Old Testament Legends

Old Testament Legends is a book by Montague Rhodes James, first published in 1913. In this collection, the renowned medieval scholar retells vivid stories from lesser-known apocryphal and pseudepigraphal texts linked to the Hebrew Bible. Written in an inviting style for general (and younger) readers, the tales expand familiar Bible narratives — offering what-happened-next episodes about Adam and Eve outside Eden, Abraham’s trials, Joseph’s wife Aseneth, Job’s endurance, and Solomon’s mastery over demons.

It serves as a doorway into Jewish legends and early Christian lore that sit on the “borderland” of Scripture. Drawing on sources such as the Book of Adam and Eve, the Apocalypse and Testament of Abraham, the Testament of Job, the Testament of Solomon, Baruch traditions, the tale of Ebedmelech and Jeremiah, and the wisdom cycle of Ahikar, these narratives illuminate the moral imagination of the ancient world.

Ideal for readers interested in apocryphal Old Testament stories, Bible study supplements, myth and folklore, or the history of biblical interpretation, this collection brings together themes of repentance, providence, angelic warfare, and wise living.