"By the first century of the common era, the first two sections of today’s Tanakh (Torah and Prophets) were fixed. There was debate, however, about which other books were ""holy"" and deserved to be included in the Jewish canon. Those that were eventually accepted are found today in the third section of the Tanakh, the ""Writings"" or ""Ketuvim"". The books that were excluded were declared ""forbidden"" to Jews and are today contained in the collection termed the Apocrypha in many Christian Bibles.

Were these books prohibited because they were injurious to Jews in some way? Do they contain material that is blasphemous? We will read sections of these works to learn about the historical times in which they were created, and to try to understand the danger that lurks within their pages. Beware, this class may be addictive!

Noah Hadas was Director of Adult Jewish Education at the Agency for Jewish Education and then the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture from 2001-2014. He was the Director of San Diego’s Florence Melton Adult Mini-School in which he teaches classes on Jewish philosophy and history. Noah has developed and taught a number of classes focused on ancient and medieval Jewish history. Prior to coming to San Diego, Noah received two Master’s Degrees, one in Astrophysics, and one in Judaic Studies. He was awarded the 2001 Bible Studies Prize while a doctoral student at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles.
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