The Apocrypha

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY

The Apocrypha

Submitted to Dr. James Sulfridge

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of

DSMN 500

Discipleship Ministries

By

Anthony Bean

Definition

books. The OT apocryphal books were written in between the end of the OT and the beginning

of the NT and were not considered canonical by the Jews of Jesus’s own time, nor by most of

the early church fathers. While Augustine was the first significant theologian to argue for their

full inclusion in the canon, it was not until the Council of Trent that the Roman Church officially

declared the OT Apocrypha to be fully canonical. The NT apocryphal books, with one exception,

were never contenders for inclusion in the Christian canon. This is because they were all written

in the second or even third century. Many of them also include systems of doctrine that are

antithetical to the doctrine included in canonical Scripture.

of Jesus and that a core NT canon existed by the middle of the second century (see article The

of division between Protestants and Roman Catholics. Written approximately between the third

century BC and the first century AD, these books include 1 & 2 Maccabees, 1 Esdras, Judith,

Tobit, the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, as well as some smaller works

and even some additions to existing canonical books. All of these books are preserved in Greek,

though some may have been originally written in Hebrew/Aramaic.

little evidence to suggest they were regarded as Scripture. Neither Josephus nor Philo—key

sources for our understanding of the scope of the OT canon—used them as Scripture. In

addition, no NT author (most of whom were Jews) cites even a single book from the Apocrypha

as Scripture. And later rabbinic writers do not receive the Apocrypha, affirming only the Hebrew

same general OT canon we know today, though Origen acknowledges that the books of the

Apocrypha can still be profitably read by the church (though not as Scripture) (see Eusebius,

Hist. eccl. 4.26.13, 6.24.1-2). Augustine goes further, arguing that the Apocrypha should be

regarded as among the scriptural books (Doctrina christiana 2.8). Some of earliest Christian

codices and canonical lists also include the OT Apocrypha (for example, the Council of Carthage;

codices Vaticanus and Sinaiticus).

always had been, the right one. Jerome led the way, agreeing that the apocryphal books were

useful but arguing that the church “does not receive them among the canonical scriptures”

despite the controversial and mixed status of the Apocrypha throughout the history of

Christianity, the Roman Catholic church made their view official, creating a division with

Protestants over this issue that continues to this day.

the NT Apocrypha refers to large array of books that look similar to our NT writings in both style

and genre, may even claim apostolic origins, and yet never found a permanent home inside the

church’s emerging canon. The four major genres of these apocryphal writings match the four

narrative gospel at all but instead a lengthy theological treatise on Valentinian theology.

of the apostles, often with eccentric and embellished stories such as a dog talking, a man

(Simon Magus) flying, and a lion being baptized. Such acts include the Acts of Paul, the Acts of

John, and the Acts of Peter.

epistle known as 3 Corinthians purportedly comes from Paul but is clearly an anti-docetic

treatise designed to combat heretics in early Christianity. There is also the forged Epistle to the

Laodiceans, attributed to Paul but is clearly a patchwork of quotes from the authentic letters of

Paul (like Galatians and Philippians).

of considerations to keep in mind.

were out of accord with the rule of faith that had been passed down to the early church. The

polytheistic, affirming a multiplicity of divine beings in the heavenly realms. It would be hard to

characterize such a book as “Christian” in any recognizable sense.

time the edges of the NT canon were solidified in the fourth century, the apocryphal works

were noticeable mainly by their absence.

Christianity. Moreover, these other books can raise concerns for modern day Christians who

might wonder whether they’ve been improperly left out.

and NT canon. Despite many years of wrangling over the OT Apocrypha, the Hebrew canon

handed down by the Jews still stands as the Bible known by Jesus and the apostles and

therefore is properly regarded as Scripture. Likewise, even though there has been much talk

about “lost gospels,” these texts were written much later than our canonical ones and have

little claim to historical authenticity.

Notes