25 “The Pseudepigrapha Crescent” and a Taxonomy of How Christians Shaped Jewish Traditions and Texts

In this chapter I introduce the concept of “the Pseudepigrapha Crescent” and share a perception that many early Jewish traditions and texts escaped the destruction of ancient Palestine in 70 and 135/6 CE and were preserved on the fringes of Rome’s influence. Also, some compositions, like Fifth Maccabees, were created freely from ancient traditions that may be “Jewish” or “Christian” or a mixture of these complex traditions. I also suggest a taxonomy of how such traditions and texts were altered by Christians as the manuscripts were copied from 70 CE to about the fourteenth century CE. This chapter thus introduces numerous subjects for discussions.