Ethan Walker
The Apocrypha is a set of books that are placed between the Old and New Testaments in some Bibles. The Catholic Church considers some of these books, such as Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Sirach, and the Books of Maccabees, as deuterocanonical or part of Sacred Scripture. However, there are conflicting views within Catholicism regarding the status of these books, with some Catholic sources arguing against their inclusion. The Apocrypha is generally considered non-canonical by Protestants, although they may be used for instruction. The term apocrypha itself originates from the Greek word apokruphos, meaning hidden.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Religious books claiming a sacred origin but judged by the Catholic Church as not inspired by the Holy Spirit |
| Origin of the term | Medieval Latin adjective apocryphus (secret, or non-canonical) from the Greek adjective ἀπόκρυφος, apokryphos (private) |
| Catholic Church's stance | The Catholic Church considers some books of the Apocrypha as deuterocanonical and part of Sacred Scripture |
| Examples of deuterocanonical books | Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Sirach, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, additions to Esther, Daniel, and Baruch |
| Books not considered deuterocanonical | The Book of Enoch, The Gospel of Judas |
| Other terms used | Protocanonical, intertestamental |
| Liturgical use | The Catholic, Methodist, and Anglican churches include scripture readings from the Book of Tobit in services of Holy Matrimony |
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What You'll Learn
The Catholic Church's stance on the Apocrypha
The Catholic Church considers the Apocrypha, a set of books written in the Old and New Testament eras, as "deuterocanonical". These books include "Tobit", "Judith", "Baruch", "Sirach", "1 Maccabees", "2 Maccabees" and "Wisdom". While the Apocrypha is deemed to be non-inspired by the Holy Spirit and excluded from the canon of Scripture, it is not considered blasphemous and retains some religious value.
The history of the Apocrypha in the Catholic Church is an interesting one. Initially, the Church included the deuterocanonical books or the Books of the Old Testament Apocrypha as Scripture. However, during the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther and other Protestant reformers omitted these books from Holy Scripture for doctrinal reasons. In response, the Catholic Church held an official council at Trent, declaring that the deuterocanonical books were indeed part of the canon of Scripture and placing anathemas on those who rejected this.
It is worth noting that there is some disagreement within the Catholic Church on this issue. Some Catholic sources argue that the Apocrypha should be accepted as Scripture, while others disagree. Ultimately, the Catholic Church's stance is that the Apocrypha is a valid part of Sacred Scripture, but individual Catholics may have varying views on the matter.
The Apocrypha is also recognised by the Orthodox Churches and the Church of the East, as well as having a place in the Anglican Communion, where it is to be read with respect by members.
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Deuterocanonical books
The deuterocanonical books, meaning 'of, pertaining to, or constituting a second canon', are collectively known as the Deuterocanon (DC). These books are considered to be canonical books of the Old Testament by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Church, and the Church of the East. The term 'deuterocanonical' was coined in 1566 by the theologian Sixtus of Siena, who had converted to Catholicism from Judaism, to describe scriptural texts considered canonical by the Catholic Church, but which were considered "secondary".
The deuterocanonical books are not viewed as divinely inspired by Jews or most Protestants. However, Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians do consider them inspired. The deuterocanonical books are included in the Septuagint, the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. They date from 300 BC to 100 AD, before the separation of the Christian church from Judaism, and they are regularly found in old manuscripts and cited by early Christians.
There are 12 deuterocanonical books: Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Sirach (or the writings of Ben Sirah), 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, 3 Maccabees, 4 Maccabees, Wisdom (Ecclesiasticus), Prayer of Manasseh, 1 Esdras, and 2 Esdras. They also include additions to three books accepted in the biblical canon: Esther, Daniel, and Baruch. The deuterocanonical books are often seen as helping to explain the theological and cultural transitions that took place between the Old and New Testaments.
The deuterocanonical books were accepted by the Jews of the intertestamental period, particularly the Pharisees, who saw them as valuable to Jewish history but not divinely inspired. The canonicity of these books took longer to determine, and they were not included in the Hebrew canon. However, they were included in the canon of 46 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books decided upon by the Council of Rome in 382 AD. This decision was ratified by several other councils over the following centuries.
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The Apocrypha in the Old Testament
The Apocrypha is a list of 14 books that were left out of the Hebrew Bible canon. The word "apocrypha" comes from the Greek "apokruphos", meaning "hidden", and it refers to a set of books that are sometimes placed between the Old and New Testaments in a section called "Apocrypha". The canonicity of these books took longer to determine. While some religious groups consider the Apocrypha non-canonical, others, including the Catholic Church, Orthodox Churches, and the Church of the East, accept them as deuterocanonical.
The Apocrypha is intimately tied to the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. All the writers of the New Testament referred to the Septuagint for their quotations. This is why the Septuagint was transmitted to the world through Christian writers rather than Jewish scribes, who mostly wrote in Hebrew. While no New Testament author quotes directly from the Apocrypha, many refer to expressions and images from it. For instance, the Epistle of Barnabas, an early Christian document, quotes from several Apocryphal books, and an early Church father named Polycarp referred indisputably to a story from the apocryphal additions to the book of Daniel. This indicates that many in the early Church accepted the Apocrypha as Scripture.
The status of the Apocrypha has been a subject of debate among various religious groups. Anabaptists and magisterial Protestants generally recognize the Apocrypha as non-canonical but useful for instruction and manners. Lutherans and Anglicans, on the other hand, include the Apocrypha in their Bibles as intertestamental readings, although no doctrine should be based on them. The Anglican Communion maintains that the Apocrypha is part of the Bible and is to be read with respect by its members. Certain hymns and offertory sentences in Anglican Communion prayers are taken from the Apocrypha.
The Apocrypha includes books such as Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Sirach, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, and additions to Esther, Daniel, and Baruch. These books are considered deuterocanonical by the Catholic Church and are placed in a separate section of the Bible. They are believed to help explain the theological and cultural transitions between the Old and New Testaments.
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The Apocrypha in the New Testament
The Apocrypha is a set of books that, when they appear in a Bible, are placed between the Old and New Testaments in a section called "Apocrypha". The canonicity of these books took longer to determine. The word "apocrypha" is derived from the Greek "apokruphos", meaning "hidden".
The New Testament Apocrypha consists of gospels, acts, letters, and apocalypses. These books are written in a similar literary style to the New Testament, but none of them have been accepted by any of the major branches of Christianity. They are considered to lack divine authority. However, this has not stopped some people from attempting to equate these writings with the New Testament.
The Acts of the Apostles, the story of the beginning of the early church, also had apocryphal accounts written. The most notable are the Acts of Paul, the Acts of Peter, the Acts of John, the Acts of Andrew, and the Acts of Thomas. These works circulated as a group and were accepted in some circles, but they are not considered authentic.
There were also apocryphal letters that purported to come from New Testament figures, as well as apocryphal gospels and apocalypses. These works were fewer in number than the gospels and acts because of the difficulty of making them look and sound authentic.
Some examples of New Testament Apocrypha include:
- 3 Corinthians
- Acts 29
- Acts of Paul
- Acts of Paul and Thecla
- Acts of Peter and Paul
- Apocalypse of Paul
- Epistle to the Laodiceans
- Gospel of Mary
- Gospel of the Nativity of Mary
- History of Joseph the Carpenter
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The Apocrypha and the Anglican Communion
The Apocrypha is a collection of ancient books, some of which are believed to be of doubtful origin, thought to have been written between 200 BC and 100 AD. The word "apocrypha" comes from the Ancient Greek "apókruphos", meaning "hidden".
The Apocrypha is considered by some to be part of the Christian Bible, but it is generally not received by Christians as the Word of God. The Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches include some or all of the same texts within their version of the Old Testament, with Catholics terming them deuterocanonical books.
The Anglican Communion accepts the Protestant Apocrypha "for instruction in life and manners, but not for the establishment of doctrine", as stated in Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles, one of the foundation documents within the Anglican Communion. This means that Anglicans believe that the Apocrypha is worth reading, but it is not on the same level as the canonical Holy Scripture. In practice, this distinction is noted by saying "here ends the reading" after a reading from the Apocrypha, rather than "the Word of the Lord", to which the congregational response is "thanks be to God".
Historically, the Apocrypha was included in early English Bibles such as the Coverdale Bible (1535), the Geneva Bible (1560), and the King James Bible (1611), but it was set apart from the OT canonical books. The Anglican Communion, along with Lutheran Churches, continues to include readings from the Apocrypha in their lectionaries, such as in the Book of Common Prayer.
In summary, while the Apocrypha is not considered to be divinely inspired scripture by Anglicans, it is still valued as a source of instruction in life and manners, and it continues to be read and referenced within the Anglican Communion.
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Frequently asked questions
The Apocrypha is a set of books that are sometimes placed between the Old and New Testaments in a section called "Apocrypha". The canonicity of these books took longer to determine.
The Catholic Church considers some books of the Apocrypha as deuterocanonical books, which are part of Sacred Scripture. However, there are some contradictions in statements from Catholic sources, and some books of the Apocrypha are not accepted.
Deuterocanonical books are those whose inspiration was recognised later in history, after being disputed by certain Fathers and local churches.
The deuterocanonical books of the Catholic Church include Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Sirach, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, and additions to Esther, Daniel, and Baruch.
Yes, some books of the Apocrypha, such as the Book of Enoch and the Gospel of Judas, are not included in the Roman Catholic canon. These books are to be treated as ordinary, non-inspired sources of history and should be read with extreme critique.
