Some claim that, during the intertestamental period, there
was no divine inspiration (Roger Beckwith et al. make this claim, usually in
attempts to “counter” the canonicity of the Apocrypha books canonised at Trent
in 1546; see his 1985 book, The Old Testament Canon of the New Testament
Church). However, at best, one could argue that within some quarters
of Judaism, there was a belief in the cessation of the prophetic gift, as it is
rather demonstrable that prophetic gifts were (at least claimed to be) in the
possession of certain individuals and writers. For instance, in the book of
Sirach, we read the following:
I will again pour out
teaching like prophecy, and leave it to all future generations. (Sirach 24:33
[NRSV])
If the great Lord is
willing, he will be filled with the spirit of understanding; he will pour forth
words of wisdom of his own and give thanks to the Lord in his prayer. (Sirach
39:6 [NRSV])
As an aside, for a recent book that interacts with
Beckwith's (errant) claims on this and other issues, see Timothy H. Lim, The Formation of
the Jewish Canon (Yale University Press, 2013). Others, such as Lee Martin McDonald, have previously interacted with Beckwith's 1985 tome.
