Rachel Evans
The Apocrypha are biblical or related writings that are not part of the accepted canon of scripture. In Christianity, the word apocryphal was initially used to refer to writings that were intended to be read privately rather than in church services. The Apocrypha is a point of division between Protestants and Catholics, with the Catholic Church recognising some books of the Old Testament Apocrypha as Sacred Scripture, while Protestants do not.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Catholic Church's stance on the Apocrypha | The Apocrypha are biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of scripture. They are considered "deuterocanonical books" by the Catholic Church and are a part of Sacred Scripture. |
| The Apocrypha in the Bible | The Catholic-approved Bible versions containing all the books in the Catholic canon are RSV-CE, RSV-2CE, ESV-CE, and Douay-Rheims Bible. |
| The Apocrypha in the early Church | The Septuagint with its larger and looser canon was the OT "Bible" of the early Church. |
| The Apocrypha in the Middle Ages | Views of the Apocrypha among Christians were mixed. |
| The Apocrypha in the Reformation | The Reformers revisited the issue of which books were properly Scripture, concluding that the OT Apocrypha should not be the basis for Christian doctrine. |
| The Apocrypha in the Counter-Reformation | In 1546, the Catholic Council of Trent made an official declaration that the Apocrypha was henceforth to be regarded as Scripture. |
| The Apocrypha in the Orthodox Church | The Coptic, Greek, and Russian Orthodox churches recognize the Apocrypha as inspired by God. |
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What You'll Learn
- The Catholic Church considers the Apocrypha as Sacred Scripture
- Protestants label the Apocrypha as non-canonical
- The Apocrypha is also recognised by the Coptic, Greek and Russian Orthodox churches
- The Apocrypha is made up of Old Testament and New Testament writings
- The Apocrypha is made up of books like Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Sirach, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees and Wisdom
The Catholic Church considers the Apocrypha as Sacred Scripture
The Catholic Church considers certain deuterocanonical books as Sacred Scripture. These books, written between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD, include 1 and 2 Maccabees, 1 Esdras, Judith, Tobit, the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, and some smaller works. While these books were used among the Jews during this time period, there is little evidence to suggest they were regarded as Scripture by key sources such as Josephus or Philo.
The Catholic Church's inclusion of these books in the canon has created a division with Protestants. The Apocrypha, or deuterocanonical books, are not considered inspired or infallible like the books in Scripture by Protestants, who follow the shorter Hebrew Canon. However, the Catholic Church argues that there were competing canons among the Jews in Jesus' day, and that the New Testament writers adopted a wider canon, alluding to the Old Testament Apocrypha.
The Catholic Church also points to the fact that the New Testament cites certain deuterocanonical books as authoritative, such as Sirach, demonstrating their belief that these books were part of Scripture. Additionally, they argue that the mere citing of Old Testament Scripture does not establish its authority.
It is important to note that not all Catholic sources agree on the inclusion of the Old Testament Apocrypha as Sacred Scripture, and there are contradictory statements from Catholic scholars on this issue. However, the Catholic Church officially declared at the Council of Trent in 1546 that the Apocrypha was to be regarded as Scripture, reconfirming the canon of Augustine from the second and third centuries.
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Protestants label the Apocrypha as non-canonical
Secondly, the Jews, including the Pharisaic Jews, whom the Protestants follow, used a Hebrew canon that did not include the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha was not on any early list of Christian books considered Scripture, and while a few church fathers quoted them as authoritative, most did not. The Hebrew scholar Jerome, for instance, rejected the books outright.
Thirdly, there is a lack of unanimity of opinion among Roman Catholic scholars that the Apocrypha should be considered Scripture. Before the Protestant Reformation, these books were not considered canonical by all church authorities, and they were not officially accepted by the Roman Catholic Church until the 16th century. The first official council of the Roman Catholic Church to ratify these books was at the Council of Trent in 1546-1563.
Finally, the books of the Apocrypha are not well defined, and there is no consensus on which books are authoritative. This lack of clarity contributes to the Protestant rejection of the Apocrypha as canonical.
In summary, Protestants label the Apocrypha as non-canonical due to contradictions with previously revealed Scripture, the absence of citations in the New Testament, the rejection by the Jews and most early church fathers, the lack of unanimity among Catholic scholars, and the unclear definition and authority of the books.
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The Apocrypha is also recognised by the Coptic, Greek and Russian Orthodox churches
The Apocrypha are biblical or related writings that do not form part of the accepted canon of scripture. They may be of doubtful authorship or authenticity, and are not considered inspired or infallible like the books in Scripture. However, they may still be useful and recognised by some Christian churches.
The Catholic Church considers certain books of the Apocrypha, such as Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Sirach, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees and Wisdom, as "deuterocanonical books", which are fully valid and part of Sacred Scripture. The Catholic Church's inclusion of these books in the biblical canon has created a division with Protestants, who do not include them.
The recognition of the Apocrypha by these churches demonstrates that the acceptance of certain books as sacred Scripture can vary between different Christian denominations. While some Christians may attempt to discredit the Apocrypha due to historical inaccuracies or immoral content, others view them as inspired by God and containing valuable teachings.
It is worth noting that the status of the deuterocanonicals remains unchanged in Catholic and Orthodox Christianity, although there may be differences in the number of these books between these branches.
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The Apocrypha is made up of Old Testament and New Testament writings
The Apocrypha is a collection of biblical writings that are not part of the accepted canon of scripture. They are divided into two groups: the Old Testament (OT) Apocrypha and the New Testament (NT) Apocrypha. The OT Apocrypha, also known as the deuterocanonical books, are the more well-known of the two due to their inclusion in the Roman Catholic canon. These books include 1 & 2 Maccabees, 1 Esdras, Judith, Tobit, the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, and some smaller works. They were written between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD and are preserved in Greek, although some may have been originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic.
The Catholic Church considers the deuterocanonical books to be part of Sacred Scripture, affirming their canonicity at the Council of Rome in AD 382 and later at the Council of Trent in the 16th century. Catholics view these books as inspired and infallible, just like the rest of the Bible. They argue that the New Testament writers adopted a wider canon that included allusions to the OT Apocrypha, demonstrating their belief in its divine authority.
The NT Apocrypha, on the other hand, is a loosely defined group of texts that resemble the style and genre of the NT writings but were never accepted into the church's canon. These writings include gospels, acts, epistles, and apocalypses, with the most well-known focusing on the words or deeds of Jesus. The term "gospel" may not always be appropriate, as some of these texts differ significantly from the canonical gospels.
It is important to note that not all Catholics agree on the status of the Apocrypha. Some view them as useful for reading, while others caution that they may contain forgeries or bad ideas. Additionally, Protestants do not include the deuterocanonical books in their canon, referring to them as the "`Apocrypha`" and considering them non-canonical. The debate over the Apocrypha has been a point of division between Protestants and Catholics, with the Protestant Reformers rejecting the Apocrypha as a basis for Christian doctrine.
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The Apocrypha is made up of books like Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Sirach, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees and Wisdom
The Apocrypha is a collection of books that are considered sacred Scripture by the Catholic Church. These books, written during the Old and New Testament eras, were judged by the Catholic Church as not inspired by the Holy Spirit and are thus not included in the Protestant Old Testament or the Jewish Bible.
The Apocrypha is made up of books like Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Sirach, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, and Wisdom. Tobit and Judith are considered historical fiction, while 1 and 2 Maccabees are historiography. Baruch includes the Letter of Jeremiah, and Wisdom is classified as a sapiential work.
The inclusion of these books in the Bible has been a subject of debate between Protestants and Catholics. The Protestant argument is that the Catholic Church added these seven books to the Canon Bible at the Council of Trent in the 16th century to support its teachings. However, these books were part of the original Canon, dating back to the first Synod of Hippo in 393.
Roman Catholics argue that the New Testament writers adopted a wider canon, and there are allusions in the New Testament to the Old Testament Apocrypha. For example, a reference in the Book of Hebrews may be alluding to Second Maccabees, and the New Testament may be citing Sirach as authoritative.
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Frequently asked questions
The Apocrypha are biblical or related writings that do not form part of the accepted canon of scripture. In the context of Catholicism, the Apocrypha refers specifically to the Old Testament Apocrypha, which are a group of books written between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD.
Yes, the Catholic Church considers the Old Testament Apocrypha as Sacred Scripture. These books are often referred to as "deuterocanonical" by Catholics.
Catholics argue that the New Testament writers adopted a wider canon, alluding to the Old Testament Apocrypha. They also believe that the New Testament cites certain Apocryphal books as authoritative, thus establishing their scriptural status.
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