“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:” (Rev 22:18).
After the Old Testament canon was recognized as closed by the Jews, and prior to the close of the New Testament period, many other religious writings were in existence and being circulated. Among these are certain writings which have been collected into a body ofliterature we know as “the Apocrypha,” a word taken from the Greek (by way of Medieval Latin) and meaning hidden, secret, or obscure. These were all written between 200 B.C. and 100 A.D., and while not included in the Hebrew Canon, were included with some versions of the famous Septuagint Greek-language translation of the Hebrew Scriptures.
The fifteen books traditionally included in the Apocrypha are 1&2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Additions to Esther, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, the Letter of Jeremiah, the Prayer of Azariah, Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, the Prayer of Manasseh, and 1&2 Maccabees.
Some (or all) of these books are considered part of the Bible used by certain religious groups (e.g., Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox) and are considered canonical (or more properly termed, “Deuterocanonical,” or part of a second, and presumably lower-order, canon of Scripture).
The books themselves are a mixture of various types of writings – historical, legendary, prophetical, and devotional – and include fables, purported additional details of Biblical events, rules for personal conduct, and some history of the time between the Testaments.
Although some of these writings may have value (e.g., the Prayer of Manasseh has wonderful examples of repentance, and Maccabees shed light on historical events), should they be part of the Canon of Scripture? Consider this:
- They were never part of the Hebrew canon
- They were never accepted by Jesus or the Apostles (no quotes from or references to them)
- They were not accepted by early Jewish writers, such as Josephus
- They do not contain the same intrinsic qualities of inspired work (indeed, many ofthem are obvious fables and/or contain errors ofhistorical and geographic fact)
- They do not claim Divine inspiration (and some actually disclaim it)
- They contain support for doctrines found nowhere else in Scripture
- They have always been of uncertain status
In summary, there are good reasons to exclude them from the Canon of Scripture.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One