Apocrypha

APOCRYPHA

BASIC R.C. BELIEF The books called, by Protestants, the Apocrypha, are called deuterocanonical by the Roman Catholics, and are: Tobit, Judith, Sirach, Wisdom, Baruch, I and II Maccabees. There are also additions to Daniel and Esther.

From ETERNAL LIFE, Catholic Enquiry Centre, Imp. Georgius Craven, page 190. “(II Machabees) is classified in Protestant Bibles as apocryphal, that is, good and useful for instruction but not having the same authority as the other books of the Bible… the Church since the days of the Apostles has always classed it as truly part of the Bible.”

CHRISTIAN COMMENT The definition of “apocryphal” is “of doubtful authorship, false, counterfeit, sham.” There is no documentation of apostolic use of the Apocrypha. St. Jerome included it in his Latin translation, but did not give it the same standing as other scripture. The first conciliar statement of its authenticity was at Trent, hence these writings being called “deutero-canonical”, that is, recognized as canonical at a later date. If it had been recognized as canonical during Apostoloic or even postApostolic times, it would have been recognized as canonical by the Councils of Carthage and Hippo when they defined the canonicity for the New Testament.

While arguing about the canonicity of these books is not primary in Roman Catholic evangelism, we have the following valid reasons for not accepting them:
(1) The Palestinian Jews rejected the Apocrypha (Romans 3:2) (2) The Lord Jesus and the Apostles never quoted from the Apocrypha. (3) The Apocrypha contains some wild stories (see Judith, Tobit) (4) The Apocrypha does not claim inspirtaion (II Macc 15:38) (5) The Apocrypha contains false prophecy (Baruch 6:2) (6) The Apocrypha contains a false salvation message (Tobit 12:8,9).