The Apocrypha
Deuterocanonical Books (Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1-2 Maccabees, additions to Esther and Daniel)
Historical Interest
Christianity (The Bible Alone) · deuterocanonical
The Apocrypha
Deuterocanonical Books (Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1-2 Maccabees, additions to Esther and Daniel)
Language: Greek (mostly)Era: c. 300 BC — 100 BC
Open in ReaderDescription
Books accepted by Rome and Eastern Orthodoxy but rejected by Protestants and by the Jews themselves (Josephus, Contra Apion 1.8). Contain historical value but also praying for the dead (2 Macc 12), salvation by almsgiving (Tobit 12:9), and clear contradictions.
Provenance
Never quoted as Scripture by Christ or the apostles. Jerome himself objected to placing them alongside the canonical books.
Christian Assessment
Read for historical context, never for doctrine. Rome added these at Trent (1546) to defend indulgences and purgatory.