Last updated on March 31, 2023
Much is questioned about the 7 additional apocryphal books of the “Catholic Bible”, among others that exist in addition to these. After all, are they reliable or not? Are there heresies in them? Is the “Evangelical Bible”, with its 66 books, the correct one? Would those books, also called deuterocanonical, have any importance or historical and theological value or should they be completely rejected? What really is the truth about them?
The “true truth” about these apocryphal books, a truth that one hardly hears in religious temples and theological seminar rooms, is that they are not the property of the Catholic Church! These books, much less the Bible, including the writings of the so-called “New Testament” by Christians, are not the property of any Church to receive its approval, disapproval or judgment. Because, the totality of the 66 books of the Bible are works of the people of Israel! Having been inspired by God, naturally (cf. Dt 33:4; Ps 147:19-20; Rm 3:1-2; 9:4; 2 Pe 1:20-21). And as for the so-called “apocryphal books”, a simple reading of several of them will show that they are part of Jewish literature, because they deal with the history and/or poetry of the chosen people!
What are the apocryphal books of the Bible produced at the time of the second temple?
The age of the second temple ranges from the period when the temple in Jerusalem, erected by Solomon, son of David, was rebuilt in the year 516 BCE, after the Babylonian captivity, until the year 70 CE, when it was destroyed by Roman imperial forces.
It is in this period that most of these literatures, called apocryphal books of the Bible, are written by Jews/Israelites, and others, in order to tell the history of their own people, among other purposes.
Here we will share information from these deuterocanonical books drawn from two major sources: the Sefaria website, which brings together a huge collection of materials and writings from the people of Israel, and the Jerusalem Bible, which although (unfortunately) still has biased comments, presents a good research work in many places.
As the apocryphal books of the Holy Bible are not owned by any Church, we will give priority to information from the Sefaria website, or other websites of Jewish/Israelite origin that we consider necessary and reliable. Afterwards, we will complement with information from the Jerusalem Bible research, which brings the seven additional books.
In the Jerusalem Bible, the order of the apocryphal books is as follows:
- Tobit;
- Judith;
- 1st Maccabees;
- 2nd Maccabees;
- Wisdom;
- Ecclesiasticus / Sirach;
- Baruch.
The word “apocrypha” means “hidden, secret“, coming from the late Latin apocryphus and, in turn, from the ancient Greek ἀπόκρυϕος (apokryphos).
The term “Apocryphal” was created by Jerome, a Christian theologian, in the 5th century of our era, to basically designate ancient Jewish documents written in the period between the last book of the Scriptures, Malachi, and the time of Jesus, that is, Yeshua, the nazarene.
These 7 so-called apocryphal books in the Catholic Bible are present in the Septuagint, which is a Greek translation of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). This Greek translation was produced around the year 283 BCE.
According to some ancient documents, and the historian Flavius Josephus, the Septuagint was created by about 70 Jewish rabbis. Therefore, the inclusion of additional books in it cannot be considered a sin in itself, or an attempt to adulterate the Scriptures, as some people think.
But a Pharisaic rabbinic assembly of the Jews, known as the council of Jamnia, held between the end of the 1st century CE and the beginning of the 2nd century CE, did not consider them canonical because, at least some of them, would not have been originally written in Hebrew, nor in the time of Ezra the priest. The group of Protestant Christians, which by the way emerged much later than Christianity itself (16th century CE), considered these apocryphal books of the Bible as canonical.
The 7 deuterocanonical books, however, were admitted as authentic by the Council of Rome in 382 CE, of Hippo in 393; at the Third Council of Carthage in 397, at the Council of Florence (1431-1439) and at the Council of Trent, begun in 1545.
The Book of Tobit.
Written between 250 – 150 BCE. The Book of Tobit is a story of two families living in Assyrian exile during the eighth (8th) century BCE. It was probably composed between the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE in Hebrew or Aramaic.
It tells of a righteous man named Tobit (Tobi), his son Tobiyah, and a woman named Sarah, whom Tobiyah eventually marries. It focuses on the characters’ prayer, good deeds, and the miraculous divine intervention they experience.
Traces of this book’s influence are evident in later texts: Midrash Bereishit Rabbah includes a truncated Aramaic version of Tobit, and a medieval manuscript suggests that, at least in some medieval communities, the work was publicly read on the holiday of Shavuot (feast of weeks – Exodus 34:22).
Information from Sefaria.org.
The book of Judith.
The Book of Judith is a work that tells the story of a heroic woman who seduces and kills an enemy general, saving Israel from oppression.
The book was not mentioned by any Jewish source until the medieval period, when the character of Judith became the subject of discussion in legal works, Talmudic commentaries, and liturgical poems.
During this period, the story began to be associated with the holiday of Hanukah as new versions of the story emerged, some of them replacing the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, who appeared in earlier versions, with the Seleucid King Antiochus (the enemy of the Hanukkah story).
Judith has attracted more writers, artists, and composers than any other figure in the apocryphal books of the Bible.
If you want to know more about the history of Hanukkah, read the section of the book of 1st Maccabees (next), which narrates the events where this feast began (until chapter 4).
Source: Sefaria.org.
The 1st book of Maccabees.
Written between 145 – 125 BCE in the Judean region, Book of Maccabees I is an apocryphal work that recounts the Maccabean victories over the Greek Syrians and the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE, as well as the stories behind the holiday of Hanukkah.
Written in Hebrew by a Jewish author who was likely an eyewitness to the events it describes, the work is considered an important historical source for the period.
It has no official religious status in Judaism, but is often studied to enrich the understanding of Hanukkah.
Information from Sefaria.org.
But what is the Hanukah mentioned in this apocryphal book of the Bible?
Hanukah is a Jewish holiday mentioned in the Bible in John 10:22-23 as the “Feast of Dedication” (“hanukah” or “chanukah” is a Hebrew word that translated is “dedication”). In this text, we see the master Yeshua (Jesus) participating in this party, because it was related to his people (Israel).
This feast began with the cleansing of the Jerusalem temple with Judah (Judas) Maccabeus about the year 164 BCE. It begins with the events of 1 Maccabees 4:35-59, but is also mentioned in 2 Maccabees 1:18.
The feast is remembered by the Israeli people to this day and takes place between November and December of the calendar used in the west (Gregorian).
For more historical details about this Jewish holiday, watch the video below:
The 2nd Book of Maccabees.
Composed in Hellenistic Egypt, ca. 153 – 133 BCE.
The Book of Maccabees II is a summary of an unpreserved five-volume work detailing events from that century that formed the basis of the Hanukkah story. It focuses on accounts of Hellenization, persecution of the Jews under King Antiochus, and battles of Maccabean Judah.
Unlike Maccabees I, it was composed in Greek and has a strong religious tone; incorporates much supernatural intervention and emphasizes religious martyrdom with stories such as the Jewish woman and her seven children (2 Maccabees 7). The work has no official status in Judaism, but it is often studied to enrich the understanding of Hanukkah.
Informations from Sefaria.org.
Solomon’s Book of Wisdom.
Written in Alexandria, Egypt.
The Wisdom of Solomon is an apocryphal book in the Bible that talks about wisdom – its nature, benefits and role in the history of ancient Israel. The work is attributed to King Solomon, and was likely composed by a Jewish author in Egypt between the 2nd century BCE and the 1st century CE. The book seeks to demonstrate the wisdom of Judaism.
Influences from the Bible and early rabbinic traditions, as well as Greek philosophy, are evident in the work, which consists of three distinct sections. Chapters 1-6 exhort the rulers of the earth to seek wisdom. In chapters 6-10 King Solomon describes how his life was guided by wisdom and offers a prayer to obtain it. Chapters 11-19 tell the story of the redemption of the Israelites from Egypt.
With information from Sefaria.org.
Ecclesiasticus or Sirach.
This book was transmitted in the Greek, Latin, and Syriac Bibles, but does not appear in the Hebrew canon. However, it was composed in Hebrew; Jerome claims to have known it in its original language and some rabbis, up to the fourth century, quoted it. The Talmud preserves its testimony.
Approximately two-thirds of the Hebrew text of this book, lost for centuries, has been found since 1896 in six fragmentary medieval manuscripts from an ancient synagogue in Cairo. More recently, fragments have come out of the Qumran caves, and in 1964 an equally fragmentary copy (39.27-44.17) of a scripture from the early 1st century BC was discovered at Masada. […]
Who wrote the Ecclesiasticus book?
At the beginning of the 2nd century BCE, Jesus [Yeshua] Ben Sirah [son of Sirah], master of wisdom in Jerusalem… collected in a book the best of his teaching… His grandson, who arrived in Egypt most likely in 132 BCE, undertook the Greek translation of his grandfather’s work… This translation remains the best testimony to the book of Ben Sirah; it was transmitted by the three main manuscripts, the Vatican, the Sinaitic and the Alexandrian, which form what is called the “received text”.
However, probably since the first century BCE, the book has been revised and numerous additions have been inserted. This second edition, in fact, left marks on the Hebrew fragments found in the Syriac Peshitta version, but it is mainly transmitted in many Greek manuscripts… and in the old Latin version that passed into the Vulgate.
The title of the book in Greek is given in the subscription at 51.30: “Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirah”. Its Latin title Ecclesiasticus (Liber) [which means, book of the church], already appears in Saint Cyprian in the third century: it undoubtedly highlights the official use that the Church made of it.
The author is called in Hebrew [Yeshua] Ben Sirach.
Born probably in the middle of the 3rd century BCE, he saw Jerusalem pass from Lagid to Seleucid domination in 198; he met the high priest Simon the Just (50.1-20) who died after the year 200.
At that time, Hellenization, with the adoption of foreign customs, was favored by a part of the ruling class; to these threatening novelties, Ben Sirach opposes all the forces of tradition.
He is a scribe who unites the love of wisdom with the love of the Law (24); for him, biblical revelation is authentic wisdom that should not be ashamed of the wisdom of Greece. He is full of fervor for the Temple and its ceremonies, full of respect for the priesthood inherited from Aaron and Sadoc, but he is also nourished by the holy books, especially the earlier wisdom books.
With information from the Jerusalem Bible. The [brackets] are ours.
Also read an introduction to Ben Sira’s book and his grandson’s prologue at bible.com.
In short, the Ecclesiastical Book, that is, the book of Yeshua ben (son of) Sirah, is a collection of thoughts of a wise man from Jerusalem at the time of the 2nd temple. As an upholder of God’s Law (Torah), the nation of Israel, and the world’s need for its wisdom, there is much good teaching here. However, perhaps there were still some uncertainties on the part of the author in certain matters, and added to that the additions that the book underwent later, either by his grandson or by another later copyist. Therefore, perhaps it is not possible to say that the book is all divinely inspired, but there is something to take advantage of.
The book of Baruch.
The book of Baruch is one of the deuterocanonical books missing from the Hebrew Bible. The Greek Bible places it between Jeremiah and Lamentations, and the Vulgate after Lamentations. According to the introduction (1,1-14), it would have been written by Baruch, Jeremiah’s secretary, in Babylon, after the deportation, and sent to Jerusalem to be read in the liturgical assemblies.
This book contains:
- a prayer of confession and hope (1.15 – 3.8),
- a wisdom poem (3.9 – 4.4), in which Wisdom is identified with the Law,
- a prophetic passage (4.5 – 5.9), where Jerusalem in person addresses the exiles and where the prophet encourages her with the evocation of messianic hopes.
The introduction was written directly in Greek; the sentence of 1.15-3.8, which develops that of Dan 9.4-19, certainly goes back to a Hebrew original, and the same conclusion is likely with regard to the other two passages. The most credible date of composition is the middle of the 1st century BC.
A small fragment of the Greek text of Baruch was discovered in one of the caves at Qumran; paleography assigns it a date of approximately 100 BC.
The interest of the collection … which bears the name of Baruch, is to introduce us to the communities of the Dispersion and to show us how the religious life was maintained in them by the relationship with Jerusalem; for prayer, for the worship of the Law… and for messianic dreams.
Alongside the lamentations, it is also a testimony to the great memory left by Jeremiah, as the two pamphlets were related to the prophet and his disciple.
The memory of Baruch was perpetuated; in the second century of our era, two Apocalypses that have been preserved to us were placed under his name; one in Greek and one in Syriac (with Greek fragments).
Extracted from the Jerusalem Bible.
At another time we will add more information and content of the verses of the apocryphal books of the Bible.
What did you think of this content about the apocryphal books of the Bible?
Did you already know this information about these books? Tell us in the comments below.
