BIBLICAL LIBRARIES
of officially registered documents, a true archive or "bibliotheke."
One other library is ascribed to this period and transfers the scene again to Jerusalem where Nehemiah is said to have formed a library, gathering together the dispersed books, "the acts of the kings and of the Prophets and of David, also the letters of the kings concerning things 'laid up'." Unfortunately this account in Maccabees (2:13) suffers from the bad company of apocryphal incident. Little weight is therefore given to it, in spite of the claim that it is taken from Nehemiah's own official records (anagraphs) and memorials (hypomnemata) and in spite of the fact that it is just what Nehemiah naturally would have done and undoubtedly did do. He was just from this very palace of Susa, where his office of cup-bearer was very like that of the "deacon" whom, according to the LXX, Ahasuerus sent for the Book of records
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