Timeless Truths...Does The Old Testament Apocrypha Belong In the Bible

All branches of Christendom acknowledge that false writings exist. These are books that have had divine authority claimed for them but, in actuality, are merely human works.

Because God has revealed Himself to humanity in a limited number of books it is important to know which books have God’s authority behind them and which do not.

There are a number of ancient books that did not find their way into the Old Testament which are considered divinely authoritative by some people. They are known by a variety of names, including the Apocrypha, the Old Testament Apocrypha, or the deuterocanonical books.

For example, the Roman Catholic Church adds a number of books to the Old Testament that are not accepted by either Jews or Protestants. These writings are also considered authoritative by the Orthodox church, and the Ethiopic churches.

In this book, we will list these apocryphal books, briefly explain their content, and then focus on the reasons that have been given for their inclusion in the Old Testament canon. We will also consider reasons given for their exclusion.

We will discover that none of these books has any claim whatsoever to be called Holy Scripture. It is only the Old Testament writings that the Protestant Church and the Jews hold to be sacred that have any real claim to divine authority.

There are also other writings in which almost everyone agrees are not divine. They are known as the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha or false writings. Many of these works were forgeries. They are also important to study because they shed light on the background and beliefs of people at that time between the testaments. This work will look at these various writings.

How We Will Answer The Roman Catholic Claims

As we mentioned, we will divide our response to the Roman Catholic claims by examining three specific areas of dispute. They include: (1) was the canon closed in the first century A.D., at the time of Jesus, or was it still open? (2) how has the Christian Church historically viewed the books of the Old Testament Apocrypha? and (3) how do the books of the Old Testament Apocrypha match up with the teachings of Scripture and the facts of history? Do these books have the credentials of Holy Scripture?

Thus, our first question will look at the attitude of the ancient Jews, Jesus, and the New Testament writers with respect to the canon of Scripture and the Old Testament Apocrypha. Did they have a closed canon of Scripture, where no books could be added, or did they have an open canon? If they had a closed canon, did it include the Old Testament Apocrypha?

Our Conclusion

After looking at the writings known as the Old Testament Apocrypha and the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, we make the following observations and conclusions with respect to their relationship to the Old Testament canon.

1. The Canon Was Settled For Both Jews And Christians: These Writings Were Not Part Of It

All of the early evidence makes it clear that the canon of the Old Testament was set for both Jews and Christians—there was no such thing as a flexible canon as some have argued. This is especially the case with those living at the time of Jesus.

2. The Earliest Canonical Lists Do Not Contain These Works

Not only did the Jews reject the Old Testament Apocrypha as Holy Scripture, the earliest canonical lists which the Christian church produced also omitted these writings. In fact, for the first three hundred years of the church, every canonical list of Scripture, which still exists, lists the canon of the Jews as the Old Testament canon. None of them include the books of the Old Testament Apocrypha.

3. The Books Of The Old Testament Apocrypha Never Claim To Be Part Of Scripture

One of the strongest arguments against the Old Testament Apocrypha as Holy Scripture comes from these very writings. None of the books, which are part of this collection, ever claim to be Holy Scripture. This is in contrast to almost all of the recognized Old Testament books where we find such statements as “thus says the Lord,” or the writer claiming that the Word of the Lord came unto him in a unique way.

4. The Books Of The Old Testament Apocrypha Recognized Old Testament As Scripture

While the books of the Old Testament Apocrypha did not claim scriptural status for themselves, they recognized the Hebrew Old Testament as Scripture. This is very important to note.

Therefore, if we are going to be consistent with the Scripture, we should hold to the same canon as is found among all the ancient Jewish writings which exist. This canon does not include the Old Testament Apocrypha.

This is a timeless truth that is important for all Christians to know and understand.

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