JASHER, BOOK OF (Heb. Sepher " the book of the upright:" translated by the LXX. Biblion ton Euthous, and by the vulgate, Liber Justorum; but the Peshito [Syriac version] has Sepher Hadar, "Book of Praises or Hymns"), is one of the lost books of the ancient Ilebrews, which is quoted twice (Joshua x. 13; 2 Samuel i. 18). Regarding its character and contents, there has been much speculation, Talmudic and later Jewish authorities identified it variously with Genesis (sometimes called " the Book of the Upright"), Deuteronomy, Judges, etc., to all which notions there is the obvious and fatal objection that the two quotations from it which survive are not to be found in any of these books, and could not possibly be found in the first two, as they refer to incidents which occurred at a subsequent period in tile national history. The conjecture of the Syriac and Arabic translators has been adopted by Dr. Lowth, Herder, and other scholars, viz., that the book of Jasher was is collection of national ballads—a Hebrew minstrelsy, in short—recording the Warlike deeds of the national heroes, or singing the praises of otherwise celebrated men. Gesenius is inclined to adopt the same view, and
suggests that it may have acquired its name, " the Book of the Upright," from having been written chiefly in praise of upright men. Donaldson, in an ingenious work, Jashar, or Praymenta Archetypi, Carminunt Ilebraicorum in Hasorethico Veteris Testamenti Tata passim tessellate, contends for its being a composition of the age of Solomon, and a, work of Nathan and Gad. He conceives that it originated in the desire of the more religious of the community to possess a record of the national history which should chiefly set forth the righteousness of the true Hebrews, and he attempts to extract from the so-called canonical books of the Old Testament such passages as he believed to have originally formed part of it. It must be added, however, that Dr. Donaldson's theory has met with little favor either from the mass of German scholars or from the few iu England who are competent to consider the question.