Fourth Maccabees is a superbly crafted oration that presents a case for the Jewish way of life couched almost entirely in terms of Greek ethical ideals. Its author delights in the Torah, the Law of Moses, as the divinely given path to becoming our best selves now. In this collection of essays spanning two decades of study, David deSilva examines the formative training that produced such an author, the rhetorical crafting and effect of his work, the author's creative use of both Jewish and Greek literary resources, and the book's enduring message and legacy in the Christian church.

David A. deSilva is Trustees Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Ashland Theological Seminary at Ashland, Ohio. He is the author of twenty-five books, includingAn Introduction to the New Testament(2nd ed., 2018),Introducing the Apocrypha (2nd ed., 2018),Day of Atonement(2015), andThe Jewish Teachers of Jesus, James, and Jude (2011).