Not every ancient religious writing made it into the Bible. Two categories of non-canonical books are worth understanding: the Apocrypha and the Pseudepigrapha.
What "Apocrypha" Means
The Greek word apocrypha means "hidden things." R.K. Harrison explains that the term came to describe writings religious authorities either wanted kept from public reading (because considered too esoteric) or, in a less favorable sense, writings better left unread because they contained questionable teaching. By the end of the first century AD, Jewish tradition had drawn a clear line between books suitable for public use and books reserved only for the well-instructed. Jerome later used "apocrypha" specifically for books in the Septuagint and Latin Bible but absent from the Hebrew canon—useful for edifying reading, in his view, but not for establishing doctrine.
The Old Testament Apocrypha
According to Harrison, these fourteen or so books depict Jewish life's harsh realities in the centuries before Christ.
They include: ● 1 & 2 Esdras—historical and apocalyptic material ● Tobit and Judith—didactic narratives promoting piety, though with historical and chronological inaccuracies ● Additions to Esther—expansions inserted into the Greek text ● The Wisdom of Solomon and Ecclesiasticus (Sirach)—wisdom literature in Proverbs' tradition ● Baruch and The Letter of Jeremiah—addressed to exiled Judeans ● Additions to Daniel (Prayer of Azariah, Susanna, Bel and the Dragon) ● The Prayer of Manasseh ● 1 & 2 Maccabees—historical accounts of the Jewish revolt against Hellenistic rule Several of these books were at times disputed even among the rabbis: Song of Solomon for seeming overly sensual, Ecclesiastes for its skeptical tone, Esther fornever mentioning God's name, Ezekiel for teachings inconsistent with the Law of Moses, and Proverbs for statements considered illogical.
The New Testament Apocrypha
Harrison notes these writings can only be understood in relation to an already-established New Testament canon; many promoted ideas falling outside accepted doctrine. They include apocryphal gospels (such as the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Peter), apocryphal "Acts" attributed to various apostles, and apocryphal letters. Harrison cautions that while these writings are largely unreliable as history, containing unorthodox material, small fragments of accurate information may still be preserved within them.
Where Different Groups Stand on the Apocrypha
● Jews regard these books as outside the canon. ● New Testament writers had access to the Septuagint and Apocrypha, but access does not equal endorsement. ● Early church leaders generally valued these books lightly. ● Martin Luther translated them into German but did not include them as canon. ● The Roman Catholic Church formally recognised several Apocryphal books as canonical at the Council of Trent in 1546. ● Protestant churches did not adopt this recognition—which is why the Apocrypha does not appear in most Protestant Bibles today. ● The Anglican Church, per the Westminster Confession, sees these books as useful for instruction but without Scripture's authority.
The Pseudepigrapha
Geisler and Nix describe the Pseudepigrapha as a further category of writings—falsely titled, since they claim authorship by well-known biblical figures they were not actually written by. These works were never treated as Scripture by either Jews or Christians and largely reflect religious imagination and legend from roughly 200 BC to AD 200. Geisler and Nix count about eighteen worth mentioning, including The Book of Jubilees, 1 Enoch, The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, and The Psalms of Solomon.