Bible Fact · Luke 24:44 — 'These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.'
What Are the Apocrypha?
The Fact
The word 'apocrypha' comes from the Greek for 'hidden things.' It refers to a collection of Jewish writings composed between approximately 400 BC and 100 AD — including 1 and 2 Maccabees, Tobit, Judith, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Wisdom of Solomon, Baruch, and additions to Daniel and Esther. These books appear in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament used by many early Christians) but not in the Hebrew Bible used by Jewish communities. The Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches include them as 'Deuterocanonical' ('second canon') books. Protestant reformers (following Jerome and the Hebrew canon tradition) excluded them, noting they were not accepted by Jesus-era Judaism and were not quoted in the New Testament. The books are historically valuable — 1 and 2 Maccabees document the Maccabean revolt and the rededication of the Temple (which Hanukkah commemorates). They contain devotional, wisdom, and narrative literature that influenced early Judaism and Christianity.
Context
The Council of Trent (1546) formally defined the Deuterocanon as Scripture for Catholics, partly in response to Protestant challenges. This means the Catholic canon (73 books) has been officially larger than the Protestant canon (66 books) only since the 16th century.
Significance
The difference between Protestant and Catholic Bibles is about 7 extra books — not the core New Testament or the Hebrew Bible. The books of Jesus, Paul, and the Apostles are the same across all Christian traditions.
Reflection
The apocrypha contains the story of the Maccabean martyrs — Jews who died rather than abandon their faith. Even outside the Protestant canon, these testimonies of faithfulness under persecution speak to every generation. What's your 'line in the sand'?