Why Was The Apocrypha Removed? The Apocrypha, a collection of ancient writings, was removed from many Protestant Bibles because it contains doctrines and practices inconsistent with the accepted biblical canon. Explore the historical, theological, and textual reasons behind this decision with why.edu.vn, shedding light on the canon debate and biblical texts. Discover more on scriptural authority and the development of the Old Testament canon.
1. What is the Apocrypha?
The Apocrypha refers to a collection of books, also known as deuterocanonical books, that are included in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) and the Vulgate (the Latin translation of the Bible), but are not considered part of the Hebrew Bible canon. These books are accepted as canonical by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, but are generally rejected by Protestants as not divinely inspired. The term “Apocrypha” means “hidden” or “obscure,” reflecting their disputed status.
These writings, composed mainly between 200 BC and 400 AD, cover a range of literary forms, including historical narratives, wisdom literature, and additions to canonical books. Examples include Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus (Sirach), Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees, and additions to Daniel and Esther. Their absence from the Jewish biblical canon and differing theological perspectives led to their removal from many Protestant Bibles.
2. What Are The Key Reasons For The Apocrypha’s Removal?
The removal of the Apocrypha from Protestant Bibles stems from several key reasons:
- Doctrinal Differences: The Apocrypha contains theological ideas that contradict or are absent from the protocanonical books.
- Lack of Jewish Acceptance: These books were never included in the Hebrew Bible canon recognized by Jewish authorities.
- Absence in the New Testament: The New Testament does not directly quote or reference the Apocrypha as scripture.
- Historical and Geographical Errors: Some narratives contain inaccuracies that undermine their credibility.
- Late Inclusion: The books were added to the Septuagint and Vulgate relatively late in the canonization process.
These factors collectively contributed to the Protestant Reformers’ decision to exclude the Apocrypha from their Bibles, emphasizing a return to the original Hebrew and Greek texts and a focus on doctrines firmly rooted in the protocanonical scriptures.
3. How Does the Apocrypha Differ Doctrinally From Accepted Scripture?
The Apocrypha introduces several doctrines and practices that differ significantly from those found in the protocanonical books of the Bible. These differences played a crucial role in the decision to remove the Apocrypha from many Protestant Bibles. Key doctrinal discrepancies include:
- Salvation by Works: Some passages suggest salvation can be earned through good deeds and almsgiving.
- Purgatory: The concept of purgatory, a state of purification after death for those destined for heaven, is implied.
- Prayers for the Dead: The practice of praying for the deceased is encouraged, suggesting it can benefit those who have already died.
- Pre-existence of Souls: The idea that souls exist before birth is presented, differing from the biblical view of soul creation.
- Creation from Pre-existing Matter: The notion that God created the world from pre-existing material is introduced, contrasting with the biblical account of creation ex nihilo (out of nothing).
These doctrines contrast sharply with the Protestant emphasis on salvation by grace through faith, the finality of judgment after death, and the unique authority of the protocanonical scriptures.
4. Salvation By Works: What Does The Apocrypha Teach?
The Apocrypha contains passages that seem to support the idea of salvation by works, a concept at odds with the Protestant doctrine of salvation by grace through faith. These passages suggest that human actions can contribute to earning divine favor and forgiveness. Examples include:
- Tobit 12:9: “For almsgiving saves from death and purges away every sin.”
- Tobit 14:11: “So now, my children, see what almsgiving accomplishes, and what injustice does! It brings death.”
- Sirach 3:3: “It will atone for your sins.”
- 1 Maccabees 2:52: “Was not Abraham found faithful when tested, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness?”
These verses suggest that acts of charity, almsgiving, and faithfulness can directly impact one’s salvation or atone for sins. This contrasts with the New Testament’s emphasis on grace and faith in Jesus Christ as the sole means of salvation, as highlighted in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
5. Purgatory: How Is This Non-Biblical Doctrine Taught?
The Apocrypha alludes to the doctrine of purgatory, a concept not explicitly found in the protocanonical books of the Bible. Purgatory is understood as an intermediate state where souls undergo purification before entering heaven. The primary passage supporting this idea is:
- 2 Maccabees 12:41-45: This passage describes Judas Maccabeus collecting money to provide for a sin offering for soldiers who had died with amulets of pagan idols. The text concludes that it is good and pious to pray for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sin.
This passage suggests that the dead can benefit from the actions of the living, implying a state where sins can be atoned for after death. This contrasts with the Protestant belief that one’s eternal destiny is determined at the moment of death, based on their acceptance or rejection of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 9:27 states, “And just as each person is destined to die once, and after that comes judgment.”
6. Do Prayers Of The Dead Have Merit According To The Apocrypha?
The Apocrypha contains passages suggesting that prayers for the dead are efficacious, a practice that is not supported in the protocanonical books of the Bible. The most notable example is found in 2 Maccabees 12:41-45, where Judas Maccabeus makes atonement for dead soldiers. Additionally, the Book of Baruch includes a prayer purportedly from the dead:
- Baruch 3:4: “O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, hear now the prayer of the dead of Israel, the children of those who sinned before you, who did not heed the voice of the Lord their God, so that calamities have clung to us.”
These verses imply that the prayers of the deceased can be heard by God and that the living can intercede on behalf of the dead. This contrasts with the Protestant view that the dead cannot pray for the living and that intercession is primarily the role of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The Bible primarily teaches that the living upon the earth pray for the other living ones on the earth.
7. Pre-Existence Of Souls: Is It Scriptural?
The Apocrypha introduces the doctrine of the pre-existence of souls, which is the idea that souls exist before they are united with a body at birth. This concept is found in:
- Wisdom 8:19-20: “As a child I was naturally gifted, and a good soul fell to my lot; or rather, being good, I entered an undefiled body.”
This passage suggests that the soul’s quality influences its entry into a body, implying a prior existence. This contrasts with the traditional biblical view that souls are created at conception or birth and do not have a prior existence.
8. Creation Out Of Pre-Existent Matter: What Does The Apocrypha Say?
The Apocrypha presents the idea that God created the world out of pre-existent matter, a concept that differs from the biblical doctrine of creation ex nihilo (out of nothing). This is illustrated in:
- Wisdom 11:17: “For your all-powerful hand, which created the world out of formless matter, did not lack the means to send upon them a multitude of bears, or bold lions.”
This passage suggests that God used existing, formless matter to create the world, rather than creating everything from nothing. This contrasts with Hebrews 11:3, which states, “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible,” supporting the doctrine of creation ex nihilo.
9. Does The Apocrypha Imply The Body Weighs Down The Soul?
The Apocrypha presents the idea that the body weighs down the soul, a concept that is not explicitly supported in the protocanonical books of the Bible. This is found in:
- Wisdom 9:15: “For a perishable body weighs down the soul, and this earthy tent burdens the thoughtful mind.”
This passage suggests that the physical body is a hindrance to the soul and the mind. This contrasts with other biblical perspectives that view the body as an integral part of human existence, created by God and capable of glorifying Him. The idea that the body weighs down the soul is not biblical – the body is not evil.
10. Is The Apocrypha Cited In The New Testament?
The Apocrypha is never directly cited in the New Testament as authoritative scripture. While there may be some allusions to the Apocryphal books by New Testament writers, there is no direct quote from them. Allusions are not the same as direct quotes. This is a significant reason why Protestants do not accept the Apocrypha as part of the biblical canon.
10.1. Allusions Are Not The Same As Scripture
While there may be some allusions to the apocryphal books by New Testament writers, there is no direct quote from them. An allusion is not the same as a direct quote.
10.2. No Statement Introduced By “It Is Written”
No New Testament writer ever refers to any of these books as authoritative. Quotes from the accepted books are usually introduced by the phrase, “It is written,” or the passage is quoted to prove a point. But never do the New Testament writers quote the Apocrypha in this way. Furthermore no book of the Apocrypha is mentioned by name in the New Testament.
10.3. There Are Other Books Directly Quoted Apart From Apocrypha
There are certain books that both Protestants and the Roman Catholic Church reject as Scripture that are actually cited in the New Testament. Jude cites the apocryphal book of Enoch.
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (Jude 14,15).
Paul cites the name of the magicians of Pharaoh who opposed Moses. These names are not mentioned in the Old Testament.
Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth – men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected (2 Timothy 3:8).
If the writers of the New Testament considered the Apocrypha to be Scripture, we would certainly expect them to refer to it in some way. However we find no direct quotations. This is in contrast to over 250 quotations from the authoritative Old Testament Scriptures.
The fact that the present canon was repeatedly quoted as being divinely authoritative as well as the absence of any direct quote is another indication of the extent of the canon – it did not include the Apocrypha.
11. Have The Jews Ever Accepted The Apocrypha?
The Jews have never considered these works to be divinely inspired. On the contrary, they denied their authority. At the time of Christ we have the testimony of the Jewish writer Flavius Josephus that they were only twenty-two books divinely inspired by God. These books are the same as our thirty-nine in the Old Testament. The books of the Apocrypha were not among these. The same testimony is found in Second Esdras – the Ezra legend. This work was written in A.D. 100. Therefore these books were never part of the Hebrew canon of Scripture.
12. When Were The Books Of The Apocrypha Written?
The books of the Apocrypha were written during the four hundred silent years between the Book of Malachi and the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist. Jewish and New Testament sources both agree that no divinely inspired prophetic utterance occurred during this time.
13. Does The Septuagint Translation Validate The Apocrypha?
The fact that the Apocrypha is found in the Septuagint translation does not prove anything. It merely testifies that the Alexandrian Jews translated other religious material into Greek apart from the Old Testament Scripture. A Greek translation is not the same thing as a book being part of the Hebrew canon.
14. Was The Apocrypha In The Septuagint At The Time Of Christ?
There is no evidence that the books of the Apocrypha were in the Septuagint as early as the time of Christ. The earliest manuscripts that contain them date back to the fourth century A.D. This does not demonstrate that the books of the Apocrypha were part of the Septuagint in pre-Christian times. Even if they were in the Septuagint at this early date, it is noteworthy that neither Christ nor the apostles ever quoted from them as they did with most of the Old Testament books. In addition, books were merely translated in Alexandria, Egypt – they were not canonized there.
There is no clear answer as to what they first century Septuagint contained. The fourth or fifth century Greek manuscripts, in which the Apocrypha appears, have no consistency with the number of books or their order.
15. Was There A Greater Alexandrian Canon?
It has been argued that the canon of the Alexandrian Jews was larger than the present Hebrew Old Testament. However, there is no evidence that the Jews in Alexandria, Egypt had a wider canon than the Jews living in Israel. Philo of Alexandria, who lived in the first century A.D., wrote on a number of subjects. He acknowledged the Jews believed in the divine authority of the Hebrew canon. However, he gave no indication that there was a wider canon used by the Jews living in Egypt. From Philo we find that the canon in Alexandria, Egypt was the same as in Palestine. He knows the threefold division of the Old Testament as ascribes divine inspiration to many of the books. In addition, he says nothing about the Apocrypha. Consequently there is no evidence anywhere that the Alexandrian Jews accepted the Apocrypha as Holy Scripture.
It must be remembered that it was not the Jews in Egypt but rather some of the Greek-speaking Christians who gave some measure of authoritative status to certain of these books translated with the Septuagint plus. To the Jews, these books were never considered divinely inspired Scripture.
16. Are The Apocrypha Books On The Early Canonical Lists?
In the early years of the church it drew up various lists of the books it considered to be Old Testament Scripture. The books of the Apocrypha do not appear on any list until late in the fourth century. This demonstrates the acceptance of these writings was not immediate.
16.1. The Apocrypha Is Missing From The Earliest List
The earliest existing list of the Old Testament canon comes from a man named Melito, a bishop of Sardis. In approximately A.D. 170 he wrote the following.
When I came to the east and reached the place where these things were preached and done, and learned accurately the books of the Old Testament, I set down the facts and sent them to you. These are their names: the five books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua the son of Nun, Judges, Ruth, four books of the Kingdom, two books of Chronicles, the Psalms of David, the Proverbs of Solomon and his wisdom, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, Job, the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, The Twelve in a single book, Daniel, Ezekiel, Ezra.
This list of Melito is highly instructive. He includes all the books of the present canon except Esther. The reference to the four books of the kingdom would be 1,2 Samuel and 1,2 Kings. Ezra was the common way to refer to Ezra-Nehemiah. Wisdom was merely a fuller description of the Book of Proverbs – not the Apocryphal book by that name. Among ancient writers Proverbs was often called Wisdom.
While including all of the books of the present Old Testament canon (except Esther) Melito nowhere mentions any of the books of the Apocrypha.
17. Did Most Church Leaders Reject The Apocrypha?
While a few of the early leaders of the church accepted some of the books of Apocrypha as Scripture, most of the great church leaders did not-Athanasius, Origen, and Jerome, to name a few. Many great church leaders spoke out against the Apocrypha. Those who do cite the Apocrypha as Scripture were few in number. It is also worth noting that none of the church fathers that quoted the Apocrypha as Scripture knew any Hebrew.
17.1. The Clear Testimony Of Athanasius Toward The Apocrypha
In A.D. 367, the great defender of orthodox belief, Athanasius bishop of Alexandria, wrote a letter. In this letter he affirmed all the books of the present Old Testament canon (except Esther) as well as all the books of the present New Testament canon. He also mentioned some of the books of the Apocrypha. Of those he said.
[They are] not included in the canon, but appointed by the Fathers to be read by those who newly join us, and who wish instruction in the world of godliness.
This is another ancient and powerful testimony that the books of the Apocrypha were not considered to be Holy Scripture.
18. Are There Other Books Apart From The Apocrypha That Are Cited As Scripture By Some Church Fathers?
The Church Fathers do not restrict themselves to the books that now make up the Apocrypha. Authors such as Justin, Tertullian, and Clement of Alexandria occasionally use books outside the present Apocrypha – especially the Book of Enoch and First Esdras (Third Esdras).
Clement of Alexandria accepted Second Esdras (Fourth Esdras). Origen believed that the books of First and Second Maccabees, as well as the Letter to Jeremiah, were part of Holy Scripture. Irenaeus cited the Book of Wisdom as being divinely inspired. Therefore appeal to the church fathers cannot settle the matter, seeing that they give conflicting evidence.
19. Are The Early Greek Manuscripts Decisive?
The fact that some of the books from the Apocrypha are found in early Greek manuscripts of the Bible is not decisive. These manuscripts also contain other written works that are neither part of the Scripture nor part of the Apocrypha – everyone rejects them as having any divine authority. For example, 3 and 4 Maccabees and the Psalms of Solomon are found in these early Greek manuscripts along with the Greek Old Testament and the Apocrypha. If someone points to the inclusion of the Apocrypha among these early manuscripts as proof of their divine authority, then what do they do with these other works? Should they also be added to the Old Testament?
19.1. The Books Have A Different Order And Content
In the three most important Greek manuscripts the order and the contents of the books are different.
In Vaticanus we find: Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Judith, Tobit, Baruch, and the Letter to Jeremiah.
In Sinaiaticus the list includes: Tobit, Judith, First Maccabees, Fourth Maccabees, Wisdom, and Ecclesiasticus.
In Alexandrinus the order is: Tobit, Judith, First Maccabees, Second Maccabees, Third Maccabees, Fourth Maccabees, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, and the Psalms of Solomon.
Therefore the early Greek manuscripts give no consistent testimony.
20. Is The Apocrypha A Well-Defined Unit?
One of the main problems with accepting the Apocrypha as Scripture is that it is not a well-defined unit. Three of the books in the Septuagint plus were excluded as Holy Scripture – First and Second Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh. If the books in the Septuagint plus should be made part of the Old Testament then why are these three books omitted?
The Latin Vulgate contains First and Second Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh in the Apocrypha. First and Second Esdras are found in most Latin manuscripts of Scripture. In addition, they are placed with the Apocrypha when the full King James Version is printed.
However the Roman Catholic Church does not call these three books Scripture. Sometimes these three books are printed as an appendix to Roman Catholic Bibles after the New Testament. Sometimes they are omitted entirely.
In addition, not every church Father, which accepted the Apocrypha as canonical, had exactly the same list of books in mind. This adds to the problem as to the exact content of the Apocrypha.
21. Are The Councils At Hippo And Carthage Definitive?
The fact that the councils of Hippo and Carthage accepted the canonical status of the Apocrypha is not decisive. First, they were not larger more representative councils. In addition, these councils had no qualified Hebrew scholar in attendance. Basically the Apocrypha was canonized at these councils because of the influence of one person – Saint Augustine.
22. What Was Saint Augustine’s Ambiguous Testimony?
It is often argued that the great scholar, St. Augustine, accepted the books of the Apocrypha as authoritative. However, Augustine seemed to have changed his mind about the authority of the Apocrypha. At one point he implied that the Apocrypha did not have the same status as Holy Scripture (City of God 18.36). At best his testimony is ambiguous. Moreover Augustine’s testimony, while important, is certainly not the last word on the matter.
Augustine mistakenly accepted the miraculous account of the origin of the Septuagint. While this was a popular thing to do at his time, no one today takes the story seriously.
23. Did Jerome Clearly Reject The Apocrypha?
There was one great Hebrew scholar among the Christian Church living in the era of Saint Augustine – Jerome the translator of the Latin Vulgate. Jerome rejected the Apocrypha as Holy Scripture in the strongest of terms. He refused to place it in his translation of the Old Testament. It was only after the death of Jerome that the Apocrypha was placed in the Vulgate – the official translation of the Roman Catholic Church. His expert testimony was rejected.
24. Is Early Christian Art A Test Of Divine Truth?
The fact that stories from the Apocrypha were depicted in early Christian art only shows that they were considered valuable in some sense by believers. However the divine authority of any work is not determined by whether it is included or missing in art collections by Christians.
25. Were They Rejected By Many Catholic Scholars Through The Protestant Reformation?
Many Roman Catholic scholars, through the Protestant Reformation, rejected the Apocrypha as Scripture. Even the Roman Catholic Church made a distinction between the Apocrypha and the other books of the Bible prior to the Protestant Reformation. An example of this is Cardinal Cajetan. He is the man who opposed Martin Luther at Augsburg. In 1518, he published A Commentary on all the Authentic Historical Books of the Old Testament. His commentary, however, did not include the Apocrypha.
Cardinal Ximenes made a distinction between the Apocrypha and the Old Testament in his work called the Complutensian Polyglot (1514-1517).
Thus there was no unanimity of opinion among Roman Catholic scholars that these books should be considered Scripture. Consequently, before the Protestant Reformation these books were not considered canonical by all of the church authorities.
26. When Were They Officially Accepted By The Roman Catholic Church?
While councils at Hippo (393) and Carthage (397) listed the Apocrypha as canonical, this was not the stated view of the entire church. As we have seen there were Roman Catholic works at the time of the Protestant Reformation that did not include the Apocrypha with the Old Testament.
It is only since the Council of Trent that the Apocrypha has had an authoritative status. The first official council of the Roman Catholic Church to ratify these books was at the Council of Trent in 1546-1563. There is no official record of the acceptance of the writings as authoritative Scripture before this time.
26.1. Why Were Certain Books Of The Septuagint Plus Rejected?
In addition, the decision at Trent has many problems. Rather than accepting the entire fourteen or fifteen books of the Septuagint plus as Holy Scripture they rejected First and Second Esdras (which they call Third and Fourth Esdras) and the Prayer of Manasseh. It is interesting to note that Second Esdras, or Fourth Esdras in Roman Catholic reckoning, contains a strong objection against prayers for the dead – one of the important doctrines practiced by the Roman Catholic Church at that time.
Second Esdras also limits the Old Testament canon to twenty-four books. This of course, would exclude the Apocrypha.
It must also be noted that at the Council of Trent there seems to have been no Hebrew scholars and only a few good Greek scholars.
27. Are There Other Books, Apart From Scripture, Found Among The Dead Sea Scrolls?
Most scholars believe that the people who lived at the place near the Dead Sea, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, were the Essenes. Although they were rivals of mainstream Judaism they accepted the same books as Holy Scripture. While it is true that the books of the Apocrypha were found among the scrolls left by this group, they not the only non-canonical books that were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The materials found at Qumran were part of a library – they were not merely books of Scripture. While commentaries of the biblical books have been found at Qumran no commentary has thus far been found on the Apocryphal books. Consequently there is no evidence whatsoever that the Dead Sea Community held the books of the Apocrypha to be divinely inspired.
Even if evidence were someday found that showed the Essenes believed the Apocrypha to be divine, this would prove nothing. This group was a sect that was not in the mainstream of Jewish thinking.
28. Have The Protestants Always Rejected The Divine Authority Of The Apocrypha?
While some Protestants may find some use of the Apocrypha, such as printing it between the testaments and using it in some measure in public worship, it has never been accepted as Holy Scripture. The use by Protestants of the Apocrypha has never been to establish doctrine or settle doctrinal issues. The use of the Apocrypha is limited. The Church of England in their Bible readings say the Apocrypha is to be used for example of life, but not to establish any doctrine.
The Westminster Confession goes even further. It states.
The books commonly called the Apocrypha . . . [are not] to be any otherwise approved, or made use of, than other human writings (Westminster Confession 1:3).
This is the Protestant position.
29. Are There Demonstrable Historical Errors In The Apocrypha?
The Apocrypha also contains demonstrable historical errors. We can cite a number of examples.
29.1. The Age Of Tobit When He Died Is A Contradiction
For example, Tobit was supposedly alive when Jeroboam staged his revolt in 931 B.C.
I, Tobit, walked in the ways of truth and righteousness all the days of my life. I performed many acts of charity for my kindred and my people who had gone with me in exile to Nineveh in the land of the Assyrians. When I was in my own country, in the land of Israel, while I was still a young man, the whole tribe of my ancestor Naphtali deserted the house of David and Jerusalem. This city had been chosen from among all the tribes of Israel, where all the tribes of Israel should offer sacrifice and where the temple, the dwelling of God, had been consecrated and established for all generations forever. All my kindred and our ancestral house of Naphtali sacrificed to the calf that King Jeroboam of Israel had erected in Dan and on all the mountains of Galilee (Tobit 1:3-5).
Yet the text says that Tobit was still alive when the Assyrians captured the northern kingdom of Israel in 721 B.C. This means that he lived over two hundred years!
However, the Book of Tobit says he lived only 112 years.
So ended Tobit’s words of praise. Tobit died in peace when he was one hundred twelve years old, and was buried with great honor in Nineveh (Tobit 14:1,2).
This is an obvious contradiction. Those who believe in an inerrant Scripture cannot accept the Apocrypha as God’s Word.
29.2. Errors In The Book Of Judith
Another example can be found in the opening verse of the Book of Judith.
It was the twelfth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled over the Assyrians in the great city of Nineveh. In those days Arphaxad ruled over the Medes in Ecbatana (Judith 1:1).
There are two historical errors in this verse. Nebuchadnezzar was the ruler of the Babylonians, not the Assyrians, and he ruled from Babylon, not Nineveh.
29.3. It Is Not Possible To Defend The Historical Accuracy Of The Apocrypha
While it is possible for Bible scholars, using the most up-to-date archaeological knowledge, to defend the historical accuracy of the books of the Bible, it is not possible to argue for the historical accuracy of the books of the Apocrypha. Many of them have demonstrable errors that cannot be reconciled.
30. Is There Sub-Biblical Content In The Books Of The Apocrypha?
The content of the books of the Apocrypha is below that of canonical Scripture. Several of the books including Judith, Tobit, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon read like legends. When one reads these books alongside canonical Scripture the differences become obvious.
31. Is There Objective Evidence Of Divine Authority In The Apocrypha?
The books of the Apocrypha do not contain anything like predictive prophecy, or the firsthand testimony of miracles, that would give evidence of their divine authority. If God divinely inspired these books, then we should expect to see some internal evidence confirming it. But there is none.
32. Do The Books Of The Apocrypha Claim Divine Authority?
From the documents themselves we find no claim of authority. This is in contrast to the books of the Old Testament that claim to record the words that God spoke and the deeds that He performed among the people. Therefore it is not logical to attribute God’s authority to the books of the Apocrypha when they themselves make no claim to divine authority.
33. Was There A Hebrew Original For All Of The Books Of the Apocrypha?
While the books of the present Old Testament canon were written in Hebrew, with small parts in Aramaic, some of the books of the Apocrypha have no Hebrew original behind them. They were composed in Greek. These include Susanna, the Letter of Jeremiah, and the additions to Esther.
While the Hebrew language is not a determining factor as to what books should be part of the Old Testament canon all of the undisputed books of the Old Testament were composed in Hebrew – none of them were composed in Greek. Greek did not become the international language till about 330 B.C. This was about seventy years after the close of the Old Testament. The fact that a number of the books of the Apocrypha were originally written in Greek shows their late date and their lack of claim to be part of the Old Testament.
34. Is There Anything New Added To God’s Truth?
The teaching of the Apocrypha adds nothing new to the faith that God has revealed to humanity. There is nothing in these books that adds to our knowledge of God’s character or His plan. At best, they simply repeat what is already revealed in the Old Testament. Consequently they do not contain any further revelation.
35. What Is Jesus’ Testimony?
It is clear that in the first century the Old Testament was complete. Jesus put His stamp of approval on the books of the Hebrew Old Testament but said nothing concerning the Apocrypha. However, He did say that the Scriptures were the authoritative Word of God and they could not be broken. Any adding to that which God has revealed is denounced in the strongest of terms. Jesus asked the religious leaders a penetrating question.
Why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? (Matthew 15:3).
35.1. Jesus’ And The Extent Of The Old Testament
A statement by Jesus seemingly gives His belief in the extent of the Old Testament.
Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation (Matthew 23:34-36).
He mentions Abel and Zechariah as the first and last messengers of God that were murdered. Abel’s murder is mentioned in Genesis while Zechariah’s was in 2 Chronicles – the last Old Testament book in the Hebrew canonical order. The fact that these two are specifically mentioned is particularly significant. There are other murders of God’s messengers recorded in the Apocrypha. Jesus does not mention them. This strongly suggests He did not consider the books of the Apocrypha as part of Old Testament Scripture as with the books from Genesis to 2 Chronicles.
35.2. There Was More Testimony From Jesus
Jesus gave further testimony of the extent of the Old Testament canon in the day of His resurrection. He said.
How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! . . . And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself (Luke 24:25,27).
Note Jesus’ emphasis on “all that the prophets had spoken.” Later He explained the extent of “all that the prophets had said.”
He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44).
This is a reference to the threefold division of the Hebrew Scripture. They constitute “all that the prophets said.” There is no reference to the Apocrypha. It would not have been part of the threefold division of the Old Testament.
