Fourth Maccabees and the Promotion of the Jewish Philosophy: Rhetoric Intertexture and Reception

Fourth Maccabees is a superbly crafted oration that presents a case for the Jewish way of life couched almost entirely in terms of Greek ethical ideals. Its author delights in the Torah the Law of Moses as the divinely given path to becoming our best selves now. In this collection of essays spanning two decades of study David deSilva examines the formative training that produced such an author the rhetorical crafting and effect of his work the authors creative use of both Jewish and Greek literary resources and the books enduring message and legacy in the Christian church.