Apocrypha

Apocrypha are special writings related to the Bible that are not part of the main Bible stories we read in church. These writings were sometimes read only in private, not during regular church services. The word "apocryphal" means something that might not be true or might be made up.

Over time, the word started to mean "false" or "made up." We use it for books that claim to be important but are not included in the Bible that most people use. Some churches, like the Catholic Church, include certain books called the Apocrypha in their Bibles, placing them between the Old and New Testaments. Other churches, like many Protestant churches, do not include these books but sometimes read them to learn from them.

Etymology

The word "apocrypha" comes from a Medieval Latin word meaning "secret" or "hidden." It started from a Greek word that means "private," from a verb meaning "to hide away."

Over time, the meaning of "apocrypha" changed. In old Christian times, it described texts read only by oneself, not in public church services. In English, it later came to mean mysterious, suspicious, or even wrong, mainly because of how some religious groups viewed texts not officially part of the Bible.

People also used "apocryphal" to describe writings kept secret because they were thought to hold special knowledge only for certain people. Today, "apocryphal" often describes stories or texts that seem true but might not be reliable. It can also refer to writings that were hidden because they were not considered important to the church. In general, "apocrypha" can mean writings that might not be real.

Deuterocanonical

Main article: Deuterocanonical books

Some old religious writings are called apocrypha because they were not always included in the main list of holy books. Different church leaders had different ideas about these books.

In the year 1546, a big meeting of Catholic leaders decided which books were officially part of their holy writings. They included most of these apocryphal books, except for a few like 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, and the Prayer of Manasseh. Many Protestant groups, like Lutherans and Anglicans, keep these books in their Bibles but say they should not be used to decide important beliefs. Some groups, like the Anabaptists, value these books highly and use them in their services and ceremonies.

Buddhism

Main article: Buddhist apocrypha

Some stories called Jatakas are part of Buddhist teachings. They have been changed to fit the cultures of Southeast Asian countries. These stories help show important Buddhist ideas more clearly. In the Pali tradition, these newer Jataka stories are different from the older stories known since at least the 5th century. We know this from old drawings on temple walls.

Christianity

Intertestamental books

In the early days of Christianity, many Jewish texts written in Greek were used by both Jewish and Christian communities. Church leaders valued these books, but they debated whether they should be official scripture.

In the 1500s, during the Reformation, leaders decided that fourteen of these books were different from the main Old and New Testaments. These books are called the Apocrypha. Before 1629, all English Bibles included these books with the Old and New Testaments.

Different Christian groups have different views on these books. Some see them as important for learning, while others include them as part of their official scriptures.

Canonicity

Deciding which books should be official scripture took many centuries. Leaders looked for books that felt inspired by God and came from trusted sources.

In the 300s, leaders like Augustine supported including more books, while others like Jerome preferred a smaller set. In 1546, a big meeting called the Council of Trent officially decided which books were scripture for the Catholic Church. Protestant leaders, however, chose not to include these books and called them Apocrypha instead.

Even today, different Christian groups have slightly different lists of official books.

New Testament apocrypha

There are also books that resemble the New Testament but were not chosen to be part of it. These are called New Testament apocrypha. They include many stories about Jesus and the apostles. Some of these were written by early Christian groups, while others came from groups with different beliefs.

These books were never officially included in the New Testament by major Christian churches. They are still interesting to scholars and sometimes used in art and stories. One famous example is the Gospel of Thomas, found in Egypt in 1945.

Islam

Some Muslims think that Hadith, stories about the words and actions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, might not always be true. They believe these stories might have been created much later, in the 8th and 9th centuries, and not actually from Muhammad.

Some groups, like the Kharijites, did not accept Hadith. Others, called Mu'tazilites, did not use Hadith to decide Islamic laws but still followed the Sunnah and Ijma. Some Muslims today only follow the Quran and ignore Hadith completely, a view known as Quranism.

Judaism

Main articles: Jewish apocrypha and Development of the Hebrew Bible canon

The Jewish apocrypha, called Sefarim Hachizonim or "the external books" in Hebrew, are writings by Jewish people, mostly from the time of the Second Temple period. They were not chosen to be sacred when the Hebrew Bible was completed. Some Christians consider these books sacred and include them in their Old Testament.

While Orthodox Jews accept only the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible as sacred, they also value the Oral Torah, which they believe was passed down from Moses. Some think that the Sadducees, unlike the Pharisees but similar to the Samaritans, may have used fewer books, sticking only to the Law of Moses, or the Torah. Others say it is wrong to claim the Sadducees accepted only the Pentateuch. Groups like the Essenes in Judea and the Therapeutae in Egypt were said to have hidden writings, like those found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Different traditions had various rules about which books were important. For example, Ethiopian Jews kept a set of books much like the Ethiopian Orthodox Christians.

Taoism

During the time of the Han dynasty (206 BC – AD 220), some Taoist priests wrote special texts called the Ch'an-wei. These stories were not about real history. They were made to support the emperor's rule.

The stories told of treasures that belonged to the old Zhou kings (1066–256 BC). They said these treasures were given by Heaven to the emperors.

These texts helped show that the Han emperor had the right to rule. They said he had the same sacred treasures as the ancient kings. Because these stories were written to support the government, it is hard to know where the treasures really came from. Scholars think these texts were likely written by a group of special nobles called fangshi. They were not part of the government but were known for their knowledge of magic and healing. These nobles are believed to be the early Taoist priests. However, because there are not many records from that time, it is still unclear how these special texts relate to Taoist beliefs.