Klawans, Jonathan2019-10-022018Jonathan Klawans. 2018. "Deceptive Intentions: Forgeries, Falsehoods and the Study of Ancient Judaism." Jewish Quarterly Review, Volume 108, Issue 4, pp. 489 - 501. https://doi.org/10.1353/jqr.2018.00301553-0604https://hdl.handle.net/2144/38172This essay probes and problematizes purported distinctions between religious pseudepigraphy and literary deceit. When we attend to what ancient religious pseudepigraphs say about lying, we may be more inclined to recognize the intention to deceive. Apologies for ancient religious pseudepigraphs sometimes resemble defenses for alleged modern forgeries, raising the possibility that academics may not be sufficiently alert to the extent of dishonesty lurking in our source material. In this respect, grappling with ancient lies may also help us recognize modern ones. In any event, the current moment—marked by crises of forgery and falsehood—call for a greater awareness, and increased suspicion.489 - 501All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations used for purposes of scholarly citation, none of this work may be reproduced in any form by any means without written permission from the publisher. For information address the University of Pennsylvania Press, 3905 Spruce Street, Philadelphia PA 19104-4112.Historical studiesReligion and religious studiesDeceptionForgeryScholem, GershomGabriel, HazonSmith, MortonPseudepigraphySecret MarkyDeceptive intentions: forgeries, falsehoods and the study of ancient JudaismArticle10.1353/jqr.2018.00300000-0002-7389-1719 (Klawans, Jonathan)407882