Roman Catholics and Evangelicals

Apocrypha

Last updated Fri Feb 9 11:55:47 EST 2001

A Fallible Canon

Most Protestants don't realize that the Deuterocanonicals include Hebrews, James, II Peter, II John, III John, Jude, Mark 16:9ff, John 8:1-12. These books and passages (along with others that didn't make it to the New Testament) were in dispute throughout the first 400 years of the church. For this reason, Martin Luther put them in an appendix along with the Old Testament Deuterocanonicals - which we call the "Apocrypha" today.

Protestants accept the New Testament Deuterocanonicals as inspired, but reject the Old Testament Deuterocanonicals (which I will call "Apocryphal" from now on because it is shorter). Why? Here are some points and counterpoints:

• Protestants consider Jews to be the custodians of the Old Testament Canon, not the Church. Orthodox Judaism rejects the Apocrypha (except for a minor sect).
• Catholics respond that Jews have no such authority after Christ. The Jewish Council of Jamnia (A.D. 90), which officially rejected the Apocrypha is dismissed as a politically motivated reaction to the new Christian sect.
• No Apocryphal book claims to be written by a prophet (receiving direct revelation from God). Maccabees specifically disclaims this. They are not quoted by any later prophetic book. Jewish Fathers teach that prophecy ceased in 400BC - before the Apocrypha was written.
• The Magisterium of the Church, not "propheticity" determines which books are inspired. Besides, is Esther prophetic?
• There are no Hebrew or Aramaic manuscripts for the Apocryphal books, except for a few fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls. And these are not written with the special script and type of parchment reserved for the sacred Scriptures.
• The Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament quoted by Jesus and the Apostles, includes the Apocrypha.
• However, the oldest Greek manuscripts for the Septuagint do not include all of Apocrypha. The very oldest do not include Maccabees. None of them include the same list of books accepted by Trent.
• The New Testament refers to events from the Apocrypha.
• But, the New Testament does not quote the Apocrypha, and also refers to events in pagan works and books rejected by Catholics.
• The Apocrypha was listed with the New Testament books by many Church Councils: Rome, Hippo, Carthage, Florence, Trent.
• However, none of these Councils were Ecumenical. The Council of Rome was ratified by a Pope, but was this infallible?
• The Eastern Orthodox Church accepts the Apocrypha.
• But they declare dogmatically only what was addressed in the Ecumenical Councils.
• Many Church Fathers accepted the Apocrypha.
• Many Church Fathers rejected the Apocrypha.

As a Sunday School boy, I was intrigued by what my teachers called "The 400 silent years". Whether or not you consider the Old Testament Deuterocanonicals inspired, they are essential for understanding the history of the Jews prior to the opening of the New Testament.