Martin's death in 397; supplementary matter relating to Martin is added in all later versions, including three authentic letters, by Sulpicius Severus.

4- Jewish books

A- Old Testament.

A.1- The Pentateuch
- Genesis, is Hebrew Bereshit ("In the Beginning"), is the first book of the Old Testament. Its name derives from the opening words: "In the beginning …" Genesis narrates the primeval history of the world (chapters 1-11) and the patriarchal history of the Israelite people (chapters 12-50). The primeval history includes the stories of the Creation, the Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel, Noah and the Flood, and the Tower of Babel. The patriarchal history begins with the divine promise to Abraham that "I will make of you a great nation" (12:2) and tells the stories of Abraham (chapters 12-25) and his descendants: Isaac and his twin sons Jacob and Esau (chapters 26-36) and Jacob's family, the principal figure being Joseph (chapters 37-50), whose story tells how the Israelites came to be in Egypt. Genesis must thus be seen as a part of a larger unit of material traditionally understood to comprise the first five books of the Bible, called the Torah, or Pentateuch.

- Exodus, an Old Testament book whose Hebrew title is Shemot (Names). Chapters 1-18 narrate the history of the Egyptian bondage, the Exodus from Egypt, and the journey to Mount Sinai under the leadership of Moses. The second half of the book tells of the Covenant between God and Israel made at Sinai that promulgates the laws for the ordering of Israel's life.

- Leviticus, in Hebrew Wayiqra (And He Called) is the third book of the Latin Vulgate Bible, a book (or manual) primarily concerned with the priests and their duties. Leviticus is a book of laws that also contains some narrative (chapters 8-9, 10:1-7, 10:16-20, and 24:10-14). The book is divided into five parts: sacrificial laws (chapters 1-7); the inauguration of the priesthood and laws governing their office (chapters 8-10); laws for ceremonial purity (chapters 11-16); laws governing the people's holiness (chapters 17-26); and a supplement concerning offerings to the sanctuary and religious vows (chapter 27). Scholars agree that Leviticus belongs to the Priestly source of the Pentateuchal traditions. This material is dated from the 7th century BC and is regarded as the law upon which Ezra and Nehemiah based their reform. Older material, particularly the "Holiness Code" (chapters 17-26), dates from ancient times.

- Numbers (in Hebrew Bemidbar or "In the Wilderness") is also called The Fourth Book Of Moses, the fourth book of the Bible. The book is the sacred history of the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness following the departure from Sinai and before their occupation of Canaan, the Promised Land. It describes their sufferings and their numerous complaints against God. The people are depicted as faithless and rebellious, and God as one who provides for and sustains his people. These accounts continue the story of God's promise that the Israelites will inhabit the land of Canaan. The story, begun in Genesis and continued in Exodus and Leviticus, does not reach its conclusion until Israel successfully occupies the Promised Land. As the books now stand, the promise is fulfilled in the Book of Joshua.

- Deuteronomy, the fifth and last book of the Pentateuch in the Old Testament, written in the form of a farewell address by Moses to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land of Canaan. The core of the book probably dates from the 7th century BC.

A.2- The Historical Books
- Joshua is the sixth book of the Old Testament, which belongs to a tradition of Jewish history and law, called Deuteronomic that was first written about 550 BC, during the Babylonian Exile. The book is the first of the Former Prophets in the Jewish canon. It tells the story of the Israelite occupation of Canaan, the Promised Land. The book can be divided into three sections: the conquest of Canaan (chapters 1-12), the distribution of the land among the Israelite tribes (chapters 13-22), and Joshua's farewell address and death (chapters 23-24). Joshua is often seen as the beginning of a history that continues in the following books. The conquest of the Promised Land is forcefully told, and the historian emphasizes the help of Yahweh in the conquest. The allotment of the land to various tribes is made to include territory that never belonged to Israel or that came into Israel's possession at a much later time, reflecting the historian's hope that the former glory of the Israelite nation will be restored. The farewell address of Joshua (chapter 24) sets forth the conditions for Yahweh's maintenance of Israel in the land: "If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good".

- Judges is an Old Testament book of the historical tradition known as Deuteronomic history that was first written about 550 BC, during the Babylonian Exile. The judges to whom the title refers were charismatic leaders who delivered Israel from a succession of foreign dominations after their conquest of Canaan, the Promised Land. The introduction is an account of the conquest of Canaan (1:1-2:5) and a description of the period of the judges (2:6-3:6). The main body of the book consists of narratives about the judges. The book concludes with supplements about the migration of the tribe of Dan to the north (chapters 17-18) and about the sins of the Benjaminites (chapters 19-21). Recurring throughout the book is the stereotyped formula: "The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord . . . and he sold them into the hand of . . ." After each period of subjection, the historian introduces another formula: "But when the people of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people . . ."

- Ruth is an Old Testament book belonging to the third section of the biblical canon, known as the Ketuvim, or Writings. In the Hebrew Bible, Ruth stands with the Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther; together they make up the Megillot, five scrolls that are read at prescribed times on Jewish religious festivals. The book is named for its central character, a Moabite woman. According to the final verses of the book, her son was the grandfather of David. This attempt to make Ruth an ancestor of David is considered a late addition to a book that itself must be dated in the late 5th or 4th century BC.

- 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel are two Old Testament books that, along with Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, and 1 and 2 Kings, belong to the tradition of Deuteronomic history first written about 550 BC. The two books, which were originally one, are concerned with the origin and early history of the monarchy of ancient Israel. The work bears the name of Samuel, the first of its principal figures; he was instrumental in the selection of the first two kings. In 1 Samuel, Samuel is treated as prophet and judge and Israel's principal figure immediately before the monarchy, and Saul as king. In 2 Samuel, David is presented as king. There are numerous parallels, repetitions, and discrepancies within the books of Samuel. Different accounts are given of the origin of the monarchy; there are two accounts of the rejection of Saul as king and two more of David's introduction to Saul. One account of the slaying of Goliath attributes the act to David and the other to Elhanan. Some scholars assume that the books of Samuel were composed from two or three sources; others, the majority, suggest a compilation of independent narratives of varying lengths. The promise in 2 Samuel 7 that divine favour will rest permanently on the Davidic dynasty is crucial for understanding the writer's theological motivation for producing his history in the exilic period. He hoped for a restoration of his people and was convinced that one of the conditions for such a restoration was to recognize the divine legitimation of the house of David. He was also convinced that the kings of a restored Davidic monarchy would prosper in proportion to their faithfulness to the Law of Moses.

- 1 Kings, 2 Kings are two books of the Hebrew Bible or the Protestant Old Testament that, together with Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, and 1 and 2 Samuel, belong to the group of Deuteronomic history written during the Babylonian Exile of the Jews (c. 550 BC). (In most Roman Catholic versions, 1 and 2 Samuel are called the first and second books of Kings, and the two Hebrew and Protestant books of Kings are called the third and fourth books of Kings). The two books of Kings recount the fate of the monarchy in Israel after the death of King David. The first two chapters of 1 Kings complete the story of David, begun in the preceding books of Samuel, and tell of the accession of his son Solomon. The reign of Solomon is treated in 1 Kings 3-11, followed by the reigns of kings of Judah and Israel from the beginning of the divided monarchy (c. 930 BC) until the fall of the kingdom of Israel in 721 BC. The second book, 2 Kings, tells of the reigns of kings of the surviving southern kingdom of Judah until its eventual collapse in 586 BC. In both books, the performance of each king is judged not on political accomplishments but on theological criteria. All of the kings of the northern kingdom are consequently presented in a bad light because they did not recognize the exclusive legitimacy of the cult in Jerusalem. Of the southern kings, only Hezekiah and Josiah receive unqualified approval.

- 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles are two Old Testament books that were originally part of a larger work that included the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. These three (Ezra and Nehemiah were one book in the Jewish canon) were the final books of the Hebrew Bible. The author, known as the Chronicler, probably lived about 350-300 BC. The material of the Chronicles lists genealogies from Adam to King Saul (1 Chronicles 1-2) and covers the death of Saul and the reign of King David (1 Chronicles 10-29), the reign of King Solomon (2 Chronicles 1-9), and from the division of the monarchy into the northern and southern kingdoms to the end of the Babylonian Exile (2 Chronicles 10-36). The Chronicler used the Old Testament books of Samuel and Kings as sources for his historical account freely modified to accord with the Chronicler's own interests and point of view. The Chronicler's single-minded interest in the Temple causes him to omit mention of the palace built during Solomon's reign (1 Kings 7). The Chronicler also shows that he was interested in institutions that provided for the continuity of the true Israel: the Temple of Jerusalem and the Davidic dynasty.

- Ezra and Nehemiah are two Old Testament books that, with the books of Chronicles, formed a single history of Israel from the time of Adam. Ezra and Nehemiah is a single book in the Jewish canon. Later works, e.g., the Jerusalem Bible, maintain separate identities but associate the books. Protestants treat them separately. The uniformity of language, style, and ideas of the two books and Chronicles shows that they are from the same author, known as the Chronicler. He belongs to a period after the Babylonian Exile, probably about 350-300 BC. Ezra 1-6 treats the return of the exiles and the rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem. The activity recounted in Ezra 7 to Nehemiah 13 represents the Chronicler's view of how the life of his people should be organized after the exile with a religious revival in conformity with Mosaic laws.

- Esther is an Old Testament book that belongs to the third section of the Judaic biblical canon, known as the Ketuvim, or "Writings." The Book of Esther is one of the Megillot, five scrolls read on stated Jewish religious holidays. The book explains how the feast of Purim came to be celebrated by the Jews. According to the Book of Esther, the feast of Purim was established to celebrate the day when the Jews escaped being killed by the king's chief minister, Hanan. This explanation is surely legendary. The book may have been composed as late as the first half of the 2nd century BC, though the origin of the Purim festival could date to the Babylonian exile (6th century BC).

- Job is a book of the Hebrew Scripture. It belongs to the third section of the biblical canon known as the Ketuvim ("Writings"). The book's theme is the eternal problem of unmerited suffering, and it is named after its central character, Job, who attempts to understand the sufferings that engulf him. The prose narratives date to before the 6th century BCE, and the poetry has been dated between the 6th and the 4th century BCE. In it Job is a prosperous man of outstanding piety. Satan wants to know if Job's piety is due to his wealth. Faced with the loss of his possessions, his children, and finally his own health, Job still refuses to curse God. The poetic discourses, which probe the meaning of Job's sufferings, consist of three cycles of speeches with three friends and his conversations with God. Job proclaims his innocence and the injustice of his suffering, while his "comforters" argue that Job is being punished for his sins. Job, convinced of his faithfulness and uprighteousness, is not satisfied with this explanation. The conversation between Job and God resolves the dramatic tension but without solving the problem of undeserved suffering. The speeches show Job's trust in the purposeful activity of God in the affairs of the world, even though God's ways with man remain mysterious and inscrutable.

A.3- The poetical Books
- Psalms is a book of the Old Testament composed of sacred songs, or of sacred poems, meant to be sung. In the Hebrew Bible, Psalms begins the third and last section of the biblical canon, the Writings (Hebrew Ketuvim). In the Hebrew text the book was not named, but the titles of many psalms contained the word mizmor, meaning a poem sung. The Greek translation, psalmos, is the basis for the English name Psalms. Another translation is Psalterion, or Psalter in English name Psalter. Rabbinic literature uses the title Tehillim ("Songs of Praise"). The book of Psalms now consists of 150 poems divided into five books (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150). The fivefold division is perhaps meant to be an imitation of the Pentateuch. The psalms themselves range in mood and expression of faith from joyous celebration to solemn hymn and bitter protest. They are sometimes classified according to form or type; the major forms include the hymn (e.g., 104, 135), the lament (e.g., 13, 80), the song of confidence (e.g., 46, 121), and the song of thanksgiving (e.g., 9, 136). Their dating and authorship poses a difficult problem. They were written over a number of centuries, from the early monarchy to post-Exilic times. They were a part of the ritualised activities that the Hebrew community developed for marking important public and personal situations. Although many of the psalms had their setting in the ritual life of the Temple of Solomon before the Babylonian Exile (6th century BC), the Psalter became the hymnbook of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. The psalms also had a profound effect on the development of Christian worship.

- Proverbs (The), also called The Book of Proverbs and proverbs of Solomon, is an Old Testament book of "wisdom" writing found in the third section of the Jewish canon, known as the Ketuvim, or Writings. The book's reference to Solomon does not mean that all or individual proverbs should be credited to King Solomon. It contains seven collections of wisdom materials from a wide variety of periods, all after Solomon's time. The earliest collection (25:1-29:27), titled "proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied," dates of about 700 BC; the latest (1:1-9:18) dates from the 4th century BC. There is an untitled acrostic poem about the virtuous wife (31:10-31). The third collection (22:17-24:22) has attracted much attention because of its affinity to the Egyptian "Wisdom of Amenemope," variously dated between the 10th and 6th centuries BC.

- Ecclesiastes, (Preacher), an Old Testament book of wisdom literature that belongs to the third section of the biblical canon, known as the Ketuvim (Writings). The actual author of Ecclesiastes is unknown even if it is sometimes attributed to Ben Sira (Sirach).

- The Song of Songs, also called Canticle of Canticles and The Song of Solomon, is an Old Testament book that belongs to the third section of the biblical canon, known as the Ketuvim, or "Writings." In the Hebrew Bible the Song of Solomon stands with Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther and with them makes up the Megillot, five scrolls that are read on various religious festivals of the Jewish year. This book is the festal scroll for Pesah (Passover), which celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. The book in its present form postdates the Babylonian Exile (5th century BC onward), but the poems that it preserves date from about the 10th century BC, the period of the Davidic monarchy. The author of the book is unknown, Solomon's name is a later addition. It is a collection of love poems spoken alternately by a man and a woman. Some poems describe the beauty and excellence of the beloved. The Song of Solomon has received various interpretations, the most common being allegorical, dramatic, cultic, and literal. Among Jews, the allegorical interpretation regards the book as an allegory of God's love for the Israelites, with whom he has made a sacred covenant. Among Christians, the book is interpreted as describing the covenantal love of Christ for his church. In medieval mysticism, the Song of Solomon was construed to apply to the love between Christ and the human soul.

A.4- The Prophets
- Isaiah, A book of the same name is attributed to Isaiah but scholars now recognize that it took shape over several centuries, attaining its present form sometime before 180 BC. The Book of Isaiah id divided in two sections, originating in different ages and marked by distinctly different theological outlooks and literary styles. The first 39 chapters date mainly from the time of the historical Isaiah -latter half of the 8th century BC; it is attributed to the prophet and is called First Isaiah. The second section of the book (chapters 40-66) dates to the second half of the sixth century BC and is often subdivided into Second Isaiah and Third Isaiah.

- Jeremiah, The Book of, is also called The Prophecy Of Jeremias, is one of the major prophetical writings of the Old Testament. Jeremiah, a Judaean prophet received his call to be a prophet in the 13th year of the reign of King Josiah (627/626 BC) and continued his ministry until 586 BC. Many of his oracles concerned the turbulent events of his times. The major parts of the book are: prophecies against Judah and Jerusalem (chapters 1-25), narratives about Jeremiah (chapters 26-45), prophesies against foreign nations (chapters 46-51), and a historical appendix (chapter 52). The prophecies against Judah and Jerusalem are from Jeremiah himself. The second part probably owes its composition to Baruch, the scribe who, according to chapter 36, wrote the prophecies against Israel and Judah and all the nations from Jeremiah's dictation. The prophecies against foreign nations may derive in part from Jeremiah; the appendix was largely taken from 2 Kings. The "confessions" of Jeremiah are a group of individual laments reflecting the personal struggles due to the prophet's role as the spokesman of a message so unpopular that it evoked imprisonments and threats to his life. These confessions make the personal history of Jeremiah more accessible. The book is the product of a long process of growth, with several redactors responsible for the inclusion and arrangement of materials.

- Lamentations, also called The Lamentations of Jeremiah and The Lamentations of Jeremias, is an Old Testament book belonging to the third section of the biblical canon, known as the Ketuvim, or Writings. In the Hebrew Bible, Lamentations stands with Ruth, the Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, and Esther and with them makes up the Megillot, five scrolls that are read on various festivals of the Jewish religious year. In the Jewish liturgical calendar, Lamentations is the festal scroll of the Ninth of Av, a day commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples of Jerusalem. The Christian English translations of the Bible, following the Greek and the Latin versions, call the book The Lamentations of Jeremiah, though in the Talmud and the Septuagint it is simply Lamentations. The content and style argue against Jeremiah's authorship. The poems are independent units, but their mood and content provide a unity to the book as a whole. Because the poems are laments over the destruction of Judah, Jerusalem, and the Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BC, they must be dated during the exile that followed.

- Ezekiel, also called The Prophecy of Ezechiel, is one of the major prophetical books of the Old Testament. Ezekiel received his prophetic call in the fifth year of the first deportation to Babylonia (592 BC) and was active until about 570 BC. The literary history of the book is much debated, but its final form exhibits a threefold theme: threats against Judah and Jerusalem (chapters 1-25), threats against foreign nations (chapters 25-32), and prophesies of restoration and hope (chapters 33-44). Most of the material is undoubtedly genuine, although a few later additions are discernible.

- Daniel is a book of the Old Testament found in the Ketuvim Writings, the third section of the Jewish canon. This book was written in about 167-164 BC and was given the name of Daniel, a Jew of the 6th century BC, an exile at the Babylonian Court.

- Hosea gave his name to a book of the Old Testament, the first of 12 short prophetic books linked together because of their brevity. Some scholars consider that some hopeful and conciliatory parts, as compared with the tone of the rest of the book, are the work of later editors. Hosea contains 14 chapters divided into two sections: chapters 1-3 and 4-14. In chapters 1-3 the prophet compares the relationship between God and Israel to that of a man who is married to an unfaithful woman. Hosea sees the covenant, or union, between God and Israel, formerly based on law, as a spiritual bond based on love. The remaining chapters consist of a series of short prophecies dealing with the spiritual corruption of the people, the moral unfitness of the kings, priests, and prophets, and the judgment and punishment that must follow as a consequence of such infidelity and degeneracy. The dominant tone of these chapters is one of impending doom.

- Joel is one of 12 short prophetic books of the Old Testament. In the Hebrew (Jewish) versions of the Old Testament the book is divided into four chapters; chapter 3 in the Hebrew versions appears as 2:28-32 in Christian versions, and chapter 4 appears as chapter 3. The book has two distinct parts. In the first part (1-2:27), the prophet depicts the devastation resulting from a plague of locusts. The prophet, interpreting the plague as a portent of the coming "day of the Lord", or Day of Judgment, warns the people that only repentance can save them. If they repent, the Lord will remove the locusts and restore the land its former fruitfulness and he will bring back the former plenty to the people. In the second part (2:28-3:21), Joel prophesies an age of deliverance, in which God will pour out his "spirit on all flesh" (2:28), and "will give portents in the heavens and on the earth" (2:30), and "gather all the nations" (3:2; 3:14) for a final judgment. The enemies of Judah will then be defeated for "violence done to the people of Judah," "Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations" (3:19-20).

- Amos is the third of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, collected in one book under the Jewish canon titled The Twelve. Amos' only credential to prophesy to Israel was a summons by Yahweh. The book is a collection of sayings and reports of visions. Amos' message is primarily one of doom. Israel's neighbours do not escape his attention but his threats are primarily against Israel, which has defected from the worship of Yahweh to the worship of Canaanite gods. He pronounces judgment on the rich for self-indulgence and oppression of the poor, on those who pervert justice, and on those who desire the day of Yahweh on which God will reveal his power, punish the wicked, and renew the righteous. That day, Amos warned, will be a day of darkness for Israel because of its defection from Yahweh. The book ends unexpectedly (9:8-15) with a promise of restoration for Israel, possibly a later addition.

- Obadiah, (Book of), also spelled Abdias, is the fourth of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets. The Jewish canon treats them as one book, The Twelve. Obadiah has only one chapter and 21 verses, it is the shortest of all Old Testament books and is said to be a record of "the vision of Obadiah." In the book, Edom, a long-time enemy of Israel, is punished for its refusal to help Israel repel foreigners who invaded and conquered Jerusalem. This reference suggests a date of composition after the Babylonian conquest of 586 BC. Other scholars, noting the anti-Edomite sentiments in II Kings 8:20-22, date it as early as the 9th century BC. The book announces that the Day of Judgment is near for all nations, when all evil will be punished and the righteous renewed. The final verses prophesy the restoration of the Jews to their native land.

- Jonah, the book of the Old Testament, is one of 12 brief prophetic books known because of their brevity as the Minor Prophets. The book describes some incidents in the life of Jonah. In the first, Jonah is told by God to "go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness has come up before me" (1:2). Jonah seeks to flee by ship from "the presence of the Lord" (1:3, 10). In a tempest, the frightened mariners throw Jonah overboard and he is swallowed by "a great fish" (1:17). Later on, Jonah prays from the belly of the fish (2:1-9) and is "vomited out upon the dry land" (2:10), and again is commanded to "go to Nineveh. Jonah preaches (3:3, 4), the people repent (3:5-9), and God, seeing their works, spares them (3:10). In the final incident, God reproves Jonah for being "displeased … exceedingly" (4:1) after he spares "more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left" (4:11).

- Micah is the sixth of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, grouped together as The Twelve in the Jewish canon. This Judaean prophet was active during the last half of the 8th century BC. The book is a compilation of materials some of which come from a period considerably later than Micah's time. The threats in chapters 1-3 and 6-7:7 are usually attributed to Micah, but the promises in chapters 4-5 and 7:8-20 are generally dated several centuries later but it is possible that some promises come from Micah himself. The exalted view of Zion in 4:1-4 and the messianic character of 5:2-4 reflect the ideology of the Zion cult in Jerusalem before the exile. Micah's threats are directed against idolaters, those who oppress the little man, priests and prophets who use their profession for financial gain, and leaders who pervert equity and abhor justice.

- Nahum is the seventh of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets (grouped together as The Twelve in the Jewish canon). It is an "oracle concerning Nineveh" attributed to the "vision of Nahum of Elkosh" based on the fall of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. The mighty Assyrian Empire, a threat to the smaller nations of the ancient Middle East, was a particular menace to the Israelite people. Its decline by the Neo-Babylonian power of the Medes and the Chaldeans and its final collapse in the destruction of Nineveh (612 BC) gave the prophet Nahum cause for extolling these events, which, he announced, occurred because Assyria's policies were not in accord with God's will.

- Habakkuk, The Book of, also called "The Prophecy of Habacuc", is the eighth of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets. The book shows that Habakkuk was a cult prophet or that cultists edited the final form of the book. The mention of the Chaldeans as Yahweh's agent suggests that it was written during the period of Chaldean power following their successful revolt against the Assyrians in 626 BC. A more precise date depends on the identity of "the wicked" and "the righteous" who are mentioned in the book. If "the wicked" are the Assyrians and "the righteous" are the Judaeans, then the book must be dated before 612 BC, when the Assyrian Empire finally fell. In this way Habakkuk announced the collapse of the wicked oppressors (Assyrians) of the people of Judah. In the meantime, he consoled, "the righteous shall live by his faith".

- Zephaniah (Book of), also called Sophonias, is the ninth of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, collected in one book, The Twelve, in the Jewish canon. The book consists of a series of sayings, many of which are attributed to Zephaniah, written about 640-630 BC. The final compilation and the expansion of the sayings is the work of a later editor. The dominant theme of the book is the "day of the Lord," which the prophet sees approaching as a consequence of the sins of Judah. A few will be saved (the "humble and lowly") through purification by judgment. Amos and Isaiah originally developed this concept, and Zephaniah may have influenced his younger contemporary Jeremiah. His description of the "day of the Lord," has entered deeply into the popular conception of the judgment day.

- Haggai, The Book of, is also called The Prophecy Of Aggeus. It is the 10th of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets. The book consists of four prophecies delivered over a four-month period in the second year of the reign of the Persian king Darius I the Great (521 BC). Although attributed to Haggai, the book must be credited to someone other than the prophet; it was probably compiled soon after the occurrence of the events. Haggai's oracles show his concern for the immediate reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. He believed that the economic distress of the people was caused by their negligent delay in starting the construction and that Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah under Darius, was God's chosen Davidic representative.

- Zechariah (Book of), also spelled Zacharias, is the 11th of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, collected in the Jewish canon in one book, The Twelve. Only chapters 1-8 contain the prophecies of Zechariah; chapters 9-14 must be attributed to at least two other unknown authors. Scholars refer to a "second" and "third" Zechariah: Deutero-Zechariah (chapters 9-11) and Trito-Zechariah (chapters 12-14). Zechariah was active from 520 to 518 BC and he shared his contemporary Haggai's concern that the Temple of Jerusalem be rebuilt. Unlike Haggai, Zechariah thought that the rebuilding of the Temple was the necessary prelude to the eschatological age, the arrival of which was imminent. Accordingly, Zechariah's book, and his eight night visions (1:7-6:8), describe the arrival of the eschatological age (the end of the world) and the organization of life in the eschatological community. Among Zechariah's visions was one that described four apocalyptic horsemen who presaged God's revival of Jerusalem after its desolation during the Babylonian Exile. Other visions announced the rebuilding of the Temple and the world's recognition of Yahweh, Israel's God. Deutero- and Trito-Zechariah are separate collections of sayings usually dated to the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, respectively. They develop Zechariah's eschatological themes and provide many images of a messianic figure that were borrowed by New Testament writers and applied to the figure of Jesus.

- Malachi, also called The Prophecy of Malachias, is the last of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, grouped together as the Twelve in the Jewish canon. The author is unknown. The book consists of six sections in the form of a question-and-answer discussion. In this way the prophet defends the justice of God to a community that had begun to doubt that justice because its eschatological (end of the world) expectations were still unfulfilled. The author calls for fidelity to Yahweh's Covenant. He emphasizes the necessity of proper worship, condemns divorce, and announces that the Day of Judgment is imminent. Faithfulness to these cultic and moral responsibilities will be rewarded; unfaithfulness will bring a curse. The book belongs to the first half of the 5th century BC.

A.5- Apocrypha
- Jeremiah, The Letter of, is also called The Epistle Of Jeremias, is an apocryphal book of the Old Testament. In the Roman canon it is a sixth chapter to the book of Baruch (itself apocryphal in the Jewish and Protestant canons). The work appears as a letter sent by Jeremiah to Jews exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadrezzar in 597 BC; it is not a letter and it was not written by Jeremiah. It is a polemic against the worship of idols stating that false gods shall perish. Possibly composed about 300 BC by a Jew living in Babylonia, the text states that idolatry threatened fidelity to the God of Israel. The author's primary target was probably the Babylonian deity Tammuz, an agricultural god whose cult was associated with orgiastic fertility rites. Certain linguistic and stylistic elements point to an original composition in Hebrew or Aramaic.

- Maccabees, also spelled Machabees, are four books, none of which is in the Hebrew Bible, but all of which appear in some manuscripts of the Septuagint. The first two books only are part of canonical scripture in the Septuagint and the Vulgate (hence are canonical to Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy) and are included in the Protestant Apocrypha.

- Solomon (Wisdom of) is a "wisdom" religious literature, which commends a life of introspection and reflection on human existence, especially from an ethical perspective. It is an apocryphal work, non-canonical for Jews and Protestants, but it is included in the Septuagint, and was accepted into the Roman canon. Wisdom is depicted as a feminine personification of an attribute of God; she is "a breath of the power of God, and a clear effluence of the glory of the Almighty." The Logos theology of the Christian Church Fathers was developed from this concept to explain Jesus Christ's relationship to God. Written by a Jew in Alexandria during the 1st century BC, the book was a defence of Judaism, for, in describing Jewish doctrines in terms of Hellenistic philosophy, it showed that philosophical truths were applicable to the Jewish concept of God. Its argument was directed both to the Jews of the Diaspora who had adopted pagan gods and to the rigorist Jews who in the same environment advocated complete religious and social isolation.

A.6 Apocalyptic Literature
This is a literary genre that flourished from about 200 BC to about AD 200, especially in Judaism and Christianity. Written primarily to give hope to religious groups undergoing persecution or the stress of cultural upheavals, apocalypses (from the Greek apokalypsis: "revelation") describe in cryptic language, understood by believers, the sudden, dramatic intervention of God in history on behalf of the faithful elect. Accompanying or heralding God's dramatic intervention in human affairs will be cataclysmic events of cosmic proportions, such as a temporary rule of the world by Satan, signs in the heavens, persecutions, wars, famines, and plagues. These writers generally concentrated on the future, for instance the future overthrow of evil, on the coming of a messianic figure, and on the establishment of the Kingdom of God and of eternal peace and righteousness. The wicked are described as consigned to hell and the righteous or elect as reigning with God or a messiah in a renewed earth or heaven. The Book of Daniel in the Old Testament represents apocalyptic writing, and several inter-testamental books contain apocalyptic themes.

- Moses, Assumption of, is a pseudepigraphal work not included in any biblical canon, a prophecy of the future relating to Israel, put into the mouth of Moses and addressed to Joshua just before the great lawgiver died. Using Moses' predictions and instructions to Joshua as a framework, the book's unknown author sets forth a brief history of Israel from Moses to the messianic age as viewed in apocalyptic terms. The tone of the work is decidedly negative toward the fusion of politics with religion and condemns the Hasmonean leaders who ruled Judaea after the Maccabean revolt of 167-142 BC. The most striking feature of the work is the writer's scathing condemnation of the priesthood before, during, and after the Maccabean period, obviously meant as an attack on the Sadducean high priests of his own time. The author predicts that eventually a mighty king will persecute the true Jewish religion. The book was originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic, but the only extant text is a Latin translation; the book was written in 4 or 3 BC or shortly thereafter, probably in Palestine.

- Solomon (Psalms of) is a pseudepigraphal work, not in any biblical canon, comprising 18 psalms that were originally written in Hebrew, although only Greek and Syriac translations survive. Like the canonical Psalms, the Psalms of Solomon contains hymns, poems of admonition and instruction, and songs of thanksgiving and lamentation. Some of these psalms also contain technical musical notations suggesting that they were used in Jewish cultic rites. Many of them express belief in resurrection and free will, and two reveal messianic expectations.

B- Talmud, a collection of Jewish civil and religious law, including commentaries on the Torah, or Pentateuch.
- Midrash (Hebrew for interpretation") is a term applied to Jewish writings on the Scriptures. These are interpretations by different rabbis of the laws and customs found in the Old Testament. The earliest Midrashic writings appeared before 100 BC. The Midrash is divided into three groups; the abstract Halakah, consisting of the traditional law; the Halakic Midrash, a deduction of the traditional law from the written law; and the Haggadic Midrash, legends, sermons, and interpretations of the Bible and concerning ethics and theology rather than law.
- Mishnah -also spelled Mishna ("Repeated Study"), plural Mishnayot- is the oldest collection and codification of Jewish oral laws, compiled by numerous scholars (called tannaim) over a period of about two centuries. The codification became final in the early 3rd century AD by Judah ha-Nasi. The Mishna supplements the written, or scriptural, laws found in the Pentateuch. It presents various interpretations of legal traditions that had been preserved orally since at least the time of Ezra (circa 450 BC). Study of the Mishna by later scholars (called amoraim) in Palestine and Babylonia resulted in a second collection of interpretations called the Gemara, or Talmud. In the broader sense, the Mishna and Gemara together make up the Talmud. The Mishna comprises six major sections, or orders (sedarim), that contain 63 tractates (massekhtaot), each of which is divided into chapters. Zera'im ("Seeds"), the first order of the Mishna, has 11 tractates. It begins by discussing daily prayer and then devotes 10 tractates to religious laws about agriculture. Zera'im discusses the prescription that fields must periodically lie fallow, the prohibition on plant hybridisation, and regulates what portion of a harvest is to be given to priests, to Levites (a priestly clan), and to the poor. The second order, Mo'ed ("Festival"), consists of 12 tractates that deal with ceremonies, rituals, observances, and prohibitions related to the Sabbath, to religious festivals, to fast days, and to such other days as are marked by regular religious observance. Nashim ("Women"), the third order of the Mishna, discusses married life in seven tractates. It explains religious laws concerning betrothals, marriage contracts, divorce, bills of divorce, and certain ascetic vows that affect married life. The fourth order, Neziqin ("Damages"), has 10 tractates covering civil and criminal law as related to damages, theft, labour relations, usury, real estate, partnerships, tenant relations, inheritance, court composition, jurisdiction and testimony, erroneous decisions of the Sanhedrin (high court), and physical punishments, including death. Idolatry, which is punishable by death, is also discussed. Qodashim ("Holy Things"), the fifth order, provides a description of the Temple of Jerusalem and discusses laws regulating Temple sacrifices, other offerings, and donations. It has 11 tractates. The last of the Mishna orders is Tohorot ("Purifications"), divided into 12 tractates. It considers laws regarding the ritual purity of vessels, dwellings, foods, and persons and deals with various rituals of purification.

C- Various Writings
- Abodah Zarah (Idolatry), one of the tractates of the fourth division (Nezikin, Damages) of the Mishnah and Talmud.
- Aboth (The Fathers) or Pirke Aboth (Sayings of the Fathers), a collection of ethical maxims, one of the tractates of the fourth division (Nezikin, Damages) of the Mishnah.
- Agadah Bereshith, a Hebrew commentary on Genesis (Bereshith).
- Amos, one of 12 books known as the Minor Prophets included in the Old Testament noted for its pastoral imagery and poetic language. Its author is said to be Amos, a herdsman who lived in the 8th century BC.
- Antiquitates Judaicae (The Antiquities of the Jews), completed in 20 books in AD 93, traces the history of the Jews from creation to just before the outbreak of the revolt of AD 66-70. It was an attempt to present Judaism to the Hellenistic world in a favourable light, by Josephus Flavius.
- Baba Mezia (Middle Gate), one of the tractates of the fourth division (Nezikin, Damages) of the Mishnah and Talmud.
- Bellum Judaicum (History of the Jewish War), the revolt against the Romans, by Josephus Flavius.
- Berakoth (Benedictions), the first tractate of the first division (Zeraim, Seeds) of the Mishnah and Talmud.
- Biblical Laws, Commentary on, a fragmentary Dead Sea Scroll found at Qumran, Statutes referring to Deuteronomy and Exodus.
- Contra Apionem (Against Apion, though the earlier titles Concerning the Antiquity of the Jews and Against the Greeks are more apposite_) a defence against anti-Semitism, by Josephus Flavius.
- Chronicle, Book of the, a narrative part of the Old Testament, first divided in the Septuagint. Chronicles begin with Adam and goes beyond the last king of Judah. It was probably completed in the third century BC.
- Damascus Document also known as Damascus Rule and Zadokite Work. It is a Hebrew exhortation and list of statutes found in the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran.
- Erubin (The Fusion of the Sabbath Limits), one of the Tractates of the Second Division) Moed, Set Feasts) of the Mishnah and Talmud.
- Genesis Apocryphon, a pseudepigraphal work (not accepted in any canon of scripture), one of the most important works of the Essene community of Jews; it was discovered in 1947 in Qumran, near the Dead Sea. The entire scroll is a collection of apocryphal embellishments on leading figures in Genesis. Written in Palestine in Aramaic, the scroll is the earliest example of a pseudepigraphal work in that language. It dates from either the 1st century BC or AD. The date of the original text is unknown.
- Genesis Rabba, part of the Hebrew Midrash Rabba.
- Habakkuk Commentaries, one of the writings of the sect of Qumran found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
- Hymns scrolls or "Thanksgiving Scrolls", one of the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran on the Dead Sea. It comprises more than 24 hymns or psalms of thanksgiving.
- Kiddusshin (Betrothals), one of the tractates of the third division (Nashim, women) of the Mishnah and Talmud.
- Leviticus Rabba, a part of the Hebrew Midrash Rabba.
- Manual of Discipline (Community Rule), an Essene important document found at Qunran. One of the oldest Dead Sea Scrolls, probably from the later 2d century BC.
- Megillah or Megilla, (in Hebrew Megillah ("Scroll"), plural Megillot). In the Hebrew Bible it describes any of the five sacred books of the Ketuvim (the third division of the Old Testament), in scroll form, that are read in the synagogue in the course of certain festivals.
- Messianic Rule (or Rules of the Congregation), one of the writings on the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qunram.
- Midrash Rabba, one of the most important Midrashim: on the Pentateuch and five other Old Testament books.
- Niddah (the Menstruant), one of the tractates of the sixth division (Tohoroth, Cleanliness) of the Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud. Part of it also appears in the Palestinian (Jerusalem) Talmud.
- Pentateuch (Greek penta, "five"; teuch, "book"), this word designates the first five books of the Old Testament that is, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
- Priests (Blessing of the), part of a collection of blessings originally attached to the Dead Sea Scroll of the Community Rule and the Messianic Rule found at Qumran.
- Psalms of Solomon, a collection of 18 Jewish poems by Pharisee authors, not forming part of the Old Testament or Apocrypha. They still exist in Greek and Syrian versions; they include references to the capture of Jerusalem by the Romans under Pompey in 63BC and to his death in 48 BC.
- Sophia of Solomon.
- Talmud, this is the collection of Jewish civil and religious laws, including commentaries on the Torah, or Pentateuch.
- Temple scroll, a scroll over 28 feet long, it is the largest of the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran. It deals with rules, ceremonials, the building of the Temple, and the king and the army.
- Torah, this is the "book" of Jewish religion and law. The term Torah also describes the entire corpus of the Scriptures of the Jews together with the commentaries.
- Vita (Life), less an autobiography than an apology for Josephus' conduct in Galilee during the revolt. It was written to defend himself against the charges of his enemy Justus of Tiberias, who claimed that Josephus was responsible for the revolt, by Josephus Flavius.
- War Scroll or Rule (The War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness), one of the writings of the community at Qumran, probably written in the later first century BC or early first century AD. It describes the events that will precede the forthcoming end of the world.
- Yebamoth (Sisters-in-Law), one of the tractates of the third division (Nashim, Women) of the Mishnah and Talmud.
- Zohar (Book of Splendour), a description of the different aspects of God,
said to have been written by an ancient sage named Simeon bar Yohai but modern scholars believe that the mystic Moses de Leon wrote it.

5- Others

- Acharnians, a comedy by Aristophanes.
- Acts of Andrew, apocryphal writing attributed to St Andrew, the Apostle.
- Acts of Andrew and Matthias, apocryphal writing attributed to St Andrew, the Apostle.
- Acts of Peter and Andrew, apocryphal writing attributed to St Andrew, the Apostle.
- Against a Stepmother, by Antiphon.
- Aurora (1612), revelations upon God, humanity, nature, shows deep knowledge of the Scriptures, and of alchemistry, by Jakob Böehme.
- Babylonians, an early comedy by Aristophanes, it is extant only in fragments.
- Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War (1866), by Herman Melville.
- Billy Budd, by Herman Melville.
- Birds, a comedy by Aristophanes.
- Brutus, by Cicero.
- Cabala del cavallo Pegaseo (1585; "Cabal of the Horse Pegasus"), pessimistic work, includes a discussion of the relationship between the human soul and the universal soul by Bruno, Giordano.
- Cena de le Ceneri (1584; "The Ash Wednesday Supper") includes six dialogues, three cosmological and three moral dialogues by Bruno, Giordano.
- Clouds, a comedy by Aristophanes.
- Confidence-Man (The) (1857), a despairing satire on an America corrupted by the shabby dreams of commerce, by Herman Melville.
- Das Buch Annette ("The Book Annette", by Goethe.
- Das Leipziger Liederbuch (The Leipzig Song Book), inspired by the daughter of the wine merchant at whose tavern he took his midday meal, by Goethe.
- De Consolatione Philosophiae (The Consolation of Philosophy, c. 523), by Boethius.
- De finibus in 45, by Cicero.
- De gli eroici furori (1585; The Heroic Frenzies), using Neoplatonic imagery, it describes the attainment of union with the infinite One by the human soul and exhorts man to the conquest of virtue and truth by Bruno, Giordano.
- De la causa, principio e uno (1584; Concerning the Cause, Principle, and One), is a physical theory on which a new conception of the universe is based: "form" and "matter" are intimately united and constitute the "one", by Bruno, Giordano.
- De natura deorum, by Cicero.
- De legibus (52), by Cicero.
- De l'infinito universo e mondi (1584; On the Infinite Universe and Worlds), a cosmological theory that criticize Aristotelian physics, by Bruno, Giordano.
- Demian (1919,) is an examination of the achievement of self-awareness by a troubled adolescent, by Hermann Hesse.
- De officiis, finished after Caesar's murder, in 44, by Cicero.
- De oratore (55), by Cicero. - Election of Grace (On the), 1623, by Jakob Böehme.
- De republica (started in 54, finished in 52), by Cicero.
- Dichtung und Wahrheit ("Poetry and Truth"), Goethe's autobiography, an unforgettable picture of a happy childhood, by Goethe.
- Die Laune des Verliebten ("The Mood of the Beloved"), by Goethe. - Epistola de fide, vita et obitu Wulfilae, an Arian work by Auxentius.
- Die Mitschuldigen ("The Accomplices"), a more sombre farce that foreshadows the psychological preoccupations of later works, by Goethe.
- Faust by Goethe.
- Frogs, a comedy by Aristophanes.
- Gertrud (1910) where the inward and outward search of the artist is further explored, by Hermann Hesse.
- Glasperlenspiel (Das) 1943; English titles The Glass Bead Game, or Magister Ludi, explores the dualism of the contemplative and the active life through the figure of a supremely gifted intellectual, by Hermann Hesse.
- Great Mystery (The), 1623, by Jakob Böehme.
- Grossen Wundartzney (Der), "Great Surgery Book", by Paracelsus, 1536.
- Hadith (the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad), the 99 "most beautiful names" (al-asma' al-husna) of God, and these names have become objects of devoted recitation and meditation, inspired by Allah.
- John Marr, and Other Sailors; With Some Sea-Pieces, appeared in 1888, by Herman Melville.
- Kategoriai, commentaries by Boethius.
- Knights, a comedy by Aristophanes.
- Life of Agricola, a biography of his father-in-law, by Tacitus.
- Lysistrata, a comedy by Aristophanes.
- Moby Dick, the story of Captain Ahab's pursuit of a white whale is a literary myth, by Herman Melville.
- Monas Hieroglyphica, by John Dee, 1564.
- Narziss und Goldmund (1930; Narcissus and Goldmund), an intellectual ascetic who is content with established religious faith is contrasted with an artistic sensualist pursuing his own form of salvation, by Hermann Hesse.
- Neue Lieder ("New Songs", 1769), made no pretense of real passion, by Goethe.
- Omoo (1847) is a following of the events described in Tipee and their sequels. Light-hearted in tone, with the mutiny shown as something of a farce, it describes the author travels through the islands, accompanied by Long Ghost, formerly the ship's doctor, now turned drifter. The carefree roving confirmed the author's bitterness against colonial and, especially, missionary debasement of the native Tahitian peoples, by Herman Melville.
- On the Choreutes, by Antiphon.
- On the murder of Herodes, by Antiphon.
- Orator in 46, by Cicero.
- Paradoxa, by Cicero.
- Peace, a comedy by Aristophanes.
- Peri hermeneias, commentaries by Boethius.
- Peter Camenzind, about a failed and dissipated writer, by Hermann Hesse. - Phaenomena (The), a didactic poem in hexameters on astronomy, the only completely extant work of Aratus of Macedonia.
- Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), 1687, one of the most important single works in the history of modern science, by Isaac Newton.
- Pierre (1852), an intensely personal work, revealing the sombre mythology of his private life framed in terms of a story of an artist alienated from his society, by Herman Melville.
- Psychologische Typen (1921; Psychological Types) describes Jung's wide scholarship, by Carl Yung.
- Qur'an, inspired by Allah.
- Rerum gestarum libri ("The Chronicles of Events"), a Latin history of the Roman Empire from the accession of Nerva to the death of Valens, by Ammianus Marcellinus.
- Rosshalde (1914), by Hermann Hesse.
- Seven Sermons of the Dead, 1917, by Carl Jung.
- Siddhartha (1922) describes a visit to India, a lyric novel based on the early life of Buddha, by Hermann Hesse.
- Spaccio de la bestia trionfante (1584; The Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast) a satire on contemporary superstitions and vices, embodying a strong criticism of Christian ethics -particularly the Calvinistic principle of salvation by faith alone by Bruno, Giordano.
- Steppenwolf (Der), 1927 (The Steppenwolf) describes the conflict between bourgeois acceptance and spiritual self-realization in a middle-aged man. by Hermann Hesse.
- Syntagmation, by Asterius the Sophist, survives only in quotations by his opponents Athanasius and Marcellus of Ancyra.
- Tetralogies, 12 speeches arranged in three sets of four, which were composed as exercises for the instruction of students. Each tetralogy consists of two speeches each for the defence and the prosecution in a homicide case, by Antiphon.
- Thalia ("Banquet"), a Neoplatonism poem that describes the absolute oneness of the divinity as the highest perfection, with a literal, rationalist approach to the New Testament texts. This point of view was widely spread by popular songs written for labourers and travellers, by Arius.
- Timoleon (1891), a final verse collection, by Herman Melville.
- Typee, the story of the author and a companion jumping ship and spending four months as guest-captives of the reputedly cannibalistic Typee people. The book describes the exotic valley of the Typees as an idyllic sanctuary from a hustling, aggressive civilization, by Herman Melville.
- Tusculanae disputationes, by Cicero.
- Unterm Rad (Beneath the Wheel, 1906), a novelin that an overly diligent student is driven to self-destruction, by Hermann Hesse.
- Wandlungen und Symbole der Libido (Psychology of the Unconscious, 1916), a treaty which ran counter to many of Freud's ideas, by Carl Yung.
- Wasps, a comedy by Aristophanes.
- Wealth a comedy by Aristophanes.
- Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre (1821-29; "Wilhelm Meister's Travels"), a commitment to social and technological progress by Goethe.
- Women at the Ecclesia, a comedy by Aristophanes.
- Women at the Thesmophoria, a comedy by Aristophanes.