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Apocrypha is a Greek word (απόκρυφα, neuter plural of απόκρυφος), from αποκρυπτειν, to hide away. In a modern sense, the term is applied to texts of uncertain authencity, or writings where the authorship is questioned. In Judeo-Christian Theology , the word apocrypha refers to specific texts some traditions do not consider as Canonical , or Biblical , but in style and age are similar to the Hebrew Tanakh Scriptures, and in some cases are accepted as Biblical by other Christian denominations. These include, but are not limited to, books in the 5th Century Vulgate , where Saint Jerome coined the term to refer to books of the Old Testament that fit this criteria. From controversies over the Biblical Canon in the sixteenth century, the word '''Apocrypha''' acquired a negative connotation, and has been synonymous in the past with "spurious" or "false". This connotation usually involved accounts that were plausible enough to commonly be considered as truth. For example, the Parson Weems account of George Washington and the cherry tree is considered '''apocryphal.''' This article is about the history and content of the apocrypha. For discussion of the proper use or dogmatic authority of the apocrypha, see the article on the Biblical Canon . APOCRYPHA IN THE EDITIONS OF THE BIBLE Due to the unavailability of a definitive and authoritative list of the Canon of scriptures before the Protestant and Catholic Reformations , most surviving manuscripts of the whole Christian Bible include at least some of the Apocryphal books. When the early printed editions of the Bible were published, these works were not omitted, but were separated from the Old and New Testaments to indicate their disputed canonical status. Apocrypha of the Clementine Vulgate Pope Clement VIII placed these three books in an appendix after the New Testament in his 1592 Vulgate .
In earlier editions of the Vulgate these books were placed in the Old Testament . For example, in the Gutenberg Bible, the Prayer Of Manasses follows the Books Of Chronicles and 3 and 4 Esdras follow 2 Esdras (a.k.a. Nehemias) . For additional information, see Books Of The Latin Vulgate . Apocrypha of the King James Version The Apocrypha of the 1611 King James Version Bible were placed between the Old and New Testaments under a separate heading. For this reason, the Apocrypha are often referred to as Inter-Testamental books. All three books of the Vulgate Apocrypha were included, as well as other books (and parts of books) found in the Vulgate Old Testament .
Apocrypha in earlier 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 omitted the Prayer of Manasses from its Apocrypha, but did include the other texts. The Douai Rheims Bible (1582-1609) placed the Prayer of Manasses and 3 and 4 Esdras into an appendix of the Old Testament . The 1534 German Luther Bible had a section between the testaments containing the same content as the later King James Bible Apocrypha except 1 and 2 Esdras. In 1569 the Spanish Reina Bible following the example of the 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 Apocrypha section following the other Protestant translations of its day. Apocrypha in modern editions The first King James Bible published without the Apocrypha appeared in 1640. By 1826, the British And Foreign Bible Society decided to refuse to distribute Bibles containing the Apocrypha. Since then, most Modern Editions of the Bible, even most modern reprintings of the King James, Vulgate, and Douay-Rheims versions, omit the Apocrypha section. This trend reflects the increasing importance of dogmatism relative to tradition in modern Christianity. There are some exceptions to this trend, however. Some editions of the Revised Standard Version of the King James Bible include not only the Apocrypha listed above, but also the Third and Fourth books of the Maccabees , and Psalm 151 . The Stuttgart edition of the Vulgate (the printed edition, not most of the on-line editions) contains the Clementine Apocrypha as well as the Epistle To The Laodiceans and Psalm 151 . Pseudepigrapha Technically a 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 apocryphal writings which do not appear in printed editions of the Bible , as opposed to the Apocryphal texts listed above. Cultural impact |