People are often asking the question, “Why was The Book of Jasher removed from the Bible?” “The Book of Jasher is not one of the lost books of the Bible; why remove it?” Let me answer both of these questions in this article.
So, I’m pretty sure you’re wondering why I would even be asking that question if the book of Jasher was in fact removed from the Bible. After all, most Christians believe that it wasn’t. That’s right—most Christians believe that the book of Jasher was removed because it was a second-rate book or something along those lines.
There are several reasons why these texts were not included. The texts might only have been known to few people, or they might have been left out because their content does not fit well into that of the other books of the Bible. Some of the apocrypha were written at a later date, and were therefore not included.
Why Was The Book of Jasher Removed From The Bible
Many people question why the book of Jasher, yā-šār, is not in the Bible. They say that this book is mentioned in the Bible and so the Bible itself mentions it not once but twice. These are Joshua 10–13 and 2 Samuel 1–18; it should be included as part of the Bible. Of course, if the Bible refers to it by name as support for its own writings, then why wouldn’t it be classified as authorised scripture? If it is good enough to be referenced as support, why isn’t it good enough to be included? It is often claimed that this is a lost book, that it was included as scripture but was removed at some point by someone. The Catholic Church would seem to bear the brunt of the accusations on this one.
The main answer I see given in response to these questions, an answer I personally have used in the past but in actual fact think is a totally unsatisfactory and now in fact a totally incorrect answer, is that just because the Bible mentions the book does not mean that it is inspired and should be included. This, to me, is a very weak argument and, rightly so, does not normally convince anyone who says the book of Jasher should be included. All it does is circle the reason the book is not inspired because it is not included. This may satisfy those who already believe we have an inspired and correct text but it isn’t going to convince those who can see the book is referenced and believe it was removed.
I decided to study the real reason that the book was not included as scripture. Was it really removed by the Catholic Church. What I found during this study was quite surprising.
The simple fact is there was no book of Jasher, that was written BC anyway, and was referenced in the Bible. The Bible does NOT reference this book at all because it did not exist until AFTER the NT had been written. It is an AD construct.
Today the book of Jasher, can be purchased in printed form, which is quite readily available in some book stores and the internet. However, it’s important to note here that there are actually a number of different works known by this title, at least 5 possibly up to 12. ALL of which were composed much later than Biblical times and certainly later than the date it would have had to have existed as per the OT references to it. NONE of the books of Jasher which have been discovered are the “book of Jasher” that is referenced in the Bible, despite their claims to the contrary . They are all much later attempts to create a book that was deemed to be missing.
Earliest Hebrew
The earliest Hebrew that is available (there are earlier NON Hebrew writings ALL of which are AD in origin ) comes in printed form, printed in Venice dated 1625 . This is actually considered by many to be a copy of the original book of Jasher. According to this edition of the text there was an edition that was published in 1552 in Naples Italy. However there are no copies of this and there is no collaborating evidence that supports this claim. The 1625 text was first published in English in New York in 1840 by Mordecai Manuel Noah. The actual translator of this text remained anonymous although some do claim this was done by a Mr. Samuel of Liverpool. Many scholars believe it to have been written in the 13th Century probably in Spain.
It is written in paraphrase style similar to those of Jewish liturgical writings of this period and follows the pattern of the rabbinical parashot, which would suggest, at least, that it was composed by rabbinical writers much later than its supposed origin which would be at least 2000 years earlier. It includes chapters and verses—something that was not included in ANY of the original Biblical writings and was not added until 1551 AD by Stephanus
So What about these 2 supposed references to the book in the Bible itself?
Let’s have a look at the first reference in the book of Joshua
Joshua 10-13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven and hastened not to go down for about a whole day.
The truth is, and this is FUNDAMENTAL to understanding these references, ‘Jasher’ does not even refer to a person called Jasher. Jasher simply is NOT a name, it is an ADJECTIVE. This is so very often totally ignored or in most cases, not even known. The KJV has transliterated the Hebrew הַיָּשָׁ֑ר hay-yā-šār; simply meaning the upright one. Again this is NOT a name. There is no name Jasher and there is no book of Jasher (that existed at the time of the reference anyway).
When we understand that this is not referring to a book written by a person called Jasher but rather a person who is THE JASHER or hay-yā-šār we get a much clearer understanding. It is written in the scroll or book (the Hebrew word translated as book is סֵ֣פֶר sê-p̄er ) of the upright one (The Jasher)
The reference here is to where this is written. We do not need to go outside of the Bible itself to find where this is in fact written. It is actually written in the Book of Habakkuk
Habakkuk 3-11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.
Habakkuk was a prophet and therefore one who was upright. He is THE Jasher, the upright one referenced in Joshua.
The second supposed reference to the Book of Jasher is in 2 Samuel 1-18
2 Samuel 1-18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)
However when we look at the word Jasher in the Hebrew we again see that it is הַיָּשָֽׁר׃ hay-yā-šār., and again it is not referring to a book written by a person called Jasher but rather it is written in the book of THE Jasher (hay-yā-šār) or rather the book of the upright one.
Many people incorrectly think that the reference to what is written in the book of Jasher is the statement “Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow”. And so as this statement is not found anywhere in the Bible, it is assumed that it was written in the book of Jasher. BUT when we look at the book of Jasher this is actually not the case. This statement is not found there either. The statement David taught the children of Judah the use of the bow is not included in the book of Jasher and so this argument simply fails.
But it is this understanding that it must have been, which is what causes the confusion. This is NOT in fact what is being made reference to at all.
So what is it referring to? What is written in the book of Jasher or more correctly THE Jasher, the upright one is “the bow”.
When was jasher removed from the Bible?
When was jasher removed from the Bible? According to some sources, this book was once the original start of the Bible. Originally translated from Hebrew in A.D. 800, “The Book of Jasher” was suppressed, then rediscovered in 1829 when it was once again suppressed.
Was the book of jasher ever in the Bible?
The Book of Jasher (also spelled Jashar, Hebrew: סֵפֶר הַיׇּשׇׁר; transliteration: sēfer hayyāšār), which means the Book of the Upright or the Book of the Just Man is a non-canonical book mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.
Book of Jasher Contradictions
Also known as the “Book of the Upright One” in the Greek Septuagint and the “Book of the Just Ones” in the Latin Vulgate, the Book of Jasher was probably a collection or compilation of ancient Hebrew songs and poems praising the heroes of Israel and their exploits in battle. The Book of Jasher is mentioned in Joshua 10:12-13 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon. It is also mentioned in 2 Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song that David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan.
The question is, if the Book of Jasher is mentioned in the Bible, why was it left out of the canon of Scripture? We know that God directed the authors of the Scriptures to use passages from many and various eextrabiblicalsources in composing His Word. The passage recorded in Joshua 10:13 is a good example. In recording this battle, Joshua included passages from the Book of Jasher not because it was his only source of what occurred; rather, he was stating, in effect, “If you don’t believe what I’m saying, then go read it in the Book of Jasher. Even that book has a record of this event.”
There are other Hebrew works that are mentioned in the Bible that God directed the authors to use. Some of these include the Book of the Wars of the Lord (Numbers 21:14), the Book of Samuel the Seer, the Book of Nathan the Prophet, and the Book of Gad the Seer (1 Chronicles 29:29). Also, there are the Acts of Rehoboam and the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah (1 Kings 14:29). We also know that Solomon composed more than a thousand songs (1 Kings 4:32), yet only two are preserved in the book of Psalms (72 and 127). Writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, Paul included a quotation from the Cretan poet Epimenides (Titus 1:12) and quoted from the poets Epimenides and Aratus in his speech at Athens (Acts 17:28).
The point is that the divine Author of the Bible used materials chosen from many different sources, fitting them into His grand design for the Scriptures. We must understand that history as recorded in the Bible did not occur in isolation. The people mentioned in the Bible interacted with other people. For example, though the Bible is clear that there is only one God, it mentions a number of the gods that people worshiped both within Israel and in the nations around them. Similarly, as in Acts 17:28 and Titus 1:12, we sometimes find secular writers being quoted. This doesn’t mean that these quoted writers were inspired. It simply means they happened to say something that was useful in making a point.
There is a book called “The Book of Jasher” today, although it is not the same book as mentioned in the Old Testament. It is an eighteenth-century forgery that alleges to be a translation of the “lost” Book of Jasher by Alcuin, an eighth-century English scholar. There is also a more recent book titled “The Book of Jashar” by science fiction and fantasy writer Benjamin Rosenbaum. This book is a complete work of fiction.
Despite being in Hebrew, a different book with the same name, known as “Pseudo-Jasher,” is not the “Book of Jasher” mentioned in the Bible. It is a book of Jewish legends from the creation to the conquest of Canaan under Joshua, but scholars hold that it did not exist before A.D. 1625. In addition, there are several other theological works by Jewish rabbis and scholars called “Sefer ha Yashar,” but none of these claim to be the original Book of Jasher.
In the end, we must conclude that the Book of Jasher mentioned in the Bible was lost and has not survived to modern times. All we really know about it is found in the two Scripture quotations mentioned earlier. The other books by that title are mere fictions or Jewish moral treatises.
When Was Jasher Removed From The Bible
To make a long story short, it was never “removed,” as it was not included. A huge debate took place over what writings to include in the “canon” of scripture; some debating is still going on now. The Hebrews generally considered the Torah their central, most holy writings, the prophecies next, and the “writings” next—what we call the old testament, they call the Tanakh. Other manuscripts, like Jasher, can be studied and honored as individual wills, and there is a lot of doubt among some about their trustworthiness. Fundamentalists insist on only reading the accepted canon, trusting in the reliability of the church council that decided these things for everyone else. I say, focus on the accepted canon, but read other things if you want, and decide for yourself.
it was never added to the Scriptures. There is a mention of a Book of Jasher in the Bible (Joshua 10:12–13; 2 Samuel 1:18–27). No one quite knows where or what happened to this book. Though it is mentioned and quoted by the Biblical Authors, it has beassumed to bemed lost. Here is a link to a good article that might help you. I hope this helps!
Through the years, a number of works bearing this same title have appeared, and each has aroused speculation that perhaps the missing biblical work has been located. These are all spurious, however, since the real Book of Jasher is not known to have been found. Of the dozen or such books of Jasher, one has been widely circulated and utilized by members of the Church. Following is a brief genealogy of this particular work.
In Hebrew, the “book of Jasher” is called Sefer Hayashar, which means the “book of the upright one” or “the book of the righteous,” and in the vast body of Jewish literature are found a number of writings with that title. One of the oldest of these, written in Hebrew, was first published in Venice in 1625. (There is no known manuscript of this 1625 work in existence.) I know of thirty-two Hebrew editions of this same work that have been published since then, and I have personally examined copies of most of them. This particular book of Jasher has also been published in languages other than Hebrew (e.g., Yiddish, or Judaio German, 1674; Latin, 1732; English, 1840; French, 1858; and a second English translation, 1876).