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Jump to navigationJump to searchNew page: The '''biblical apocrypha''' includes texts written in the Jewish and Christian religious traditions that either: * were accepted into the biblical canon b...
The '''biblical apocrypha''' includes texts written in the [[Judaism|Jewish]] and [[Christianity|Christian]] religious traditions that either:
* were accepted into the [[biblical canon]] by some, but not all, Christian faiths, or
* whose [[Biblical canon|canonicity]] or lack thereof is not yet certain,<ref>Proemial Annotations of Volume I of the [[Douay-Rheims Bible|Old Testament of Douay]]</ref>
A comparative list can be found in the article on [[books of the Bible]]. For extra-biblical works sometimes referred to as ''apocrypha'', see the article on [[apocrypha]].
The biblical apocrypha are sometimes referred to as '''the Apocrypha'''. Although the term ''apocrypha'' simply means ''hidden'', this usage is sometimes considered pejorative by those who consider such works to be canonical parts of their scripture.
==Apocrypha in the editions of the Bible==
Surviving manuscripts of the whole Christian [[Bible]] include at least some of the Apocrypha as well as [[Deuterocanonical books|disputed books]]. After the Protestant and Catholic canons were defined by [[Martin Luther|Luther]] and [[Council of Trent|Trent]] respectively, early Protestant and Catholic editions of the Bible did not omit these books, but placed them in a separate ''Apocrypha'' section apart from the [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament|New]] Testaments to indicate their status.
===The Gutenberg Bible===
This famous edition of the [[Vulgate]] was published in 1455. Like the manuscripts on which it was based, the [[Gutenberg Bible]] lacked a specific Apocrypha section;<ref> [http://www.bl.uk/treasures/gutenberg/homepage.html Scanned pages of the Gutenberg Bible]</ref> its [[Old Testament]] included the books that Jerome considered apocryphal, and those which [[Clement VIII]] would later move to the appendix. The [[Prayer of Manasseh|Prayer of Manasses]] was located after the [[Books of Chronicles]], and [[1 Esdras|3]], [[2 Esdras|4 Esdras]] followed [[Book of Nehemiah|2 Esdras]], and [[Prayer of Solomon]] followed [[Ecclesiasticus]].
===The Luther Bible===
Martin Luther translated the [[Luther Bible|Bible into German]] during the early part of the 16th century, first releasing a complete Bible in 1534. His Bible was the first major edition to have a separate section called ''Apocrypha''. Books and portions of books not found in the Hebrew [[Tanakh]] were moved out of the body of the [[Old Testament]] to this section.<ref>[http://lutherbibel.net/biblia2 1945 Edition of the Luther Bible on-line]</ref> The books [[1 Esdras|1]] and [[2 Esdras]] were omitted entirely.<ref>Preface to the ''Revised Standard Version Common Bible''</ref> Luther placed these books between the [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament|New]] Testaments. For this reason, these works are sometimes known as ''inter-testamental books''. Many twentieth century editions of the [[Luther Bible]] omit the Apocrypha section.
Luther also expressed some [[Antilegomena|doubts about the canonicity]] of four [[New Testament]] books: the [[Epistle to the Hebrews]], the Epistles of [[Epistle of James|James]] and [[Epistle of Jude|Jude]], and the [[Book of Revelation|Revelation to John]]. He did not put them in a separate section, but he did move them to the end of the New Testament.<ref>[http://www.aomin.org/index.php?itemid=1892&catid=7 ''Six Points On Luther's "Epistle of Straw"''], 3 April 2007</ref>
===The Clementine Vulgate===<!-- This section is linked from [[Deuterocanonical books]] -->
In 1592 [[Pope Clement VIII]] published his revised edition of the [[Vulgate]]. He moved three books not found in the [[Biblical canon|canon]] of the [[Council of Trent]] into an appendix, "''ne prorsus interirent''," "lest they utterly perish".<ref> [http://sacredbible.org/vulgate1861/scans/817-Apocrypha.jpg Introductory material to the appendix of the ''Vulgata Clementina'', text in Latin]</ref>
* [[Prayer of Manasseh|Prayer of Manasses]]
* [[1 Esdras|3 Esdras]] (1 Esdras in the King James Bible)
* [[2 Esdras|4 Esdras]] (2 Esdras in the King James Bible)
All the other books of the [[Old Testament]], including the [[deuterocanonical books]], were placed in their traditional positions.
{{seealso|Books of the Latin Vulgate}}
===Apocrypha of the King James Version===
The English-language [[King James Version]] of 1611 followed the lead of the Luther Bible in using an inter-testamental section labelled "Books called Apocrypha". It included those books of the Vulgate and the [[Septuagint]] which were not in Luther's canon. These are the books which are most frequently referred to by the casual appellation ''"the Apocrypha"''. They comprise the following:<ref>''The Bible: Authorized King James Version with Apocrypha'', Oxford World's Classics, 1998, ISBN-13: 978-0192835253</ref>
*[[1 Esdras]] (Vulgate 3 Esdras)
*[[2 Esdras]] (Vulgate 4 Esdras)
*[[Book of Tobit|Tobit]]
*[[Book of Judith|Judith]]
* [[Book_of_Esther#Additions_to_Esther|Rest of Esther]] (Vulgate Esther 10:4-16:24)
*[[Book of Wisdom|Wisdom]]
*[[Ecclesiasticus]] (also known as Sirach)
*[[Book of Baruch|Baruch]] and the [[Epistle of Jeremy]] (all part of Vulgate Baruch)
*[[The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children|Song of the Three Children]] (Vulgate Daniel 3:24-90)
*[[Susanna (Book of Daniel)|Story of Susanna]] (Vulgate Daniel 13)
*[[Bel and the Dragon|The Idol Bel and the Dragon]] (Vulgate Daniel 14)
*[[Prayer of Manasseh|Prayer of Manasses]]
*[[1 Maccabees]]
*[[2 Maccabees]]
These books are also listed in ''Article VI'' of the [[Thirty-Nine Articles]] of the [[Church of England]].<ref>[http://www.episcopalian.org/pbs1928/articles/AnglicanTeaching/042.htm Article VI at episcopalian.org]</ref>
===Other 16th century Bible editions===
All English translations of the Bible printed in the sixteenth century included a section or appendix for Apocryphal books. [[Matthew's Bible]], published in 1537, contains all the Apocrypha of the later [[King James Version]] in an inter-testamental section. The 1538 [[Myles Coverdale]] Bible contained the Apocrypha minus Baruch and the Prayer of Manasses. The 1560 [[Geneva Bible]] placed the Prayer of Manasses after 2 Chronicles, with the rest of the Apocrypha in an inter-testamental section. The [[Douai Bible|Douay-Rheims Bible]] (1582-1609) placed the Prayer of Manasses and 3 and 4 Esdras into an appendix of the second volume of the [[Old Testament]].
In 1569 the Spanish Reina Bible following the example of the pre-Clementine Latin [[Vulgate]] contained the [[deuterocanonical books]] in its [[Old Testament]]. Valera's 1602 revision of the Reina Bible removed these books into an inter-Testamental section following the other Protestant translations of its day.
===Modern editions===
All King James Bibles published before 1640 included the Apocrypha. In 1826, the [[British and Foreign Bible Society]] decided to refuse to distribute Bibles containing the Apocrypha. Since then most [[Modern English Bible translations|modern editions]] of the Bible and re-printings of the King James Bible omit the Apocrypha section. Many modern reprintings of the Clementine Vulgate and Douay-Rheims version no longer contain [[Biblical apocrypha#The Clementine Vulgate|the Apocrypha section]]. Many of the more modern translations and revisions do not contain an apocrypha section at all.
There are some exceptions to this trend, however. Some editions of the [[Revised Standard Version]] of the Bible include not only the Apocrypha listed above, but also the [[3 Maccabees|third]] and [[4 Maccabees|fourth]] books of the [[Maccabees]], and [[Psalm 151]]; the RSV Apocrypha also lists the [[Letter of Jeremiah]] (Epistle of Jeremy in the KJV) as separate from the book of Baruch. The American Bible Society lifted restrictions on the publication of Bibles with the Apocrypha in [[1964]]. The British and Foreign Bible Society followed in [[1966]].<ref>A Brief History of the [http://www.biblesociety.org/history.htm United Bible Societies]</ref> The Stuttgart edition of the [[Vulgate]] (the printed edition, not most of the on-line editions), which is published by the [[Bible Society|UBS]], contains the [[Biblical apocrypha#The Clementine Vulgate|Clementine Apocrypha]] as well as the [[Laodiceans|Epistle to the Laodiceans]] and [[Psalm 151]].
Brenton's edition of the [[Septuagint]] includes all of the Apocrypha found in the King James Bible with the exception of [[2 Esdras]], which is no longer extant in [[Koine Greek|Greek]].<ref>[http://earlyjewishwritings.com/2esdras.html 2 Esdras at earlyjewishwritings.com]</ref> He places them in a separate section at the end of his [[Old Testament]], following English tradition. In Greek circles, however, these books are not traditionally called ''Apocrypha'', but ''Anagignoskomena'', and are integrated into the [[Old Testament]].
===Anagignoskomena===
The [[Septuagint]], the pre-eminent Greek version of the Old Testament, contains books that are not present in the [[Tanakh|Hebrew bible]]. These texts are not traditionally segregated into a separate section, nor are they usually called apocrypha. They are referred to as the '''Anagignoskomena'''. The anagignoskomena are [[Book of Tobit|Tobit]], [[Judith]], [[Book of Wisdom|Wisdom of Solomon]], [[Sirach|Wisdom of Jesus Sirach]], [[Book of Baruch|Baruch]], [[Letter of Jeremiah|Epistle of Jeremy]] (sometimes considered chapter 6 of Baruch), additions to [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] ([[The Prayer of Azariah|The Prayer of Azarias]], [[Susanna (Book of Daniel)|Sosanna]] and [[Bel and the Dragon]]), additions to [[Book of Esther|Esther]], [[1 Maccabees]], [[2 Maccabees]], [[3 Maccabees]], [[4 Maccabees]], [[1 Esdras]], and [[Psalm 151]]. 4 Maccabees is relegated to an appendix in modern editions of the Greek Bible. Some editions add the [[Book of Odes (Bible)|Odes]], including the [[Prayer of Manasses]]. Some Slavic Orthodox Bibles add [[2 Esdras]]; the Greek text of that book did not survive, however.
===Pseudepigrapha===
Technically a [[Pseudepigrapha|pseudepigraphon]] is a book written in a biblical style which is ascribed to an author who did not write it. In common usage, however, the term pseudepigrapha is often used by way of distinction to refer to [[Apocrypha|apocryphal writings]] which do not appear in printed editions of the [[Bible]], as opposed to the apocryphal texts listed above. Examples<ref>''The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha'', Volume 2, James H. Charlesworth</ref> include:
*''[[Letter of Aristeas]]''
*''[[Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah]]''
*''[[Joseph and Aseneth]]''
*''[[Life of Adam and Eve]]''
*''[[Lives of the Prophets]]''
*''[[Ladder of Jacob]]''
*''[[4 Baruch]]''
*''[[Jannes and Jambres]]''
*''[[History of the Rechabites]]''
*''[[Eldad and Modad]]''
*''[[History of Joseph]]''
*''[[Psalms of Solomon]]''
*''[[Odes of Solomon]]''
*''[[Prayer of Joseph]]''
*''[[Prayer of Jacob]]''.
Often included among the pseudepigrapha are [[3 Maccabees|3]] and [[4 Maccabees]] because they are not traditionally found in western Bibles, although they are in the [[Septuagint]]. Similarly, the [[Book of Enoch]] and the [[Book of Jubilees]] are often listed with the pseudepigrapha although they are commonly included in Ethiopian Bibles.
===Cultural impact===
* Christopher Columbus was said to have been inspired by a verse from [[2 Esdras|4 Esdras]] 6:42 to undertake his hazardous journey across the Atlantic.<ref> [http://muweb.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/cwk/DOTTERER.CWK ''Christopher Columbus: Motivations to Reach the Indies by Sailing West'', Janet L. Dotterer]</ref>
* The ''[[introit|introitus]]'', "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them", of the traditional [[Requiem]] in the Catholic Church is loosely based on [[2 Esdras|4 Esdras]] 2:34-35.
* The alternative ''[[introit|introitus]]'' for [[Quasimodo Sunday]] in the [[Roman rite]] of the Catholic Church is loosely based on [[2 Esdras|4 Esdras]] 2:36-37.
*[[Susanna (Book of Daniel)|The Story of Susanna]] is perhaps the earliest example of a [[Legal drama|courtroom drama]].
*[[Bel and the Dragon]] is perhaps the earliest example of a [[locked room mystery]].
==Biblical canon ==
{{main|Biblical canon}}
===Vulgate prologues===
[[Jerome]] completed his version of the Bible, the [[Vulgate|Latin Vulgate]], in 405. In the middle ages the Vulgate became the de facto standard version of the Bible in the [[Western Europe|West]]. These Bibles were divided into [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testaments|New]] Testaments only; there was no separate Apocrypha section. Nevertheless, the Vulgate manuscripts included prologues<ref> [http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/bible/prologi.shtml ''Prologues of Saint Jerome'', Latin text] </ref> which clearly identified certain books of the Vulgate Old Testament as apocryphal or non-canonical. In the prologue to the [[books of Samuel]] and [[Books of Kings|Kings]], which is often called the ''Prologus Galeatus'', Jerome described those books not translated from the Hebrew as apocrypha; he specifically mentions that [[Book of Wisdom|Wisdom]], the [[Ecclesiasticus|book of Jesus son of Sirach]], [[Book of Judith|Judith]], [[Book of Tobit|Tobias]], and the [[The Shepherd of Hermas|Shepherd]] "are not in the canon". In the prologue to [[Book of Ezra|Esdras]] he mentions [[1 Esdras|3]] and [[2 Esdras|4 Esdras]] as being apocrypha. In his prologue to the books of Solomon, he mentioned "the [[Ecclesiasticus|book of Jesus son of Sirach]] and another ''[[Pseudepigrapha|pseudepigraphos]]'', which is titled the [[Book of Wisdom|Wisdom of Solomon]]". He says of them and [[Book of Judith|Judith]], [[Book of Tobit|Tobias]], and the [[Books of the Maccabees]], that the Church "has not received them among the canonical scriptures".
He mentions the [[book of Baruch]] in his prologue to the [[Book of Jeremiah|Jeremias]] and does not explicitly refer to it as apocryphal, but he does mention that "it is neither read nor held among the Hebrews". In his prologue to the [[Book of Judith|Judith]] he mentions that "among the Hebrews, the authority [of Judith] came into contention", but that it was "counted in the number of Sacred Scriptures" by the [[First Council of Nicaea]].
Although in his ''Apology against Rufinus, Book II'' he denied the authority of the canon of the Hebrews, this caveat does not appear in the prologues themselves, nor in his prologues does he specify the authorship of the canon he describes. Whatever its origin or authority, it was this canon without qualification which was described in the prologues of the bibles of Western Europe.
==Classification==
The [[Biblical apocrypha#Apocrypha of the King James Version|Apocrypha of the King James Bible]] constitutes the books of the [[Vulgate]] that are present neither in the [[Tanakh|Hebrew Old Testament]] nor the Greek [[New Testament]]. Since these are derived from the Septuagint, from which the old Latin version was translated, it follows that the difference between the KJV and the Roman Catholic Old Testaments is traceable to the difference between the Palestinian and the Alexandrian canons of the Old Testament. This is only true with certain reservations, as the Latin Vulgate was revised by Jerome according to the Hebrew, and, where Hebrew originals were not found, according to the Septuagint. Furthermore, the Vulgate omits [[3 Maccabees|3]] and [[4 Maccabees]], which generally appear in the Septuagint, while the Septuagint and Luther's Bible omit [[2 Esdras|4 Ezra]], which is found in the Apocrypha of the Vulgate and the King James Bible. Luther's Bible, moreover, also omits [[1 Esdras|3 Ezra]]. It should further be observed that the Clementine Vulgate places the Prayer of Manasses and [[1 Esdras|3]] and [[2 Esdras|4 Ezra]] in an appendix after the New Testament as apocryphal.
It is hardly possible to form any classification which is not open to some objection. Scholars are still divided as to the original language, date, and place of composition of some of the books which must come under this provisional attempt at order. (Thus some of the additions to Daniel and the Prayer of Manasseh are most probably derived from a Semitic original written in Palestine, yet in compliance with the prevailing opinion they are classed under Hellenistic Jewish literature. Again, the Slavonic [[Book of Enoch|Enoch]] goes back undoubtedly in parts to a Semitic original, though most of it may have been written by a Greek Jew in Egypt.)
A distinction can be made between:
* the Palestinian, and
* the Hellenistic literature
of the Old Testament, though even is open to serious objections. The former literature was written in Hebrew or Aramaic, and seldom in Greek; the latter naturally in Greek.
Next, within these literatures there are three or four classes of subject material.
* Historical,
* Legendary (Haggadic),
* Apocalyptic,
* Didactic or Sapiential.
The Apocrypha proper then would be classified as follows:--
*Palestinian Jewish Literature
**Historical
***[[1 Esdras|1 (i.e. 3) Ezra]].
***[[1 Maccabees]].
**Legendary
***[[Book of Baruch]]
***[[Book of Judith]]
**Apocalyptic
***[[2 Esdras|2 (i.e. 4) Ezra]] (see also [[Apocalyptic literature]])
**Didactic
***[[Ecclesiasticus|Sirach]] (also known as [[Ecclesiasticus]])
***[[Book of Tobit|Tobit]]
*Hellenistic Jewish Literature:--
**Historical and Legendary
***Additions to [[Daniel]]
***[[Additions to Esther]]
***[[Epistle of Jeremy]]
***[[2 Maccabees]]
***[[Prayer of Manasseh]]
**Didactic
***[[Book of Wisdom]]
== References ==
<references/>
'''Texts:'''
* Holmes and Parsons, ''Vet. Test. Graecum cum var. lectionibus'' (Oxford, 1798-1827)
* [[Henry Barclay Swete]], ''Old Testament in Greek'', i.-iii. (Cambridge, 1887-1894)
* [[Otto Fridolinus Fritzsche]], ''Libri Apocryphi V. T. Graece'' (1871).
'''Commentaries'''
* O. F. Fritzsche and Grimm, ''Kurzgef. exeget. Handbuch zu den Apok. des A.T''. (Leipzig, 1851-1860)
* [[Edwin Cone Bissell]], ''Apocrypha of the Old Testament'' (Edinburgh, 1880)
* [[Otto Zöckler]], ''Die Apokryphen des Alten Testaments'' (Munchen, 1891)
* [[Henry Wace]], ''The Apocrypha'' ("Speaker's Commentary") (1888)
'''Introduction and General Literature:'''
* [[Emil Schürer]], ''Geschichte des jüdischen Volkes'', vol. iii. 135 sqq., and his article on "Apokryphen" in Herzog's ''Realencykl''. i. 622-653
* Porter in [[James Hastings]]'s ''Dictionary of the Bible''. i. 111-123.
[[Category:General Reference]]
[[Category: Religion]]
* were accepted into the [[biblical canon]] by some, but not all, Christian faiths, or
* whose [[Biblical canon|canonicity]] or lack thereof is not yet certain,<ref>Proemial Annotations of Volume I of the [[Douay-Rheims Bible|Old Testament of Douay]]</ref>
A comparative list can be found in the article on [[books of the Bible]]. For extra-biblical works sometimes referred to as ''apocrypha'', see the article on [[apocrypha]].
The biblical apocrypha are sometimes referred to as '''the Apocrypha'''. Although the term ''apocrypha'' simply means ''hidden'', this usage is sometimes considered pejorative by those who consider such works to be canonical parts of their scripture.
==Apocrypha in the editions of the Bible==
Surviving manuscripts of the whole Christian [[Bible]] include at least some of the Apocrypha as well as [[Deuterocanonical books|disputed books]]. After the Protestant and Catholic canons were defined by [[Martin Luther|Luther]] and [[Council of Trent|Trent]] respectively, early Protestant and Catholic editions of the Bible did not omit these books, but placed them in a separate ''Apocrypha'' section apart from the [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament|New]] Testaments to indicate their status.
===The Gutenberg Bible===
This famous edition of the [[Vulgate]] was published in 1455. Like the manuscripts on which it was based, the [[Gutenberg Bible]] lacked a specific Apocrypha section;<ref> [http://www.bl.uk/treasures/gutenberg/homepage.html Scanned pages of the Gutenberg Bible]</ref> its [[Old Testament]] included the books that Jerome considered apocryphal, and those which [[Clement VIII]] would later move to the appendix. The [[Prayer of Manasseh|Prayer of Manasses]] was located after the [[Books of Chronicles]], and [[1 Esdras|3]], [[2 Esdras|4 Esdras]] followed [[Book of Nehemiah|2 Esdras]], and [[Prayer of Solomon]] followed [[Ecclesiasticus]].
===The Luther Bible===
Martin Luther translated the [[Luther Bible|Bible into German]] during the early part of the 16th century, first releasing a complete Bible in 1534. His Bible was the first major edition to have a separate section called ''Apocrypha''. Books and portions of books not found in the Hebrew [[Tanakh]] were moved out of the body of the [[Old Testament]] to this section.<ref>[http://lutherbibel.net/biblia2 1945 Edition of the Luther Bible on-line]</ref> The books [[1 Esdras|1]] and [[2 Esdras]] were omitted entirely.<ref>Preface to the ''Revised Standard Version Common Bible''</ref> Luther placed these books between the [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament|New]] Testaments. For this reason, these works are sometimes known as ''inter-testamental books''. Many twentieth century editions of the [[Luther Bible]] omit the Apocrypha section.
Luther also expressed some [[Antilegomena|doubts about the canonicity]] of four [[New Testament]] books: the [[Epistle to the Hebrews]], the Epistles of [[Epistle of James|James]] and [[Epistle of Jude|Jude]], and the [[Book of Revelation|Revelation to John]]. He did not put them in a separate section, but he did move them to the end of the New Testament.<ref>[http://www.aomin.org/index.php?itemid=1892&catid=7 ''Six Points On Luther's "Epistle of Straw"''], 3 April 2007</ref>
===The Clementine Vulgate===<!-- This section is linked from [[Deuterocanonical books]] -->
In 1592 [[Pope Clement VIII]] published his revised edition of the [[Vulgate]]. He moved three books not found in the [[Biblical canon|canon]] of the [[Council of Trent]] into an appendix, "''ne prorsus interirent''," "lest they utterly perish".<ref> [http://sacredbible.org/vulgate1861/scans/817-Apocrypha.jpg Introductory material to the appendix of the ''Vulgata Clementina'', text in Latin]</ref>
* [[Prayer of Manasseh|Prayer of Manasses]]
* [[1 Esdras|3 Esdras]] (1 Esdras in the King James Bible)
* [[2 Esdras|4 Esdras]] (2 Esdras in the King James Bible)
All the other books of the [[Old Testament]], including the [[deuterocanonical books]], were placed in their traditional positions.
{{seealso|Books of the Latin Vulgate}}
===Apocrypha of the King James Version===
The English-language [[King James Version]] of 1611 followed the lead of the Luther Bible in using an inter-testamental section labelled "Books called Apocrypha". It included those books of the Vulgate and the [[Septuagint]] which were not in Luther's canon. These are the books which are most frequently referred to by the casual appellation ''"the Apocrypha"''. They comprise the following:<ref>''The Bible: Authorized King James Version with Apocrypha'', Oxford World's Classics, 1998, ISBN-13: 978-0192835253</ref>
*[[1 Esdras]] (Vulgate 3 Esdras)
*[[2 Esdras]] (Vulgate 4 Esdras)
*[[Book of Tobit|Tobit]]
*[[Book of Judith|Judith]]
* [[Book_of_Esther#Additions_to_Esther|Rest of Esther]] (Vulgate Esther 10:4-16:24)
*[[Book of Wisdom|Wisdom]]
*[[Ecclesiasticus]] (also known as Sirach)
*[[Book of Baruch|Baruch]] and the [[Epistle of Jeremy]] (all part of Vulgate Baruch)
*[[The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children|Song of the Three Children]] (Vulgate Daniel 3:24-90)
*[[Susanna (Book of Daniel)|Story of Susanna]] (Vulgate Daniel 13)
*[[Bel and the Dragon|The Idol Bel and the Dragon]] (Vulgate Daniel 14)
*[[Prayer of Manasseh|Prayer of Manasses]]
*[[1 Maccabees]]
*[[2 Maccabees]]
These books are also listed in ''Article VI'' of the [[Thirty-Nine Articles]] of the [[Church of England]].<ref>[http://www.episcopalian.org/pbs1928/articles/AnglicanTeaching/042.htm Article VI at episcopalian.org]</ref>
===Other 16th century Bible editions===
All English translations of the Bible printed in the sixteenth century included a section or appendix for Apocryphal books. [[Matthew's Bible]], published in 1537, contains all the Apocrypha of the later [[King James Version]] in an inter-testamental section. The 1538 [[Myles Coverdale]] Bible contained the Apocrypha minus Baruch and the Prayer of Manasses. The 1560 [[Geneva Bible]] placed the Prayer of Manasses after 2 Chronicles, with the rest of the Apocrypha in an inter-testamental section. The [[Douai Bible|Douay-Rheims Bible]] (1582-1609) placed the Prayer of Manasses and 3 and 4 Esdras into an appendix of the second volume of the [[Old Testament]].
In 1569 the Spanish Reina Bible following the example of the pre-Clementine Latin [[Vulgate]] contained the [[deuterocanonical books]] in its [[Old Testament]]. Valera's 1602 revision of the Reina Bible removed these books into an inter-Testamental section following the other Protestant translations of its day.
===Modern editions===
All King James Bibles published before 1640 included the Apocrypha. In 1826, the [[British and Foreign Bible Society]] decided to refuse to distribute Bibles containing the Apocrypha. Since then most [[Modern English Bible translations|modern editions]] of the Bible and re-printings of the King James Bible omit the Apocrypha section. Many modern reprintings of the Clementine Vulgate and Douay-Rheims version no longer contain [[Biblical apocrypha#The Clementine Vulgate|the Apocrypha section]]. Many of the more modern translations and revisions do not contain an apocrypha section at all.
There are some exceptions to this trend, however. Some editions of the [[Revised Standard Version]] of the Bible include not only the Apocrypha listed above, but also the [[3 Maccabees|third]] and [[4 Maccabees|fourth]] books of the [[Maccabees]], and [[Psalm 151]]; the RSV Apocrypha also lists the [[Letter of Jeremiah]] (Epistle of Jeremy in the KJV) as separate from the book of Baruch. The American Bible Society lifted restrictions on the publication of Bibles with the Apocrypha in [[1964]]. The British and Foreign Bible Society followed in [[1966]].<ref>A Brief History of the [http://www.biblesociety.org/history.htm United Bible Societies]</ref> The Stuttgart edition of the [[Vulgate]] (the printed edition, not most of the on-line editions), which is published by the [[Bible Society|UBS]], contains the [[Biblical apocrypha#The Clementine Vulgate|Clementine Apocrypha]] as well as the [[Laodiceans|Epistle to the Laodiceans]] and [[Psalm 151]].
Brenton's edition of the [[Septuagint]] includes all of the Apocrypha found in the King James Bible with the exception of [[2 Esdras]], which is no longer extant in [[Koine Greek|Greek]].<ref>[http://earlyjewishwritings.com/2esdras.html 2 Esdras at earlyjewishwritings.com]</ref> He places them in a separate section at the end of his [[Old Testament]], following English tradition. In Greek circles, however, these books are not traditionally called ''Apocrypha'', but ''Anagignoskomena'', and are integrated into the [[Old Testament]].
===Anagignoskomena===
The [[Septuagint]], the pre-eminent Greek version of the Old Testament, contains books that are not present in the [[Tanakh|Hebrew bible]]. These texts are not traditionally segregated into a separate section, nor are they usually called apocrypha. They are referred to as the '''Anagignoskomena'''. The anagignoskomena are [[Book of Tobit|Tobit]], [[Judith]], [[Book of Wisdom|Wisdom of Solomon]], [[Sirach|Wisdom of Jesus Sirach]], [[Book of Baruch|Baruch]], [[Letter of Jeremiah|Epistle of Jeremy]] (sometimes considered chapter 6 of Baruch), additions to [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] ([[The Prayer of Azariah|The Prayer of Azarias]], [[Susanna (Book of Daniel)|Sosanna]] and [[Bel and the Dragon]]), additions to [[Book of Esther|Esther]], [[1 Maccabees]], [[2 Maccabees]], [[3 Maccabees]], [[4 Maccabees]], [[1 Esdras]], and [[Psalm 151]]. 4 Maccabees is relegated to an appendix in modern editions of the Greek Bible. Some editions add the [[Book of Odes (Bible)|Odes]], including the [[Prayer of Manasses]]. Some Slavic Orthodox Bibles add [[2 Esdras]]; the Greek text of that book did not survive, however.
===Pseudepigrapha===
Technically a [[Pseudepigrapha|pseudepigraphon]] is a book written in a biblical style which is ascribed to an author who did not write it. In common usage, however, the term pseudepigrapha is often used by way of distinction to refer to [[Apocrypha|apocryphal writings]] which do not appear in printed editions of the [[Bible]], as opposed to the apocryphal texts listed above. Examples<ref>''The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha'', Volume 2, James H. Charlesworth</ref> include:
*''[[Letter of Aristeas]]''
*''[[Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah]]''
*''[[Joseph and Aseneth]]''
*''[[Life of Adam and Eve]]''
*''[[Lives of the Prophets]]''
*''[[Ladder of Jacob]]''
*''[[4 Baruch]]''
*''[[Jannes and Jambres]]''
*''[[History of the Rechabites]]''
*''[[Eldad and Modad]]''
*''[[History of Joseph]]''
*''[[Psalms of Solomon]]''
*''[[Odes of Solomon]]''
*''[[Prayer of Joseph]]''
*''[[Prayer of Jacob]]''.
Often included among the pseudepigrapha are [[3 Maccabees|3]] and [[4 Maccabees]] because they are not traditionally found in western Bibles, although they are in the [[Septuagint]]. Similarly, the [[Book of Enoch]] and the [[Book of Jubilees]] are often listed with the pseudepigrapha although they are commonly included in Ethiopian Bibles.
===Cultural impact===
* Christopher Columbus was said to have been inspired by a verse from [[2 Esdras|4 Esdras]] 6:42 to undertake his hazardous journey across the Atlantic.<ref> [http://muweb.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/cwk/DOTTERER.CWK ''Christopher Columbus: Motivations to Reach the Indies by Sailing West'', Janet L. Dotterer]</ref>
* The ''[[introit|introitus]]'', "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them", of the traditional [[Requiem]] in the Catholic Church is loosely based on [[2 Esdras|4 Esdras]] 2:34-35.
* The alternative ''[[introit|introitus]]'' for [[Quasimodo Sunday]] in the [[Roman rite]] of the Catholic Church is loosely based on [[2 Esdras|4 Esdras]] 2:36-37.
*[[Susanna (Book of Daniel)|The Story of Susanna]] is perhaps the earliest example of a [[Legal drama|courtroom drama]].
*[[Bel and the Dragon]] is perhaps the earliest example of a [[locked room mystery]].
==Biblical canon ==
{{main|Biblical canon}}
===Vulgate prologues===
[[Jerome]] completed his version of the Bible, the [[Vulgate|Latin Vulgate]], in 405. In the middle ages the Vulgate became the de facto standard version of the Bible in the [[Western Europe|West]]. These Bibles were divided into [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testaments|New]] Testaments only; there was no separate Apocrypha section. Nevertheless, the Vulgate manuscripts included prologues<ref> [http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/bible/prologi.shtml ''Prologues of Saint Jerome'', Latin text] </ref> which clearly identified certain books of the Vulgate Old Testament as apocryphal or non-canonical. In the prologue to the [[books of Samuel]] and [[Books of Kings|Kings]], which is often called the ''Prologus Galeatus'', Jerome described those books not translated from the Hebrew as apocrypha; he specifically mentions that [[Book of Wisdom|Wisdom]], the [[Ecclesiasticus|book of Jesus son of Sirach]], [[Book of Judith|Judith]], [[Book of Tobit|Tobias]], and the [[The Shepherd of Hermas|Shepherd]] "are not in the canon". In the prologue to [[Book of Ezra|Esdras]] he mentions [[1 Esdras|3]] and [[2 Esdras|4 Esdras]] as being apocrypha. In his prologue to the books of Solomon, he mentioned "the [[Ecclesiasticus|book of Jesus son of Sirach]] and another ''[[Pseudepigrapha|pseudepigraphos]]'', which is titled the [[Book of Wisdom|Wisdom of Solomon]]". He says of them and [[Book of Judith|Judith]], [[Book of Tobit|Tobias]], and the [[Books of the Maccabees]], that the Church "has not received them among the canonical scriptures".
He mentions the [[book of Baruch]] in his prologue to the [[Book of Jeremiah|Jeremias]] and does not explicitly refer to it as apocryphal, but he does mention that "it is neither read nor held among the Hebrews". In his prologue to the [[Book of Judith|Judith]] he mentions that "among the Hebrews, the authority [of Judith] came into contention", but that it was "counted in the number of Sacred Scriptures" by the [[First Council of Nicaea]].
Although in his ''Apology against Rufinus, Book II'' he denied the authority of the canon of the Hebrews, this caveat does not appear in the prologues themselves, nor in his prologues does he specify the authorship of the canon he describes. Whatever its origin or authority, it was this canon without qualification which was described in the prologues of the bibles of Western Europe.
==Classification==
The [[Biblical apocrypha#Apocrypha of the King James Version|Apocrypha of the King James Bible]] constitutes the books of the [[Vulgate]] that are present neither in the [[Tanakh|Hebrew Old Testament]] nor the Greek [[New Testament]]. Since these are derived from the Septuagint, from which the old Latin version was translated, it follows that the difference between the KJV and the Roman Catholic Old Testaments is traceable to the difference between the Palestinian and the Alexandrian canons of the Old Testament. This is only true with certain reservations, as the Latin Vulgate was revised by Jerome according to the Hebrew, and, where Hebrew originals were not found, according to the Septuagint. Furthermore, the Vulgate omits [[3 Maccabees|3]] and [[4 Maccabees]], which generally appear in the Septuagint, while the Septuagint and Luther's Bible omit [[2 Esdras|4 Ezra]], which is found in the Apocrypha of the Vulgate and the King James Bible. Luther's Bible, moreover, also omits [[1 Esdras|3 Ezra]]. It should further be observed that the Clementine Vulgate places the Prayer of Manasses and [[1 Esdras|3]] and [[2 Esdras|4 Ezra]] in an appendix after the New Testament as apocryphal.
It is hardly possible to form any classification which is not open to some objection. Scholars are still divided as to the original language, date, and place of composition of some of the books which must come under this provisional attempt at order. (Thus some of the additions to Daniel and the Prayer of Manasseh are most probably derived from a Semitic original written in Palestine, yet in compliance with the prevailing opinion they are classed under Hellenistic Jewish literature. Again, the Slavonic [[Book of Enoch|Enoch]] goes back undoubtedly in parts to a Semitic original, though most of it may have been written by a Greek Jew in Egypt.)
A distinction can be made between:
* the Palestinian, and
* the Hellenistic literature
of the Old Testament, though even is open to serious objections. The former literature was written in Hebrew or Aramaic, and seldom in Greek; the latter naturally in Greek.
Next, within these literatures there are three or four classes of subject material.
* Historical,
* Legendary (Haggadic),
* Apocalyptic,
* Didactic or Sapiential.
The Apocrypha proper then would be classified as follows:--
*Palestinian Jewish Literature
**Historical
***[[1 Esdras|1 (i.e. 3) Ezra]].
***[[1 Maccabees]].
**Legendary
***[[Book of Baruch]]
***[[Book of Judith]]
**Apocalyptic
***[[2 Esdras|2 (i.e. 4) Ezra]] (see also [[Apocalyptic literature]])
**Didactic
***[[Ecclesiasticus|Sirach]] (also known as [[Ecclesiasticus]])
***[[Book of Tobit|Tobit]]
*Hellenistic Jewish Literature:--
**Historical and Legendary
***Additions to [[Daniel]]
***[[Additions to Esther]]
***[[Epistle of Jeremy]]
***[[2 Maccabees]]
***[[Prayer of Manasseh]]
**Didactic
***[[Book of Wisdom]]
== References ==
<references/>
'''Texts:'''
* Holmes and Parsons, ''Vet. Test. Graecum cum var. lectionibus'' (Oxford, 1798-1827)
* [[Henry Barclay Swete]], ''Old Testament in Greek'', i.-iii. (Cambridge, 1887-1894)
* [[Otto Fridolinus Fritzsche]], ''Libri Apocryphi V. T. Graece'' (1871).
'''Commentaries'''
* O. F. Fritzsche and Grimm, ''Kurzgef. exeget. Handbuch zu den Apok. des A.T''. (Leipzig, 1851-1860)
* [[Edwin Cone Bissell]], ''Apocrypha of the Old Testament'' (Edinburgh, 1880)
* [[Otto Zöckler]], ''Die Apokryphen des Alten Testaments'' (Munchen, 1891)
* [[Henry Wace]], ''The Apocrypha'' ("Speaker's Commentary") (1888)
'''Introduction and General Literature:'''
* [[Emil Schürer]], ''Geschichte des jüdischen Volkes'', vol. iii. 135 sqq., and his article on "Apokryphen" in Herzog's ''Realencykl''. i. 622-653
* Porter in [[James Hastings]]'s ''Dictionary of the Bible''. i. 111-123.
[[Category:General Reference]]
[[Category: Religion]]
