Apocrypha

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While the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church include the Apocrypha in their versions of the Old Testament, Protestants generally do not accept or use the Apocryphal books. Several key reasons support this position:

# '''Written After the End of Divine Revelation'''

'''1. Written After the End of Divine Revelation'''

The Apocrypha was written during the intertestamental period, after the time of the prophet Malachi and before the birth of Christ. Protestants believe that [[God]]’s direct revelation ceased during this period, and therefore, writings from this time do not carry the same divine authority.<ref>Henry H. Halley, [https://archive.org/details/HalleysBibleHandbookHenryH.Halley/page/n2617/mode/2up Halley's Bible Handbook], ''Zondervan'', 2000</ref>

# '''Uncertain Authorship and Origin'''

'''2. Uncertain Authorship and Origin'''

Many Apocryphal books have unclear authorship, lack historical validation, and are often anonymous or falsely attributed. This contrasts with the books of the canon, which are attributed to known prophets and apostles.

# '''Not Included in the Original Hebrew Scriptures'''

'''3. Not Included in the Original Hebrew Scriptures'''

The Apocryphal books were not part of the Hebrew Bible and were excluded from the Jewish canon, even though they appeared in the Greek Septuagint. Judaism itself does not recognize the Apocrypha as divinely inspired Scripture.

# '''Not Quoted by Jesus or the Apostles'''

'''4. Not Quoted by Jesus or the Apostles'''

[[Jesus Christ|Jesus]] frequently quoted the Old Testament to affirm its authority, but He never quoted from the Apocrypha. Likewise, the New Testament writers, including the apostles, made hundreds of Old Testament references, but none of them cite Apocryphal texts. This absence underscores their exclusion from the early Church’s understanding of Scripture.

# '''Not Used in the Early Church Canon'''

'''5. Not Used in the Early Church Canon'''

The early Church, led by the apostles, preserved the teachings of Jesus through the Gospels and epistles, which later formed the [[The New Testament|New Testament]] canon. These writings were shared, recognized, and preserved by churches throughout the ancient world. In contrast, Apocryphal writings were never officially adopted by the early Church as part of Scripture. This is the biggest reason true [[Christian|Christians]] do not use the Apocrypha.

@@ Line 87: / Line 87: @@
 While the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church include the Apocrypha in their versions of the Old Testament, Protestants generally do not accept or use the Apocryphal books. Several key reasons support this position:
-# '''Written After the End of Divine Revelation'''
+'''1. Written After the End of Divine Revelation'''
 The Apocrypha was written during the intertestamental period, after the time of the prophet Malachi and before the birth of Christ. Protestants believe that [[God]]’s direct revelation ceased during this period, and therefore, writings from this time do not carry the same divine authority.<ref>Henry H. Halley, [https://archive.org/details/HalleysBibleHandbookHenryH.Halley/page/n2617/mode/2up Halley's Bible Handbook], ''Zondervan'', 2000</ref>
-# '''Uncertain Authorship and Origin'''
+'''2. Uncertain Authorship and Origin'''
 Many Apocryphal books have unclear authorship, lack historical validation, and are often anonymous or falsely attributed. This contrasts with the books of the canon, which are attributed to known prophets and apostles.
-# '''Not Included in the Original Hebrew Scriptures'''
+'''3. Not Included in the Original Hebrew Scriptures'''
 The Apocryphal books were not part of the Hebrew Bible and were excluded from the Jewish canon, even though they appeared in the Greek Septuagint. Judaism itself does not recognize the Apocrypha as divinely inspired Scripture.
-# '''Not Quoted by Jesus or the Apostles'''
+'''4. Not Quoted by Jesus or the Apostles'''
 [[Jesus Christ|Jesus]] frequently quoted the Old Testament to affirm its authority, but He never quoted from the Apocrypha. Likewise, the New Testament writers, including the apostles, made hundreds of Old Testament references, but none of them cite Apocryphal texts. This absence underscores their exclusion from the early Church’s understanding of Scripture.
-# '''Not Used in the Early Church Canon'''
+'''5. Not Used in the Early Church Canon'''
 The early Church, led by the apostles, preserved the teachings of Jesus through the Gospels and epistles, which later formed the [[The New Testament|New Testament]] canon. These writings were shared, recognized, and preserved by churches throughout the ancient world. In contrast, Apocryphal writings were never officially adopted by the early Church as part of Scripture. This is the biggest reason true [[Christian|Christians]] do not use the Apocrypha.

Apocrypha: Difference between revisions