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| Judith with the head of Holofernes by Benvenuto Tisi da Garafalo (1481-1559). |
The Apocrypha, or more precisely the Deuterocanon, refers to those books and passages of the Old and New Testaments about which there was controversy at one time in early Christian history, with disputes reviving just before and within the Reformation period. The Church has historically included these as wholly part of its canon of inspired writings: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus (Sirach), Baruch, I and II Maccabees, parts of Esther (10:4-16, 14), and Daniel (3:24-90, 13, 14).
These books were included in almost every Protestant Bible until the Edinburgh Committee of the British Foreign Bible Society excised them in 1825. Until then, they had been included at least in an appendix of Bibles. As to the present, there is no excuse for publishers not including the Apocrypha, at least in study Bibles, even if it does affect the cost-profit equation.
We note these points:
At the Council of Rome in 382, the Church decided upon a canon of 46 Old Testament books and 27 in the New Testament. This decision was ratified by the councils at Hippo (393), Carthage (397, 419), II Nicea (787), Florence (1442), and Trent (1546).
Even when that list was established in A.D. 382, the writings were not collected into a single book until after the printing press came into existence. Even Gutenberg’s Bible was published in more than one volume.
Martin Luther included them in his first German translation, published before the Council of Trent. They can also be found in the first King James Version (1611) and in the first Bible ever printed, the Gutenberg Bible (a century before Trent). In fact, these books were included in almost every Bible until the Edinburgh Committee of the British Foreign Bible Society excised them in 1825. Until then, they had been included at least in an appendix of Protestant Bibles. — Source
Until publishers come to the aid of all Christians and remove this barrier to our ability to tap the wisdom of God-fearing people of the Old Testament era we must act independently. I offer here a means of access to those special texts. Naturally, given the circumstances, I provide links to a Catholic Bible, so-called because it contains those texts that have borne the weight of the contention referred to above.
For the purposes of this exercise I utilise the Gateway facility, which makes available the New Catholic Bible (published 2019), a boon to those seeking to know God's word well. That is because the NCB provides introductions and footnotes to help the reader understand God's message as communicated in diverse human ways.
First, in the traditional order of the Bible's sequence of The Pentateuch, The Historical Books, The Wisdom Books, and then The Prophets, is the heart-warming "historical" account of the righteous Tobit and his family. As is Tobit and Esther, Judith is presented as a theological consideration of the history of the people of God.
[[[ In Historical Books ]]]
Tobit: Link to Introduction: Go here
Tobit: Link to Chapter 1: Go here
Judith: Introduction: Go here
Judith: Chapter 1: Go here
Esther: Introduction: Go here
Esther: Chapter 1: Go here, but note the key chapters and verses
1 Maccabees: Introduction: Go here
1 Maccabees: Chapter 1: Go here
2 Maccabees: Introduction: Go here
2 Maccabees: Chapter 1: Go here
[[[ In Wisdom Books ]]]
Wisdom: Introduction: Go here
Wisdom: Chapter 1: Go here
Sirach, also known as Ecclesiasticus, or Wisdom of Ben Sira: Introduction: Go here
Sirach: Chapter 1: Go here
[[[ In Prophets ]]]
Daniel: Introduction: Go here
Daniel: Chapter 1: Go here, but note key chapters and verses
That's it! Of course there is a large number of other texts from the Old Testament era and especially New Testament times that the Church has had to weigh for authenticity. But the texts that have been part of the canon, that Jerome himself abided by in an idiosyncratic fashion, are God-given to bring us closer to Him. Church leaders and publishers need to put aside the urge to wage doctrinal battles and seek to accomplish God's plan of offering spiritual riches. Restore what has been lost!
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