The Hebrew Verity: A Discussion on the Apocrypha with Dr. Ariel Hessayon

Dr. Ariel Hessayon joins Andrew, Charlie, and James today to talk about the books that are often considered 'Apocrypha' in the Protestant tradition. We discuss: 

-The difference between the Septuagint and the Hebrew Bible -The speculation on the closing of the Jewish canon by the time of Jesus -The early church father Jerome's approach to canonicity -The very different ways the term 'Apocryphal' has been used or applied -The Reformers' and Council of Trent's approaches toward these books -We also touch on a few of Dr. Hessayon's other interests in the beginning (including "monstrous births" and crypto-Judaism). Dr. Hessayon is a scholar of early modern history. He has taught courses on European philosophy, the occult, heresy, apocalypticism, and the English Revolution. He is a Senior Lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London. He holds a PhD from Selwyn College, Cambridge University. He has a blog at: arielhessayon.substack.com The books that Dr. Hessayon mentioned at the end of the episode (as some of his favorite and most influential books on him) are: *Keith Thomas Religion in the Time of Magic: Studies in Popular Beliefs in Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century England *Gerschom Scholem's Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism *Carlo Ginzberg's The Cheese and the Worms Dr. Hessayon's article that we made reference to is "The Apocrypha in Early Modern England" from the book Kevin Killeen; Helen Smith and Rachel Willie, eds. The Oxford Handbook of the Bible in Early Modern England, c. 1530–1700. Oxford: Oxford UP, pp. 131-148. ISBN 9780199686971 The article can be read here.