Unless otherwise noted, all citations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).
Manasseh was the worst king in Israel’s history.
Composition
The original composition is not known. Metzger writes, “Whether it was composed in Hebrew or Aramaic or Greek is disputed.”[1] The content of the book fits more with Palestinian Judaism, rather than Hellenistic Judaism.[2]
Date
The book dates sometime before the Christian era. Metzger writes, “Many scholars place it sometime during the last two centuries BC.”[3] DeSilva dates the book somewhere between 200 BC and AD 50.[4]
[1] Bruce M. Metzger, An Introduction to the Apocrypha (New York: Oxford University Press, 1977), 125.
[2] Bruce M. Metzger, An Introduction to the Apocrypha (New York: Oxford University Press, 1977), 125.
[3] Bruce M. Metzger, An Introduction to the Apocrypha (New York: Oxford University Press, 1977), 125.
[4] David A. deSilva, Introducing the Apocrypha (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 251.