Bible Question:
What are the additional books of the Bible in the Catholic religion? And why are they not in the Bible?
Bible Answer:
There are four categories of sacred books for Christians. The first set of books is accepted by all of Christianity as being written by God and they are included in the Bible. These books are the sixty-six books contained in the Bible accepted by Protestants. “What books belong in the Bible? – Canon of Scripture” explains which books are included in that Bible. Information about the content of the sixty-six books of the Bible are described in “What Is The Bible?.” The other categories of books are called the Deuterocanon, the Apocrypha and the Pseudepigrapha.
Deuterocanon, Apocrypha, and Pseudepigrapha
The Deuterocanon – Accepted by the Catholic Church
The Deuterocanon is a set of fourteen books that the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church consider to be inspired or canonical. These books include the Baruch, Bel and the Dragon, Ecclesiasticus, 1 and 2 Esdras, Additions to Esther, The History of Susanna, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, The Prayer of Manasseh, The Song of the Three Holy Children, Tobit, and The Wisdom of Solomon.
However, the Protestants and the Jewish rabbis do not accept these as sacred books. It is important to note that they were included in the original King James Version Bible published in 1611 and in Martin Luther’s German version, due to their antiquity and background information. They were part of the Septuagint Greek version of the Old Testament but not the Hebrew version of the Old Testament. Since Jesus and the apostles never quoted from these books, they are rejected by the Protestants as not being inspired.
For more information please visit “Should the Deuterocanon be included in the Holy Bible?”
The Apocrypha Books – Accepted by Some
The Greek meaning of Apocrypha is “hidden” or “esoteric.” The Old Testament Apocrypha books were written after 200 B.C. (long after Malachi) or during the intertestemental period and before A.D. 100. There are two major reasons for not accepting these books as being the inspired Word of God. The first and most important one is that neither Jesus nor the apostles ever directly quoted from them or treated them as the Word of God. The second reason is that Josephus, the noted Jewish historian, excluded the Apocrypha from his list of the Old Testament books. His ancient testimony tells us the prophets did not accept these books as inspired either. Jesus and the apostles referred to and directly quoted from only the Old Testament. None of the early church fathers and none of the ancient church councils accepted the Apocrypha as inspired by God.
The New Testament Apocrypha is a group of books, just like the Old Testament Apocrypha, that very few in Christianity accept as inspired. Most do not. Those who accept these books are typically atheists, the cults and critics of Christianity who seek to raise doubts about Christianity.
For more information please visit “What Is The Apocrypha? Should It Be In The Bible?”
The Pseudepigrapha Books – Rejected by All
The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha is a group of books that are rejected by everyone as not being inspired. That is, they do not belong in the Bible and are not trustworthy. These books often include dreams, visions, magic, and fanciful ideas.
Just like the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, the New Testament Pseudepigrapha is a group of books that are rejected by all. Among the most interesting are the Gospel of the Childhood, Gospel of the Nativity of Mary, Gospel of the Psuedo-Matthew, History of Joseph the Carpenter, Acts of Thomas, and the Letter Attributed to Our Lord.
For more information please visit “What is the Pseudepigrapha? Should it be in the Bible?”
Conclusion:
The apocryphal books are valuable as historical information. The Maccabees and the Didache are great examples of this. But the apocryphas should not be considered equal to the Word of God. The pseudepigrapha books may be interesting reading, but they are rejected by all as the Word of God since they are not inspired by God. New books are being added to the apocrypha and pseudepigrapha as some are being found during archaeological digs. Sometimes these books are included in a category called the Lost Books of the Bible.
Suggested Links:
What Is The Apocrypha? Should It Be In The Bible?What is the Pseudepigrapha? Should it be in the Bible?
How accurate is the Bible?
Is the book of Enoch inspired?
Da Vinci Code
Is The King James Bible The Best Bible?
Why are the books of the Bible in the current order? Are they in chronological or topical order?