The Books of the Apocrypha ( meaning Hidden or secret ) I Esdras The wisdom of Solomon The History of Susanna II Esdras Ecclesiasticus Bel and the Dragon Tobit Baruch The Prayer of Manasses Judith The Epistle of Jeremiah I and II Maccabees Additions to The Song of the Three III and Iv Maccabees Esther Holy Children Origin. The term Apocrypha is generally applied to a collection of books, from 11 - 16 in number, which appeared in the interim between the Old and New Testaments. They have come down to us in more or less close connection with the canonical books of the Bible. They have had a strange history. Ecclesiastical opinion in different periods has differed widely as to the value of the literature. The Jews of the dispersion in Egypt placed a high estimate upon these books and included them in the Greek translation of the Old Testament ( called the Septuagint ) But were rejected from the Hebrew canon by the Jews in Palestine. The Roman Catholic Church in the council of Trent, 1546 A.D., declared 11 of the books to be canonical, and they appear in the modern Catholic edition. The view of the Protestant Church, it is commonly agreed that some of the books contain material of literary merit and historic value, but, there canonicity has been rejected, and they have been gradually omitted from the modern editions of the Protestant Bibles for the following reasons: 1. They are never quoted by Jesus, and it is doubtful if they were ever alluded to by the Apostles. 2. Most of the early church Elders regarded them as uninspired. 3. They did not appear in the ancient Hebrew canon 4. The inferior quality of most of the writings as compared with the canonical books, stamps them as unworthy of a place in the sacred scriptures. Character of the books. Authorities differ as to the classification of these books. The Epistle of Jeremiah is often incorporated in the Book of Baruch and III and IV Maccabees are often omitted. Historic, I and II Maccabees and I Esdras. Traditional, Additions of Esther,Susanna, Song of the Three Holy Children, Bel and the Dragon, Judith and Tobit. Prophetic, Baruch, and the Prayer of Manasses. Apocalyptic, II Esdras, and IV Esdras in the Latin Vulgate. instructive, Ecclesiasticus, and the Wisdom of Solomon, in style like Proverbs. To be continued....Paul
Posted on: Sun, 16 Jun 2013 00:10:16 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015