In this volume a leading biblical scholar helps readers rediscover the ancient books of the Old Testament Apocrypha. This book provides a clear, basic introduction to these important, but often neglected ancient books.Using the latest and best scholarship yet writing for those new to the Apocrypha, Daniel Harrington guides readers through the background, content, and message of each book. A distinctive feature of this primer is that it focuses throughout on the problem of suffering. How can we say that God is omnipotent and just when innocent people are suffering? Are righteous people really rewarded and wicked people really punished? If so, when and how? No one of these books by itself provides the answer, but Harrington highlights what each book of the Apocrypha says about this universal human experience.