Misc/Scriptures/Missing Books of the Bible

Missing books of the Bible

Please be careful, some of these books might be nostic or written by heretics.

The List of Books Missing or Excluded from the Bible

A, 1-9

613, The	Anointing, On the
Abdias, The Prophecy of	Anti-Marcionite Prologues, The
Abercius, Inscription of	Apelles, Gospel of
Abgarus, King of Edessa and the Epistle of Jesus Christ	Apocalypse of Abraham
Abraham, Book of	Apocalypse of Elijah
Abraham, Testament of	Apocalypse of Moses
Account of the Chronicles of King David, The	Apocalypse of Paul
Acts and Martyrdom of Andrew	Apocalypse of Shadrak
Acts and Martyrdom of Matthew	Apocalypse of Thomas
Acts of a King	Apocalypse of Zephaniah
Acts of Andrew	Apocalypsis Mosis
Acts of Andrew and Matthew	Apocryphal Psalms
Acts of Barnabas	Apollonius of Tyana, Life of
Acts of John	Apollonius, Acts of
Acts of John the Theologian	Apostles Creed, The
Acts of Paul and Thecla, The	Apostles, Acts of the 2
Acts of Paul, The	Apostles, The Epistle of the
Acts of Peter	Apostles, The Teachings of the
Acts of Peter and Paul	Apostles’ Creed (throughout history), The
Acts of Philip (Greek)	Apostolic Constitutions, The
Acts of Philip (Syriac)	Apostrophe to Zion
Acts of Uziah by Isaiah The Prophet	Arabic Gospel of the Infancy of the Savior
Adam and Eve, The Books of (Latin Translation)	Archangel Michael And King Zedekiah, The
Adam and Eve, The First Book of	Archons, The Hypostasis of the
Adam and Eve, The Life of (Slavonic Translation)	Aristeas, The Letter of
Adam and Eve, The Second Book of	Aristides, Apology of
Adam, The Apocalypse of (Revelation of)	Aristo of Pella
Adam, The Book of	Aristobulus
Addeus the Apostle, The Teachings of	Artapanus
Against the Heresies 1 (Irenaeus of Lyons)	Against the Heresies 2 (Irenaeus of Lyons)
Against the Heresies 3 (Irenaeus of Lyons)	Against the Heresies 4 (Irenaeus of Lyons)
Against the Heresies 5 (Irenaeus of Lyons)	Ascension of Isaiah
Ages of the World, The	Asclepius
Aggeus, The Prophecy of	Assorted Manuscripts
Ahikar, Grand Vizier of Assyria, The Story of	Assumption of Moses
Allogenes	Athanasius: On the Incarnation
Andrew and Matthew, The Acts of	Athenagoras of Athens, A Plea for the Christians
Andrew, Acts and Martyrdom of the Holy Apostle	Athenagoras of Athens, On The Resurrection of the Dead
Andrew, Gospel of	Augustine, The Writings of
Andrew, Other Books of	Authoritative Teaching

B

Baptism, On the	Book of Esdras 1
Baptismal Liturgy, A	Book of Esdras 2
Baralâm Yewâsef	Book of Esther
Barnabas, Gospel of	Book of Gad the Seer, The
Barnabas, The Acts of	Book of Giants
Barnabas, The Epistle of	Book of Hymns, The
Bartholomew, Gospel of	Book of Iddo the Seer Concerning Genealogies, The
Bartholomew, Martyrdom of	Book of Jasher, The
Bartholomew, the Apostle	Book of Jehu the Son of Hanani, The
Baruch, The Fourth Book of, Paraleipomena Jeremiou	Book of Jubilees
Baruch, The Second Book of	Book of Judith
Baruch, The Third Book of	Book of Nakash
Basilides, The Gospel of	Book of Samuel the Seer, The
Beheading of John the Baptist, The	Book of Shemaiah the Prophet. The
Book of Adam	Book of the Acts of Solomon, The
Book of Adam and Eve 1	Book of The Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia, The
Book of Adam and Eve 2	Book of the Covenant, The
Book of Baruch 1	Book of the Illuminators
Book of Baruch 2	Book of The Odes of Solomon
Book of Baruch 3	Book of The Psalms of Solomon
Book of Britain	Book of The Records of The Chronicles of King Ahasuerus
Book of Creation	Book of the Wars of the Lord, The
Book of Ecclesiasticus / Sirach	Book of Tobit
Book of Eliyahu the Prophet	Book of Wisdom / Wisdom of Solomon
Book of Enoch

C

Caius	Clement I
Clement II	Calendrical Document, (Mishmarot)
Clement of Alexandria	Carpus, Acts of
Clement to James	Celsus: Fragments from Origen
Clement to James, The Epistle of	Celsus’ View of Christians and Christianity
Clement, Letters to Corinth	Cernithus, Gospel of
Clement, The Recognitions of	Cernithus, Revelation of
Clementine, The Homilies	Chosen One, The
Cleodemus Malchus	Christ and Abgarus, The Letters of
Code of Hammurabi, The	Christ Epistle by the Manichees
Colossians, Epistle from Laodicea to the	Christ Hymn Taught to Disciples
Community Rule	Christian Sibyllines
Concerning The Jews	Chronicles of King David, The
Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan, The	Chronicles of The Kings of Israel, The
Consummation of Thomas the Apostle	Chronicles of The Kings of Judah, The
Copper Scroll, The	City of God, The
Corinthians, 3	Claudius Apollinaris
Creator, Hymn to the	Cyprian, The Writings of

D

Damascus Document, The	Didache
Daniel and Susanna	Didache, The
Daniel, Apocalypse of	Didascalia
Daniel, The Vision of	Dionysius of Corinth
David, Apocryphal Psalms of	Discourse on Apollyon by Timothy
David, The Annals of King	Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth
Demetrius the Chronographer	Divine-Throne Chariot, The
Diatessaron	Dura-Europos Gospel Harmony

E

Ebionites, Gospel of the	Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans, The
Egerton Gospel	Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrneans, The
Egyptians, Gospel of the	Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians, The
Elchasai, Book of	Epistle of Jeremiah, The
Elchasar, Book of	Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Laodiceans, The
Eldad and Modad	Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, The
Elijah, Book of	Epistle to Corinth Not to Company with Fornicators
Elijah, The Apocalypse of	Epistle to the Ephesians Concerning Paul’s Revelation
Encratites, Gospel of the	Epistles of Jesus Christ and Abgarus King of Edessa, The
Enoch, Book of	Epistles of Paul the Apostle to Seneca, with Seneca’s to Paul, The
Enoch (Another Version)	Epistula Apostolorum
Enoch (Ethiopic Apocalypse of Enoch)	Esdras, The Revelation of
Enoch and The Watchers	Esra, Fifth Book of
Enoch, Secrets of	Esra, Sixth Book of
Enoch 3	Esther, The Remaning Chapters of
Ephesians 2	Ethiopic Apocalypse of Baruch
Ephraim of Syria`s – The Pearl: Seven Hymns on the Faith	Eucharist, On the
Ephraim of Syria`s – Hymn Against Bar-Daisan	Eugnostos the Blessed
Epiphanes On Righteousness	Eupolemus, Pseudo
Epistle from Laodicea to the Colossians	Eve, Gospel of
Epistle of Adrian	Exhortation Based On The Flood
Epistle of Antoninus to the Common Assembly of Asia	Exodus
Epistle of Aristeas, The	Ezekiel the Tragedian
Epistle of Barnabas, The	Ezekiel, Apocryphon of
Epistle of Clement, The	Ezra (Greek), Apocalypse of
Epistle of Ignatius to Polycarp, The	Ezra, Fourth Book of
Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians, The	Ezra, Questions of
Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians, The	Ezra, Revlations of
Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians, The

F

Fayyum Fragment	Formulary of Blessing, A
Flavius Josephus	Fronto

G

Galen	Gospel of Gamaliel: Martyrdom of Pilate
Galen, Exhortation to the Study of the Arts, Especially Medicine	Gospel of James / The Protevangelion, The
Galen, On Diagnosis in Dreams	Gospel of Mary
Galen, On the Natural Faculties	Gospel of Nicodemus / Acts of Pilate, The
Genesis and Exodus, A Reworking of	Gospel of Peter, The
The Lost Gospel of Peter	Genesis, Commentaries on
Gospel of the Birth of Mary	Gilgamesh Epic, The Flood Narrative from the
Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ, The	Gospel of Bartholomew
Gospel of Thomas, The	Gospel of Gamaliel: Lament of the Virgin
Gospel of Truth

H

Hebrews, Gospel of (Hebrews 2)	History of Joseph the Carpenter
Hegesippus	Holy Twelve Apostles, Gospel of The
Helkesaites, Book of the	Hosea Commentary
Heracleon	Hymn of the Initiants, A
Heresies, Against the	Hymns of Triumph
Hesychius, False Gospels of the	Hypsiphrone
Hippolytus of Rome

I

IEOU, The First Book of	Infancy Gospel of Thomas, The
Ignatius of Antioch	Infancy, The Gospel of Pseudo Matthew
Ignatius, The Epistles of	Inheritance of The Firstborn: The Messiah of David, The
In Praise of Wisdom	Invitation to Grace After Meals
Incredible Vision of Saint Drythelm, The	Irenaeus of Lyons
Infancy Gospel (Arabic)	Isaac, Testament of
Infancy Gospel of James	Isaiah, Ascension of
Infancy Gospel of Matthew	Isaiah, The Martyrdom of
Infancy Gospel of Thomas (Greek A)	Isidore
Infancy Gospel of Thomas (Greek B)	Israel and The Holy Land
Infancy Gospel of Thomas (Latin)

J

Jacob, Ladder of	John, Apocryphon of
Jacob, Prayer of	John, The Book of, Concerning the Death of Mary
Jacob, The Vision of	Jonathan, Prayer for King
James, Secret Book of	Joseph and Aseneth
James, The Apocryphon of	Joseph of Arimathea and Aseneth
The Gospel of	Joseph of Arimathea, The Narrative of
James, The First Apocalypse of	Joseph the Carpenter, The History of
James, The Gospel of	Joseph, Prayer of
James, The Second Apocalypse of	Jubilees, Book of
Jannes and Jambres	Judas Iscariot, Gospel of
Jasher	Jude, Gospel of
Jeremiah, Letter of	Jude’s Missing Epistle of Common Salvation
Jesus Christ, The Sophia of	Julius Cassianus
Jesus, Epistle to Peter and Paul	Justin Martyr, Address to the Greeks
Jesus, The Sayings of	Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho
Jeu, Books of	Justin Martyr, Discourse to the Greeks
Job, Targum of	Justin Martyr, First Apology
Job, Testament of	Justin Martyr, Fragments from the Lost Writings of Justin
John the Evangelist	Justin Martyr, On the Resurrection
John the Theologian, The Revelation of	Justin Martyr, On the Sole Government of God
John, Acts of	Justin Martyr, Second Apology

K

Kerygmata Petrou	Kings, The Third Book of
Kings, The Fourth Book of	Knowledge, The Interpretation of

L

Ladder of Jacob, The	Leuthon, Acts of the Apostle
Laodiceans, The Epistle to	Leviticus
Last Days: A Commentary on Selected Verses	Life of John the Baptist, The
Lentitus, Acts of the Apostle	Litany Of The Angels, The
Leontius, Acts of the Apostle	Liturgical Calendar, A
Letter of Herod To Pilate the Governor	Liturgy, A
Letter of Lentulus	Letter of Pilate to Herod
Lucian of Samosata, Alexander the False Prophet	Letter of the Law : Ordinances, The
Lucian of Samosata, The Passing of Peregrinus	Letters of Pilate
Lucianus, The False Gospels of	Leucius, Acts of the Apostle

M

Maccabees, Fifth Book of	Maccabees, Second Book of
Maccabees, Fourth Book of	Maccabees, First Book of
Maccabees, Third Book of	Matthew, The Acts and Martyrdom of
Matthias, Book of	Matthias, Traditions of
Magnesians	Maximus of Jerusalem
Manasseh, The Prayer of	Meditation on Israel’s History
Maniclees, Acts of the Apostles	Melchizedek
Manner of the Kingdom / Book of Statutes, The	Melchizedek, The Coming of
Mara Bar Serapion	Melito of Sardis
Marcion	Merinthus, Gospel of
Marcion, Gospel of the Lord	Michael, Words of
Marcus Aurelius	Montanist Anonymous Anti-
Marcus Aurelius to the Senate, Epistle of	Morning Hymn
Mark, The Secret Gospel of	Moses, Book of
Marsanes	Moses, Prayer of
Martyrdom of Matthew	Moses, The Assumption of, The Testament of
Martyrdom of Polycarp	Moses, The Revelation of
Martyrdom of the Holy Martyrs	Moses, The Seventh Book of
Mary of Bethany, (Magdalene), The Gospel of	Moses, The Sixth Book of
Mary, Excerpts from Gospel of	Moses, The Words of
Mary, The Gospel of the Nativity of	Mother’s Lament at the Slaughter of the Innocents, The
Mary, The Passing of	Muratorian Canon
Mathetes to Diognetus, Epistle of

N

Naassene Fragment	Nazarenes, The Gospel According to the
Nabonindus, The Healing of King	New Jerusalem
Nahum	Acts of Pilate
Nazarene Prophecy Source	Norea, The Thought of
Nazarenes, Gospel of The

O

Observances	Origin of the World, On the
Octavius of Minucius Felix	Orphica
Ophite Diagrams	Osee, The Prophecy of
Ordinances	Oxyrhynchus 1224 Gospel
Origen	Oxyrhynchus 840 Gospel

P

Pantaenus	Philadelphians
Papias	Philip, Journeyings of the Apostle
Parable of the Bountiful Tree, The	Philip, The Acts of
Paralipomenon, The First Book of	Philip, The Gospel of
Paralipomenon, The Second Book of	Philippians 2
Passion Narrative, The	Phillip, Additions to the Acts of
Passion of Saint Christopher, The	Philo, The Biblical Antiquities of
Passion of the Scillitan Martyrs	Philostratus
Patriarchs, Lives of The	Phylactery (Tefillin Scroll)
Patriarchs, Tales of the	Pilate to Augustus Caesar
Paul (Coptic), The Apocalypse of	Pilate to Tiberius
Paul and Seneca, The Correspondence of	Pilate, Acts of
Paul and Thecla, Acts of	Pilate, Letters of
Paul, Acts of	Pistis Sophia
Paul, Revelation of	Pistis Sophia, Excerpts from
Paul, The Apocalypse of	Pistis Sophia, First Book
Paul, The Prayer of the Apostle	Pistis Sophia, Second Book
Paul, The Vision of	Plea for Deliverance
Pearl, The	Plea for Grace
Perfect Mind, The Thunder	Pliny the Younger
Perfection, Gospel of	Polycarp to the Philippians
Perpetua and Felicitas	Polycarp, Martyrdom of
Perpetua, The Story of	Polycrates of Ephesus
Peter (Coptic), Apocalypse of	Pontius Pilate, The Giving Up of
Peter (Last), The Gospel of	Power, The Concept of Our Great
Peter and Andrew, The Acts of	Prayer for Intercession
Peter and Paul, Preachings of	Prayer of Azariah
Peter and Paul, The Acts of	Prayer of Azariah and the Songs of the Three Jews, The
Peter and the Twelve Apostles, The Acts of	Prayer of Manasseh, The
Peter Doctrine of	Prayer of Praise
Peter to James	Priestly Service
Peter to James, The Epistle of	Prophecy of Abijah the Shilonite, The
Peter to Philip, Letter of	Prophecy of Shem
Peter, Acts of	Prophets, The Lives of the
Peter, Additional Acts of	Protevangelion, The
Peter, Gospel of	Proverbs, A Collection of
Peter, Judgement of	Psalm 151
Peter, Lost Gospel	Psalms, Commentary on
Peter, The Apocalypse of	Psalms: Dead Sea Scroll
Peter, The Apocalypse of (Fragment)	Ptolemy
Peter, The Lost Gospel According to	Ptolemy, Commentary on The Gospel Of John Prologue
Peter, The Preaching of	Ptolemy’s Letter to Flora
Peter, The Revelation of

Q

Q, (Gospel referred to by the letter)

R

Rechabites, History of the	Revelation of Moses
Records of the Seers, The	Reworked Pentateuch
Redemption and Resurrection	Rheginos, The Epistle to
Resurrection, Treatise on the	Rhodon
Revelation of Esdras	Ritual Purity Laws

S

Savior, Dialogue of the	Signs Gospel
Savior, Gospel of the	Silvanus, The Teachings of
Saviour, The Avenging of the	Simon Cephas, The Teaching of
Sayings of the Seers, The	Smyrnaeans
Scillitan Martyrs, Passion of the	Solomon, Psalms of
Scythianus, Gospel of	Solomon, The Odes of
Scythianus, The Gospel of	Solomon, The Testament of
Second Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians, The	Solomon, The Wisdom of
Secret of The Way Things Are, The	Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice
Secrets, The Book of	Sophia of Jesus Christ
Sedrach, Apocalypse of	Sophonias, The Prophecy of
Seleucus, The Acts of the Apostles	Soul, The Exegesis on the
Serapion of Antioch	Stephen, The Revelation of
Seth, Revelation of Adam`s Origin	Story of Ahikar
Seth, The Second Treatise of the Great	Story of Bel and the Dragon
Seth, The Three Steles of	Story of Perpetua, The
Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, The	Story of Susanna
Sextus, The Sentences of	Story of the Prophet Iddo, The
Shem, The Paraphrase of	Suetonius
Shemaiah the Prophet	Supplication
Shepherd of Hermas (Visions, Commands, and Similitudes), The	Syriac Apocrypha
Sibylline Oracles, The	Syriac Menander

T

Tacitus	Theodotus, Excerpts of
Tales of the Patriarchs	Theophilus of Antioch
Talmud	Theophilus of Antioch, Book 1
Targum Ecclesiastes	Theophilus of Antioch, Book 2
Targum Isaiah	Theophilus of Antioch, Book 3
Targum Obadiah	Theophilus of Caesarea
Targum Ruth	Thomas the Apostle, The Consummation of
Tatian’s Address to the Greeks	Thomas the Contender, The Book of
Temple as Described in The Temple Scroll, The	Thomas, Acts of
Tertullian	Thomas, Apocalypse of
Testament of Abraham	Thomas, The Gospel of
Testament of Isaac	Titan, The Gospel of
Testament of Jacob	Toldot Yeshu
Testament of Job	Tongues of Fire
Testament of Solomon	Torah Precepts
Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs	Trallians
Testimony of Truth, The	Treasures, The Cave of
Thaddaeus, The Acts of	Treatise of Shem
Thaddaeus, The Gospel of	Treatise on the Resurrection
Thanksgiving, The Prayer of	Trimorphic Protennoia
The Book of Nathan the Prophet, The	Tripartite Tractate, The
The Wisdom Text	Twelve Patriarchs, Testaments of the
Theodotus	Two Ways, The

U

Uziah, Acts of

V

Valentinian Exposition, A	Vision of Laisren, The
Valentinus	Vision of Paul, The
Victor I	Vision of the Son of God, A
Vienna and Lyons, Letter from	Vision of Tundale, The
Virgin, The Apocalypse of the	Visions of Iddo the Seer, The

W

War Rule	Wiles of the Wicked Woman
War Scroll, The	Writings of Abraham, The
Wars of the Jews

Z

Zadokite Work, Fragments of a	Zion, Apostrophe to
Zasimus, Apocalypse of	Zosimus, On the Life of the Blessed
Zephaniah, The Apocalypse of	Zostrianos
Zion, A Lament for

Apocrypha

The Apocrypha would be the biblical books obtained by the ancient church as part of this Greek version of the Old Testament, but not contained in the Hebrew Bible, being excluded by the non-Hellenistic Jews in their canon. Stating these books for Christian use was ambiguous.

They are widely regarded as worthy of respect and have some historical reality, but they are not considered inspired by the Protestant church without mistake and God-breathed. You are free to read them and get historical knowledge from them. They simply do not meet the criteria for inclusion in the Bible.

The Apocrypha are ancient texts. They’re also probably genuine since they’re the exact books they possessed at the time. They were well-known among the Jews at the time. They were also thought to contain true historical information concerning the period between the Testaments.

The term Apocrypha comes from the Greek term meaning hidden or secret Initially. The word was earmarked for novels with articles considered too grand and sacred to products available to the public.

With the years, Apocrypha took a negative connotation on account of the suspicious roots and skeptical canonicity of those novels.

The 14 Books Of The Apocrypha

Book	Notes
1 Maccabees	First Maccabees, written by a Jew in Palestine throughout the latter portion of the 2nd century BC, is possibly the most significant historical source on the interval from 175 to 135 BC. It shows deep penetration into the root causes of the Maccabean rebellion and details the revolution itself goes down into the passing of Simon at 135 BC. This book is vital to both Jews and Christians. It provides detailed advice relative to Antiochus Epiphanes and his desecration of the Jerusalem Temple, an activity which Jesus said could be replicated at the time of this finish. The book also includes an abundance of details relative to the Holy feast of Hanukkah (which overlooks the re-dedication of this Temple Antiochus debased). That info is available from no other source, Jewish or otherwise, and without it, there could be no Hannukah party.
2 Maccabees	Introduces information regarding the period leading up to the rebellion of the Maccabees beneath Mattathias at Modern and follows it down to 161 BC.
Tobit	The Book of Tobit, is said to be a "work of fiction", was quite popular amongst Jews and early Christians. It’s a story of love and legend by the Jewish Dispersion in Egypt. It was composed in the 3rd century BC and has been based upon two renowned Egyptian tales. The objective of this book was supposed to teach valuable lessons, and at precisely the same time, correct a number of those then current superstitions. It includes the angel Raphael prominently.
Bel and the Dragon	Composed about 100 BC, this narrative shows Daniel’s wisdom in exposing the falsehood of idolatry and the people who promote it. The book also shows the existence of Babylon as a dragon god. Info concerning this idol is available from no other source. However, it’s very relevant in light of dragon prophecies relative to the very last days, scattered through the scriptures.
Judith	The Book of Judith joins a story of success won by the selected individuals over its enemies due to the intervention of a lady. It’s a mythical tale of a priest reminiscent of Joan of Arc’ who participates in outwitting and eventually slaying a fantastic Assyrian overall, therefore bringing deliverance for her oppressed men and women. It was composed in Palestine throughout the latter half of this 2nd century BC, likely by a Pharisee.
Esther	This work, composed about 100 BC, is made up of various developments to the Biblical book of Esther. Apparently "improvements" have been added for detail and to compensate for a few of the spiritual deficiencies of this canonical book. The additional verses significantly improve the apocalyptic nature of the narrative and deliver excellent symbolic comprehension to it, radically enhancing its connection to God. It’s replete with dragons and graphics readily reminiscent of the most significant renters and personages involved with the last day war between Satan and Christ. The symbolism that attracts the Book of Esther is a vital prophecy.
Baruch	The more significant part of the book was composed of the 1st century AD below the assumed name of Baruch, the personal secretary of Jeremiah. The 6th chapter is referred to as the Epistle of Jeremiah. Both novels have a set of exhortations, encouragements, and sharp rebukes.
The Prayer of Manasseh	This work dates from the first century BC. It had been meant to be utilized about Manasseh’s Babylonian captivity (2 Chron. 33). Regions of the Prayer have found their way to Protestant liturgy.
The Song of the Three Holy Children	In addition, the Book of Daniel was composed about 100 BC and has been found inserted into his book, in the next chapter, shortly after the 23rd verse.
The History of Susanna	This is just another 1st century BC addition to the book of Daniel. It’s usually found prefixed to the reader. The goal of the narrative would be to magnify Daniel’s powers along with the ruling.
1 Esdras	This is the Greek version of and in some parts a facelift of the canonical Book of Ezra. It was composed about 100 BC. A number of the subject matter is supplemented by the book of Nehemiah.
2 Esdras	This book is an apocalypse, particularly chapters 3-14. It’s composite in origin, dating from 65 BC into 120 AD. The worth of this book can be found in the fact that it focuses heavily on the span of Jewish notions surrounding the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The perspectives it occupies on eschatology are tightly intertwined with the teachings of the New Testament.

Why Was The Apocrypha Removed?

Apocryphal books endorsed philosophy incompatible with the concept of this Bible, such as:

• Giving money to atone for sins
• Praying for the dead (and giving money to atone for their sins)
• Praying to saints in heaven and asking them for prayer

History of the Apocrypha

The Apocrypha in the Septuagint
From the next century BC, Jewish scholars translated the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) to Greek, Leading to the Septuagint. Several books contained in the Septuagint, which weren’t considered divinely motivated by Jews, were collected from the Jewish Talmud, which can be a "nutritional supplement", of types, or interpretation of the Hebrew Bible.

That variant incorporated numerous functions that afterward, non-Hellenistic Jewish students in the Council of Jamnia (AD 90) recognized as being out of the Hebrew canon. The Talmud divides these functions as Sefarim Hizonim (Extraneous Books)

From the late twentieth century AD, St. Jerome was tasked by all of the Greek Septuagint to Latin (to turn into the Latin Vulgate in 405), but he also established his writings about the first Hebrew in the Old Testament.

Referring to the first Hebrew in translation has been exceptionally against the standard practice and even defeated. In the translation procedure, St. Jerome doubted the apocryphal books were divinely inspired.

Despite doubts, the Council of Rome (382) confirmed the apocryphal books as canonical. And in reaction to the Reformation and Martin Luther’s views on the Apocrypha, the Council of Trent (1546) further confirmed nearly all Latin Vulgate as canonical, such as the majority of the apocryphal books.

Martin Luther’s 1534 Bible was the first to divide the Apocrypha as an intertestamental part with a notice describing they aren’t divinely inspired. The Geneva Bible followed this case in 1599. The 1611 King James Bible also published the Apocrypha, but it had been eliminated in 1885.

Which Churches Accept The Apocrypha Books As Canon?

The Catholic Church - Considering that the Council of Rome in 382 (and reaffirmed by the Council of Trent in 1546), those apocryphal (deuterocanonical) books below are considered canonical by the Catholic Church:

• Tobit
• Judith
• Added chapters of Esther and Daniel
• 1st and 2nd Maccabees
• Wisdom of Solomon
• Sirach (or Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach)
• Baruch

The Eastern Orthodox Church - The Eastern Orthodox Church also accepted that the Apocrypha (Deuterocanon) divinely inspired texts were canonical together with all the Old Testament. The Orthodox tradition includes the Identical list of novels as the Catholic Church and these beneath, which are considered canonical solely from the Orthodox Church:

• 3rd Maccabees
• 1 Esdras
• The Prayer of Manasseh
• Psalm 151

The Protestant Church withdrew these books from the Bible in the 1800s, now known as the Apocrypha books.

Enoch

Why was Book of Enoch removed from the Bible?

Enoch was first welcomed by the Christian Church but was eventually removed from the canon of Scripture. Its survival is a result of the syncretic merging of Iranian, Greek, Chaldean, and Egyptian components’ attraction to fringe and heretical Christian organizations like the Manichaeans.

The Book of Enoch contains several sections, including a portion called the Book of the Watchers. Here, the author details Enoch's vision of heaven and the fall of a subsect of angels who would go on to interbreed with human beings, creating a race called the Nephilim: supernatural, man-eating, cannibalistic, vampiric giants. Other additions included the angel Azazel teaching humans how to make swords, God's orders to have the rebelling angels bound and imprisoned, and an explanation for why the Great Flood was necessary.

Early theologians branded some of Enoch's ideas as heretical. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, of particular concern were prophecies involving the birth of a messiah, which didn't sit well with the Jewish community.

Kufale (Book of Jubilees)

The Book of Jubilees, sometimes called the “Lesser Genesis,” “Little Genesis,” or “The Testament of Moses,” is a pseudepigraphal work of Jewish apocalyptic literature. It was probably written in the second century BC, sometime between 135 and 105. The Book of Jubilees records an account of biblical history from the creation of the world to the time of Moses, as delivered to Moses by an angel on Sinai. The book divides history into periods or “jubilees” of 49 years. Generally, the Book of Jubilees follows the account of creation as recorded in the Book of Genesis, but it inserts interesting details such as the names of Adam’s daughters and the creation of angels. Some scholars consider the Book of Jubilees to be an extended midrash on Genesis through the first part of Exodus.

Some scholars have pointed out that it appears that Jubilees was written precisely for the purpose of pushing the author’s commitment to a solar-based calendar. In Jubilees, God is concerned that His people might “disturb all their seasons and the years will be dislodged . . . and they will neglect their ordinances” (Jubilees 6:33).

o, in Jubilees, to prevent confusion and to keep holy days from getting “dislodged,” God instituted the 364-day solar calendar. Under that system, since 7 is a factor of 364, the same date falls on the same day of the week each year (e.g., every year July 4 would be on the same day of the week).

The command governing the calendar reflects another major emphasis in Jubilees: the laws concerning Sabbaths, Passover, firstfruits, and other holy days. The author of Jubilees claims that the feasts of the Lord were observed by the patriarchs long before the time of Moses. Circumcision is also stressed in the book, which promises “great wrath from the Lord” on uncircumcised Israelites (Jubilees 15:40).

Deuterocanonical

Sixtus of Siena, a converted Jew and Catholic theologian, created the term “deuterocanonical” in 1566 to describe Old Testament books that were canonized for Catholics by the Council of Trent but missing from early canons, particularly in the East.

As early as the fifth and fourth generations, Western regional councils printed official principles containing these volumes.

Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy use the term “deuterocanonical” to describe Old Testament texts that aren’t in the Jewish Tanakh or Protestant Old Testament. Orthodox believe they were authored after the Hebrew Bible.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church (an Oriental Orthodox Church) uses the Amharic Bible, which places these Old Testament books in a portion called Deuterocanonical.

The Ethiopian Church canonizes Henok (I Enoch) and Kufale (Book of Jubilees) in addition to the usual set. However, the Books of Maccabees found completely different works from those used by another Church, only sharing names.

Deuterocanonical scriptures:

• Tobit
• Judith
• Additions to Esther (Vulgate Esther 10:4-16:24, but see also Esther in the New American Bible)
• Wisdom
• Ben Sira, also called Sirach or Ecclesiasticus
• Baruch, including the Letter of Jeremiah] (Additions to Jeremiah in the Septuagint)
• Additions to Daniel
• Song of the Three Holy Children (Vulgate Daniel 3:24-90)
• Story of Susanna (Vulgate Daniel 13, Septuagint prologue)
• The Idol Bel and the Dragon (Vulgate Daniel 14, Septuagint epilogue)
• 1 Maccabees
• 2 Maccabees

New Testament deuterocanonicals:

• The Book of Hebrews
• The Second Epistle of Peter
• The Second Epistle of John
• The Third Epistle of John
• The Epistle of James
• The Epistle of Jude
• The Apocalypse of John

The Catholic deuterocanon and the 1611 King James Bible’s Apocrypha have a lot in common. Along with the deuterocanonical books, this King James Bible’s Apocrypha contains three Trent-uncanonical books:

• 1 Esdras (also known as 3 Esdras)
• 2 Esdras (also known as 4 Esdras)
• The Prayer of Manasseh/Manasses

These three books are called out of the Clementine Vulgate’s Apocrypha. The 1609 Douay Bible appends them. Catholic Bibles exclude them. They’re in Protestant bibles’ Apocrypha with the deuterocanonical writings.

The Greek Septuagint, which includes the deuterocanonical writings and Apocrypha, is anagignoskomena and provides most New Testament Old Testament allusions. The Hebrew text of several is missing.

Nearly two-thirds of this book of Sirach and fragments of other books were found in the past century. In Roman Iudaea Province in the first century, Jews widely employed the Septuagint, which Christians naturally adopted.

Hebrews 11:35 describes an event mentioned in 2 Maccabees 7.

Even more telling, 1 Cor 15:29 “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all?” “Are they then baptized for the dead?” is an allusion to two Maccabees 12: 44, “for if he weren’t expecting the fallen to rise again, it might have been useless and foolish to pray for them in passing.” Anguish is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:29 to help the dead repent.

Jewish historian Josephus rejected the deuterocanonical writings. Athanasius believed they benefited study, but only Baruch and the Letter of Jeremiah were canonical.

Why did the Jews remove the Deuterocanonical books?

The Reformers eliminated the deuterocanonical in the canon of Scripture since they thought just those books shown to the Jews from Hebrew were canonical, after the… He put the correspondence of James, the post to the Hebrews, the letters of John, and the book of Revelation in the New Testament in an appendix.

The canonical Antilegomena

Like the Old Testament’s deuterocanonical, were not universally accepted by the ancient Church, but they are included in the 27 books of the New Testament accepted by most Christians.

Antilegomena (from Greek ἀντιλεγόμενα) are written texts whose authenticity or value is disputed. Eusebius in his Church History (c. 325) used the term for those Christian scriptures that were "disputed", literally "spoken against", in Early Christianity before the closure of the New Testament canon.

The antilegomena were widely read in the Early Church and included:

• Epistle of James
• Epistle of Jude
• 2 Peter
• 2 and 3 John
• Revelation
• Gospel of the Hebrews
• Epistle to the Hebrews
• Apocalypse of Peter
• The Acts of Paul
• Shepherd of Hermas
• Epistle of Barnabas
• Didache

Ethiopian bible

The Orthodox Tewahedo biblical canon is a version of the Christian Bible used in the two Oriental Orthodox Churches of the Ethiopian and Eritrean traditions: the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. At 81 books, it is the largest and most diverse biblical canon in traditional Christendom.

Western scholars have classified the books of the canon into two categories — the narrower canon, which consists mostly of books familiar to the West, and the broader canon, which includes nine additional books.

It is not known to exist at this time as one published compilation. Some books, though considered canonical, are nonetheless difficult to locate and are not even widely available in the churches' home countries of Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Apocrypha; Including Books From the Ethiopic Bible

Septuagint

The Septuagint, sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Hebrew. The full Greek title derives from the story recorded in the Letter of Aristeas to Philocrates that "the laws of the Jews" were translated into the Greek language at the request of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–247 BCE) by seventy-two Hebrew translators—six from each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

Biblical scholars agree that the first five books of the Hebrew Bible were translated from Biblical Hebrew into Koine Greek by Jews living in the Ptolemaic Kingdom, probably in the early or middle part of the third century BCE. The remaining books were presumably translated in the 2nd century BCE. Some targums translating or paraphrasing the Bible into Aramaic were also made during the Second Temple period.

Few people could speak and even fewer could read in the Hebrew language during the Second Temple period; Koine Greek and Aramaic were the most widely spoken languages at that time among the Jewish community. The Septuagint therefore satisfied a need in the Jewish community.

Flavius Josephus

Flavius Josephus was a Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing The Jewish War, he was born in Jerusalem—then part of the Roman province of Judea—to a father of priestly descent and a mother who claimed royal ancestry.

He initially fought against the Roman Empire during the First Jewish–Roman War as general of the Jewish forces in Galilee, until surrendering in AD 67 to the Roman army led by military commander Vespasian after the six-week siege of Yodfat. Josephus claimed the Jewish messianic prophecies that initiated the First Jewish–Roman War made reference to Vespasian becoming Roman emperor. In response, Vespasian decided to keep him as a slave and presumably interpreter. After Vespasian became emperor in AD 69, he granted Josephus his freedom, at which time Josephus assumed the Emperor's family name of Flavius.

• The Jewish War, Books I—IV
• The Antiquities of the Jews

Further Reading

• earlychristianwritings.com Index