- Essential 40
Essential 40 Studies
1-10Essential 40 Studies
11-20Essential 40 Studies
21-30Essential 40 Studies
31-40 - Digging For Gold
OLD TESTAMENT APOCRYPHA
"Apocrypha" means "things hidden"
(1) At first - hidden and deeper knowledge (only for the initiated)
(2) Later - heretical knowledge
(3) Roman Catholic - Deuterocanonical (books of the second canon)
The books:
The Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Tobit (200 BC), Judith (150 BC), I Esdras (150 BC), I Maccabees (110 BC), II Maccabees (110-70 BC), Baruch, Letter of Jeremiah, II Esdras (100 AD), Additions to Esther, Prayer to Azariah (200-0 BC) (Daniel 3:24-99), Susanna (200-0 BC) (Daniel 13), Bel and the Dragon (Daniel 14), and Prayer of Manasseh (100-0 BC)
History:
1) Rejected by Jewish historians Philo and Josephus
2) Rejected by early Church for four centuries (Strongly opposed by
Athanasius and Jerome, although he reluctantly translated them
into Latin)
3) Accepted by Augustine (became priest in 391, bishop in 396, died 430)
4) Rejected by Reformers Luther (1483-1546) and Calvin (1509-64) ("The Books commonly called Apocrypha not being of divine inspiration are not part of the canon of Scripture and therefore are of no authority in the Church of God." Westminster Confession, 1646)
5) Accepted by the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent (1546)
6) Accepted by the Roman Catholic Church at Vatican II (1962-65)
Arguments against:
1) No quotation of Apocrypha in the NT (Allusions to pseudapigraphal books - Assumption of Moses in Jude 9 and Book of Enoch in Jude 14,15; Citations from pagan poets - Acts 17:28; I Cor 15:3; Tit 1:12)
2) No claim to be written by a prophet (no predictions) (I Maccabees
says it was not written by a prophet)
3) Written during the 400 silent years (Luke 11:50,51)
PSEUDAPIGRAPHA
Jewish writings not in "Apocrypha" or Canon
"Pseudo" = They were often named after famous personalities in the
OT (such as Adam, Enoch, Moses, Solomon, Isaiah)
The Books:
I & II Enoch, The Assumption of Moses, III & IV Maccabees, Psalm 151, The Greek Apocalypse of Baruch, The Ascension of Isaiah, The Book of Jubilees; The Psalms of Solomon; Apocalypse of Adam
APOCRYPHA - NEW TESTAMENT
Agrapha - sayings of Jesus not found in Gospels (some in NT-Acts 20:35; I 4:15-17)
Apocryphal Gospels - Gospel of Peter, Gospel of Thomas (Gnostic), Infancy Gospels (stories of Jesus' childhood similar to Superman as a baby)
Apocryphal Epistles - Epistle to the Laodiceans, Letters of Paul and Seneca, III Corinthians
Apocryphal Acts - Acts of Andrew and others (glorify the Apostles - talking animals and even obedient bugs)
Apocryphal Apocalypses - Apocalypse of Peter and others