Old Testament Apocrypha

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Old Testament Apocrypha

Apocrypha
(greek ἀπόκρῠφος — hidden, secret)
Books that are not included in the biblical canon. It is not necessary to confuse the Apocrypha with the Gospel of Thomas and other forgery. Apocrypha are historical books, but not inspired, therefore do not enter into the canon.

Apocrypha

Initially, all the books were in separate scrolls and were in one place - a jug, a special shelf or...
There was no gradation, they were just there.
And the Jews themselves translated these books into Greek and called them the Septuagint. They chose books to translate, especially since there was no canon yet.

The Septuagint was popular in the early church because most people did not speak Hebrew.
Rome considered Christians a Jewish sect and Gospels and epistles began to appear.
Then the Jews decided to distance themselves from Christians and protect themselves from the penetration of new holy books.
This is how the canon was determined, which included 22 books according to the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet, so that it was complete.
For this purpose, the very best books were selected, many were combined, for example:

  1. 12 minor prophets - written in one scroll and counted as 1 book,
  2. The 1st and 2nd Samuel (we have the 1st and 2nd Kings) was also one book, just a 2-volume set, like the books of the Kings (3rd and 4th Kings) and the Chronicle ( 1st and 2nd Chronicles),
  3. The 5 scrolls of Psalms were one book,
  4. The Pentateuch of Moses was divided into 5 separate books,
  5. Ezra and Nehemiah were combined into one book of 2 parts.
Later the Church accepted this canon, but what to do with the remaining books from the Septuagint?
They were called deuterocanonical.

The generally accepted definition is that they are not divinely inspired, but historical.

Apocrypha

The Apocrypha is included in some Bibles, for example, the Russian Orthodox Bible.
But they are included as apocrypha, as additional literature, historical, useful, but not divinely inspired.

These books are also called deuterocanonical.
They found their way into the Bible during the first translation of the TaNaKh (Old Testament) into Greek - the Septuagint.

Apocryphal books:

  • Tobit
  • Judith
  • Wisdom of Solomon,
  • Sirach,
  • Baruch,
  • 3 Esdras
  • 1st and 2nd Maccabees.
Apocryphal additions to books:
  • Additions to Daniel (Susana and the Elders; Bel and the Dragon; Prayer of Azariah),
  • Prayer of Manasseh
  • The Epistle of Jeremiah,
  • Addition to Esther (10:4-16:24).

Quotes from deuterocanonical books in the New Testament

Jesus

  1. Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31 => Comrade 4:15 Whatever you hate, do not do to anyone
  2. Luke 14:13 => Comrade 4:16 Give to the hungry of your bread and to the naked of your clothes; From whatever you have in excess, give alms, and let not your eye spare when you give alms
  3. Matthew 6:14 and Mark 2:25 => Sir.28:2 Forgive your neighbor's offense, and then through your prayer your sins will be forgiven
  4. Matthew 8:43 => Wisdom of Solomon 3:7 When they are rewarded they will shine like sparks running along a stalk

Apostles

  1. Rom.1:21, 1 Cor.1:20-27, 1 Tim.1:15 => Baruch
  2. Jacob => Book of Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach
  3. The Jews and the Wisdom of Solomon are very close
  4. Jude 1:9 => Dormition of Moses

Non-canonical books

  1. Zechariah 3:1-2 => Dormition of Moses
  2. Jude 1:14-15 => Enoch