Misc/Scriptures/Missing Books of the Bible
Missing books of the Bible
The List of Books Missing or Excluded from the Bible
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:
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.