Apocrypha
From Wikinfo
- For criticism see Criticism of ApocryphaFor the X-Files episode, see Apocrypha (The X-Files).
See also Anagignoskomena, Apocrypha according to Wikipedia, Biblical apocrypha, Deuterocanonical books.
In every-day conversation, Apocryphal means "of questionable (or lacking) authenticity", describing a story nevertheless frequently told and widely believed. This article is about the theological meaning.
The word apocrypha, from the Greek άπόκρυφος, "hidden", refers in general to religious works that are not considered canonical, or part of official scripture. This of course depends on the religious group concerned. The commonest use is by Anglican and Lutheran churches as the title of the section between the Old and New Testaments in their Bibles, which they grant subordinate status. The original Greek word is plural, but the English is often treated as singular.
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The books of the Apocrypha
Most books in the apocrypha were composed between 200 BC and AD 100.
The Anglican and Lutheran Apocrypha comprise the following 14 books:
- 1 Esdras
- 2 Esdras
- Tobit
- Judith
- Rest of Esther
- Baruch (including the Epistle of Jeremiah)
- Song of the Three Holy Children
- Susanna
- Bel and the Dragon
- Wisdom
- Sirach or Ecclesiasticus
- Prayer of Manasses
- 1 Maccabees
- 2 Maccabees
The above list includes the Roman Catholic deuterocanonical books and many of the Eastern Orthodox anagignoskomena.
The Church of England says the Apocrypha "the Church doth read for example of life and instruction of manners; but yet it doth not apply them to establish doctrine."[1] Passages from them are listed for public reading in church on certain days.
Martin Luther included in his German translation of the Bible the above texts, apart from the books of Esdras, with an introductory note saying they "are not held equal to the sacred Scriptures, and nevertheless are useful and good to read." Many later reprints add the books of Esdras.
In 1827, under Scottish threats of disaffiliation, the Bible Society adopted a rule forbidding it to include the Apocrypha in any of its subsidized, mass-market Bibles. As a result, Bibles with Apocrypha became substantially more expensive than those without, resulting in turn in the progressive fading of the Apocrypha from the awareness of many Anglicans. The rule remained in force until the 1960s.
The Jewish View of the Apocrypha
While Jews reject the apocrypha as having religious value in and of itself, at various times some in the Jewish community have drawn from it as a legitimate part of Jewish literary creativity; elements of the apocrypha have even been used as the basis for two important parts of the Jewish liturgy. In the Mahzor (High Holy day prayer book), a medieval Jewish poet used Ben Sira as the basis for a beautiful poem, Ke'Ohel HaNimtah. This is a closing piyut in the Seder Avodah section, in the Yom Kipur Musaf. It begins:
- "How glorious indeed was the High Priest, when he safely left the Holy of Holies.
- Like the clearest canopy of Heaven was the dazzling countenance of the priest".
(This can be seen, for example, on page 828 of the Birnbaum edition of the Mahzor.) The Conservative Mahzor replaces the medieval piyut with the relevant section from Ben Sira, which is more direct. The apocrypha has even formed the basis of the most important of all Jewish prayers, the Amidah (the Shemonah Esrah). Ben Sira provides the vocabulary and framework for many of the Amidah's blessings, which were instituted by the men of the Great Assembly.
The Mormon View of the Apocrypha
Those who claim Joseph Smith, Jr. was a prophet believe that he received a revelation from God in answer to a question about the valitity of the Apocrypha at Kirtland, Ohio, March 9, 1833, which is now Section 91 of the Doctrine and Covenants. The section reads in part:
- There are many things contained therein that are true, and it is mostly translated correctly; there are many things contained therein that are not true, which are interpolations by the hands of men…Therefore, whoso readeth it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth; And whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom;
Although Latter-day Saints use an edition of the King James Version (KJV) of the bible that does not currently include the Apocrypha, it has been used by members and leaders in the past - especially when it was part of the KJV.
Latter-day Saints and most Mormonism sects believe that more "hidden" or apocryphal texts will come to light prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Other uses
Roman Catholics use the term to refer to what Protestants call pseudepigrapha. There are also New Testament Apocrypha, Shakespeare Apocrypha etc.
See also
References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Apocrypha" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocrypha, used under the GNU Free Documentation License
