Apocrypha
What Are the Apocryphal Books?
The term "Apocrypha" (from the Greek for "hidden things") commonly refers to the collection of writings found in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate versions of the Old Testament but absent from the Hebrew Bible. Protestant tradition treats these books as valuable but not authoritative Scripture, while Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions regard most of them as deuterocanonical, a secondary layer of canonical Scripture.
The standard collection includes: Tobit, Judith, Additions to Esther, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Baruch (with the Letter of Jeremiah), Additions to Daniel (Prayer of Azariah, Song of the Three Young Men, Susanna, Bel and the Dragon), 1 and 2 Maccabees, and in some traditions 1 and 2 Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh. These represent a variety of literary genres: historical narrative, wisdom literature, romantic fiction, prophetic-style letters, and liturgical prayer.
Historical and Literary Significance
The Apocrypha bridges the roughly four-hundred-year gap between the last Old Testament prophets and the New Testament period. First and Second Maccabees record the Jewish revolt against Seleucid oppression under Antiochus IV Epiphanes (167-164 BC) and the rededication of the temple, events commemorated in the festival of Hanukkah, which Jesus Himself attended (John 10:22-23). Without these books, our knowledge of this pivotal period would be severely limited.
The Wisdom of Solomon and Sirach extend the Old Testament wisdom tradition, offering reflections on righteousness, divine judgment, and the nature of wisdom itself. Sirach (written c. 180 BC) provides a window into the practical religious life of second-century BC Judaism, including its attitudes toward the temple, the priesthood, and the study of Torah. Tobit and Judith are narrative works that illustrate Jewish piety and trust in God during periods of foreign domination.
The Question of Canonicity
The canonical status of the Apocrypha has been debated since antiquity. The Jewish community recognized a defined canon of 24 books (corresponding to the Protestant 39), and the apocryphal books were not included. Jesus and the New Testament writers, while demonstrating familiarity with apocryphal ideas, never directly quote these books as Scripture, though possible allusions exist (cf. Hebrews 11:35 and 2 Maccabees 7; Wisdom 2:12-20 and the Passion narratives).
Early Christian practice was divided. Some Church Fathers, including Origen, Athanasius, and Jerome, distinguished between the canonical Hebrew books and the additional Greek books. Jerome famously included the Apocrypha in the Vulgate while noting that they should be read "for edification but not for establishing doctrine." Other Fathers, including Augustine, treated them as fully canonical. The Council of Trent (1546) officially declared the deuterocanonical books to be Scripture for the Roman Catholic Church, partly in response to the Protestant Reformers' rejection of their canonical authority.
The Reformers, Luther, Calvin, and others, valued the Apocrypha for devotional and historical purposes but excluded these books from the canon because they were not part of the Hebrew Bible and because certain teachings (such as prayers for the dead in 2 Maccabees 12:43-45) appeared to conflict with Protestant doctrine.
Theological Themes
Several theological themes developed in the Apocrypha became important in later Jewish and Christian thought. The Wisdom of Solomon develops the concept of the immortality of the soul (Wisdom 3:1-4) more explicitly than most Old Testament books. Sirach offers extensive teaching on the fear of the Lord, the value of wisdom, and the importance of righteous living. Second Maccabees contains the earliest clear Jewish affirmation of resurrection of the dead (2 Maccabees 7:9, 14) and the concept of prayers and offerings for the deceased (2 Maccabees 12:43-45).
These books also reflect the growing influence of Hellenistic culture on Jewish thought and the tensions this created. The Maccabean revolt was, at its core, a struggle over whether Jewish identity could survive contact with Greek philosophy, religion, and social customs, a struggle whose echoes can be heard in the New Testament's engagement with the Greco-Roman world.
The Apocrypha and the New Testament
While no New Testament author directly quotes the Apocrypha as Scripture, the influence of these books on early Christian thought is significant. The language of the Wisdom of Solomon appears to have influenced Paul's discussion of God's wrath against idolatry in Romans 1:18-32. The description of wisdom as "a reflection of eternal light" (Wisdom 7:26) echoes the Christological language of Hebrews 1:3. The imagery of putting on the armor of righteousness (Wisdom 5:17-20) anticipates Ephesians 6:13-17.
Jesus' teaching about giving to the poor as storing treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21) finds a parallel in Tobit 4:9. The parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:16-21) echoes Sirach 11:18-19. Whether these represent direct literary dependence or shared cultural background, they demonstrate that the world of thought reflected in the Apocrypha was the world in which Jesus and the apostles lived and taught.
Reading the Apocrypha Today
Regardless of one's position on their canonical status, the apocryphal books reward careful reading. They illuminate the historical, cultural, and theological world between the Testaments. They witness to Jewish faith under persecution. They develop themes, wisdom, resurrection, divine justice, the problem of suffering, that the New Testament takes up and transforms. For the Bible reader seeking to understand the full context of Scripture, the Apocrypha provides essential background.
Biblical Context
The Apocrypha fills the gap between Malachi and Matthew, documenting the Maccabean period, the development of Jewish theology, and the cultural context of the New Testament world. While not directly quoted as Scripture in the New Testament, apocryphal ideas and language appear to have influenced several New Testament passages (Romans 1:18-32; Hebrews 1:3; 11:35; Ephesians 6:13-17). Jesus attended the festival of Hanukkah, whose origins are recorded in 1 Maccabees (John 10:22). The Septuagint, which included the Apocrypha, was the Bible of the early church.
Theological Significance
The Apocrypha contributes to our understanding of theological themes that bridge the Testaments: the development of resurrection hope, the concept of the immortality of the soul, the personification of divine wisdom, the problem of theodicy under foreign oppression, and the relationship between faith and righteous works. The canonical debate over these books raises important questions about the nature of Scripture, the role of tradition in defining the canon, and how the church discerns which writings bear divine authority.
Historical Background
The apocryphal books were composed roughly between 300 BC and 100 AD, during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods. They reflect the diverse conditions of Jewish life during these centuries: the Ptolemaic and Seleucid rule of Palestine, the Maccabean revolt and Hasmonean dynasty, the rise of Pharisees and Sadducees, and the increasing influence of Greek language and culture. The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered at Qumran from 1947 onward, included copies of some apocryphal books (Tobit, Sirach, the Epistle of Jeremiah) alongside canonical texts, demonstrating that the boundaries of the Jewish canon were still fluid in the late Second Temple period.