The Apocrypha

Apocrypha

by Edgar J. (translator) Goodspeed

Modern Library hardcover.

Genres: Religion, Theology, Christianity, Classics, Philosophy, History, Reference

494 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1938

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Apocrypha formed an integral part of the KJV Bible of 1611. But the Puritans discredited it and by 1629, it was no longer considered a part of the Bible. Most of the books have never been found in any Hebrew form at all. However they were in Greek as well as Latin earlier on. To me it's almost like a sequel to my favorite book. And even though it can't be called the inspired word of God, there is still much to learn from it! It's full of Biblical history, words of wisdom, and yes, even love stories :) I feel that a
person can read it with a grain of salt and take something valuable away with them. I've especially enjoyed the Wisdom of Sirach, the additions to the book of Esther, Wisdom of Solomon and Maccabees 1 and 2. In all there are thirteen books.

[Troy Nevitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really ended up enjoying reading the Apocrypha. I didn't think I was going to enjoy it as much as I did. Especially the additions to Daniel. I ended up doing a paper on them and the more I read, the more I appreciated those books.

A few books were terrible. I don't think they were as helpful as they have been considered through church history... Though maybe if I studied them more, I would have liked them.

There are some pretty clear flaws/inconsistencies through the books that show pretty clearly why they are not part of the canon of Scripture. I'm glad they're only helpful books to understand the thoughts of the Jewish community in the intertestamental period.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very readable, modern-feeling translation of the Apocrypha even today. Each work has a a preface summarizing the text and giving context. The work's introduction by Moses Hadas feels insightful on the inter-testament works as a whole as trying to make sense of the Chosen People understanding why they suffered so much. Generally, these works do much to set the scene and give exposition to the New Testament events.

Aside from purported history, there's a lot of sound wisdom here, as in Sirach:

Sirach 11:8-10 New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (aka NRSVA, can't find Goodspeed's readable translation online, so I am lazily pasting in quotes from other modern translations)

8 Do not answer before you listen,
and do not interrupt when another is speaking.
9 Do not argue about a matter that does not concern you,
and do not sit with sinners when they judge a case.

10 My child, do not busy yourself with many matters;
if you multiply activities, you will not be held blameless.
If you pursue, you will not overtake,
and by fleeing you will not escape.

The Book of the All-Virtuous Wisdom of Yeshua ben Sira, commonly called the Wisdom of Sirach or simply Sirach, and also known as the Book of Ecclesiasticus or Ben Sira, is a work of ethical teachings and I learned from the preface here that it is believed by some Jesus of Nazareth was named after this "Jesus the son of Sirach of Jerusalem", as may have been commonly done in that time and place. Maybe it even meant as much as to say my name "Thomas" derives from the Disciple Thomas.

Generally, Sirach (which stuck with me about evenly with the bloody battles of Maccabees and the apocalyptic pieces derivative of Daniel), seems like a crotchety old man leery of anything smacking of risk:

2 Do not put yourself in a woman's hands
or she may come to dominate you completely.

3 Do not keep company with a prostitute,
in case you get entangled in her snares.

4 Do not dally with a singing girl,
in case you get caught by her wiles.

Also from Chapter 9, Sirach warns about hookers and the bad parts of town!

6 Do not give your heart to whores,
or you will ruin your inheritance.

7 Keep your eyes to yourself in the streets of a town,
do not prowl about its unfrequented quarters.

Yet the crotchety Sirach knows about staying up late when a daughter is out:

9 Unknown to her, a daughter keeps her father awake,
the worry she gives him drives away his sleep: in her youth,
in case she never marries, married, in case she should be disliked,

10 as a virgin, in case she should be defiled and found with child in her father's house,
having a husband, in case she goes astray, married, in case she should be sterile!

11 Your daughter is headstrong?
Keep a sharp look-out that she does not make you the laughing-stock of your enemies,
the talk of the town, the object of common gossip, and put you to public shame.

Finally, the rich lode of Ch. 9 ends with advice I can follow as someone who often regrets speaking inappropriately: "A man full of words is a dread to his city, but one who speaks rashly will be hated for his word."

Lots of material here showing a Wisdom personified as a woman, practicaly as a co-deity. The Wisdom of Solomon or Book of Wisdom is included in the canon of Deuterocanonical books by the Roman Catholic Church and the anagignoskomenona (meaning "that which is to be read") of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Such religions seems to have co-opted much that could be considered idolatry, so it has a tinge of hypocrisy to me to see the canonize a work that includes such observations:

11 Take a woodcutter.
He fells a suitable tree, neatly strips off the bark all over
and then with admirable skill works the wood into an object useful in daily life.

12 The bits left over from his work he uses for cooking his food, then eats his fill.

13 There is still a good-for-nothing bit left over, a gnarled and knotted billet:
he takes it and whittles it with the concentration of his leisure hours,
he shapes it with the skill of experience, he gives it a human shape

14 or perhaps he makes it into some vile animal, smears it with ochre,
paints its surface red, coats over all its blemishes.

15 He next makes a worthy home for it, lets it into the wall, fixes it with an iron clamp.

16 Thus he makes sure that it will not fall down --
being well aware that it cannot help itself,
since it is only an image, and needs to be helped.

17 And yet, if he wishes to pray for his goods, for his marriage, for his children,
he does not blush to harangue this lifeless thing --
for health, he invokes what is weak,

18 for life, he pleads with what is dead, for help,
he goes begging to total inexperience,
for a journey, what cannot even use its feet,

19 for profit, an undertaking, and success in pursuing his craft,
he asks skill from something whose hands have no skill whatever.

(Chapter 13)

[Michael Jeffries · Rating 3 out of 5]

The apocryphal books are interesting, self evidently not scripture, but like the Book of Mormon, interesting fan fiction. Some books I like more than others; 1&2 Maccabees are cool, while Judith is just a boss babe feminist piece, but overall I’m glad I read it.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanting to be well-read and see things from diverse perspectives, I made this a part of my daily devotional reading. At the time, the only thing I knew about the Apocrypha was that it was left out of most mainstream Protestant Bibles, but appeared in some Catholic versions of the Bible.

These are books that, because they are written later, are not officially recognized as a part of the Biblical cannon. But they are still a valuable read. Aside from The Wisdom of Solomon, most of the books are actually accounts of what happened during the Babylonian and Syrian exiles of the Jews, and the obstacles the Jews faced once they were allowed to return. Several books add more detail to the story of Daniel, and one fills in some questionable gaps in the the book of Esther.

Cannon or not, I appreciated some of the historical gaps filled in for me by the books of the Apocrypha and the added narrative to some of my favorite stories. I would definitely recommend that anyone who makes reading the Bible a part of their daily devotion also check out what the Apocrypha can add to their understanding.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book in 2006 while doing some biblical research. I pulled it off the shelf this year to read in its entirety. My favorite book within the apocryphal text is The Wisdom of Sirach. It reads much like the Book of Proverbs.

[SmarterLilac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I love this more than any other parts of the Bible I've read. This particular version is highly readable, obviously translated with great care.

[Noah Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kinda weird to put this on Goodreads, also kinda weird to review it, but I want to have a record and I'm like 30 books behind on my reading goal...

I figured that since some Christians think God inspired these texts, even the Christians that don't should at least read them. Also even Protestants used to at least print them together with "the Bible."

I do in fact think Christians should read these, though I don't feel compelled to treat them as inspired. Anyway, this is not the time to wax eloquent about the canon.

There is a lot going on in these books. Some of them expand on stories from the Hebrew Bible, like Esther and Daniel. Most of them are either wisdom literature or narrative about the intertestamental period, or both at once. What stands out most to me about the whole collection is that it screams Hellenized Judaism. These are clearly post-exile Jews trying to reconcile their identity commitments with outside influences, mainly Greek. Some texts are more accommodating (Sirach, Wisdom, etc.) and some more rebellious (Maccabees). But all of them show a Hebrew/Greek tension that I find interesting and important. The same tensions show up in the New Testament, but maybe less explicitly. Maybe the Roman background complicates things, and also Judaism itself had become more ambiguous by Jesus' time.
High point: the Maccabees trouncing various imperial invaders against all odds.
Low point: Sirach telling us not to play with our children and having daughters is nothing but suffering.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Edifying but not inspired” is the typical take I hear from folks who have read the Appcrypha. After finally reading it myself, I agree with them. The Apocrypha doesn’t stand at the same level as those books of the Old Testament that were considered authoritative through most of Christian history, but it is beneficial. What I found most beneficial was the insight into the inter-testament period, that time between the Old and New Testaments which the reader of the Protestant Bible remains in the dark by only reading inspired texts. I was a bit surprised as to the length of the Apocrypha. This was my first reading, so I can’t compare this translation to others, but in a few places in Maccabees the narrative was hard to follow in that it wasn’t clear who was doing what. Perhaps Goodspeed is following the original Greek as closely as possible, but If I were to read this again, I might go with a different translation just to get a different perspective. Reading the Appcrypha also provides useful additional context to the New Testament and the environment into which Jesus arrived. Some of Goodspeed’s takes on authoritative works like Daniel are disputed by other scholars. Goodspeed takes a more critical approach. I agree with him that the historical credibility of these apocryphal documents is questionable, perhaps this is the reason they have historically been put in a different category. “Edifying but not inspired” indeed.

[Jeremiah Hopkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been curious about the non-canonical biblical texts for years, but only now have I sat down to read them all the way through. Also, I am considering all of the books of the Apocrypha as one “book”. Although they should not be used as a devotional or taken as divinely inspired, inerrant, infallible Scripture, I believe the works included in the Apocrypha are beneficial for believers to read and study, both for historical context (the Maccabean Revolt, which directly influenced the mindset of New Testament Judaism) and for general wisdom. They are similar to books written ABOUT the Bible: they are not the Bible itself, but they provide different perspectives and additional insights on the Holy Scriptures.

“What is this promise you have made? How can you bargain with God by saying that you'll surrender the city to our enemies if the Lord doesn't send help within a certain time? So who are you to test God today and set yourselves up in the place of God in the midst of the people? You can question the Lord Almighty, but you won't ever learn anything. You can't sound the depths of a person's heart or comprehend the thoughts of that person's mind. How then will you search out God, who made all these things? How will you understand God's mind and comprehend God's thoughts?” -Judith 8:11b-14a, CEB

7.2/10

[Joshua McGrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a minister, I've always been curious about the Apocrypha but have never had an opportunity to read it. I've recently been interested in knowing more about the process of canonization - and that includes reading all of the extras that are attributed to biblical authors. I decided to start with the easiest - the Deuterocanonical books.

After reading, I can see how Jewish people did not include this in the corpus of OT Books. While they gave some structure to the history of the intertestamental period and some insight into the Jewish mind, hope and perspective after the rebuilding of Jerusalem, they ultimately just don't read like the rest of Scripture. This might be an odd way of explaining it, but they simply don't feel inspired. Stylistically they're more akin to fan fiction and fable (think Robin Hood).

Worth reading through, but I don't feel like my faith missed out on anything in not having these books included in God's Word.

[Shelley Alongi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always need to read books like this more than once. It's kind of like the bible you can always reread it. Kind of like complicated literature, I think. Some of the material in these pre New Testament books is good, some of it is questionable. I'm interested eventually if seeing if some of these writings are reflected in the understanding of Messiah in the gospels since there is the four hundred year silence between accepted prophets and the gospels. It's always a subject up for investigating one piece at a time. Nice place to start, this book. There are lots of them out there.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent nearly a full year fully immersing myself in the Apocrypha books - and enjoying the process immensely, whilst enriching myself with something rarely studied.

This book was an excellent, scholarly guide throughout, with good historical background, and a fine contextual introduction.

This was the first English translation attempted in 400 years, which is brave, and admirable, and I'm proud to brandish it on my shelves.

[Robby Rami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting, especially for those who have not grown up in a Catholic background, thus reading this for the first time. Still full of good wisdom and captivating stories.

[Alexander Proudfoot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

The apocrypha books were written between the time
of the prophets and the time of the New Testament.
I was reading it out of curiosity rather than for my spiritual benefit.

[ThymeOperator · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Book of Wisdom. I didn't feel a lot of the other books added much to the standard Bible, though.

[Rye Thomasdatter]

Helpful historical insight for intertestamental period. Some books provide parallels for New Testament teaching.

[Kathy England · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are the books that were in the Greek version of the Jewish Bible but not included in Protestant Bibles. I read them out of curiosity. It was interesting, but I doubt that I will ever read them again. There was history, fiction, advice, poetry, etc. I was glad to read about the origins of Hannukah.

[Kels Akiko · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Apocrypha, has several stories that are still considered essential to western canon and cultural development even if they’re not officially recognized in several sects of Christianity or Judaism.

I actually enjoyed many of the passages more than some of the canonical biblical books. Several stories are more fable and wisdom driven, though you will still find the standard denigration of women and slaves. Overall, it may not be a necessary component of biblical texts to read unless you are particularly interested in the history of theology; though it is undoubtedly interesting.

[Lisa (Harmonybites) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Apocrypha consists of 14 "books" that were part of the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible together with Greek works on biblical themes. They were part of the canon for all Christians from the fifth century on, but fell into disrepute with Protestants because they weren't part of the original Hebrew scripture--yet they were part of the original King James Version of the Bible and was only dropped later. And they're still considered canonical by Catholics and Greek Orthodox.

So that means whatever your beliefs, they were a huge part of Western culture for well over a millennium. That's why I think anyone of whatever faith (or no faith) should have a copy--just as they should have the Hebrew Bible, The New Testament, the Koran, the Upanishads, the Tao Te Ching, etc. I'm not sure how Jews view the Apocrypha. I understand they're not included in Jewish Bibles, but you won't find the basis for Chanukah in the Hebrew Bible, but in The Books of the Maccabees that are in the Apocrypha. It's funny, I was raised a Catholic, but these stories weren't really familiar to me before reading this. Maybe because American culture is of a Protestant stamp and they disfavor them. My copy is subtitled "An American Translation" and reads as colloquial and flowing rather than some attempt to be archaic. On that regard I found a fascinating and very useful review of this book on Amazon that gives a lot of the context of this translation of the book you can't find within it. Link below:

http://www.amazon.com/review/R152944Q...

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read 1 Maccabees 1, 2, 8, and 13. This Apocryphal book chronicles the history of the Maccabean revolt, an event memorialized by the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. It reads much like a book of the Bible, although it is purely historical in nature.

I also read Bel and the Dragon which is an extension of the book of Daniel. In this story Daniel refuses to worship the god Bel who he claims is not real and does not eat the food given him every night by the priests. Daniel ends up proving that Bel is false and so the king executes the priests and their families. In this same story Daniel also kills the Dragon who is worshiped as a god - he feeds a cake to the dragon who then explodes. As the hero, Daniel ends up feasting at the end of this account.

This literature is periphrastic. That is, even though they're telling stories about Daniel and the Babylonian king, they're actually talking about the persecution of the Jews under the Seleucid king Antiochus. In these difficult times the Jews had a heightened awareness of the coming Messiah and were seeking righteousness on a national level in order to appease God and bring about his kingdom. That is, ordinary people like the Pharisees were seeking righteousness on a personal level in order to save the nation as a whole

Bel and the Dragon paints a symbolic picture of what that messiahship looks like for the Jewish audience - Daniel represents the Messiah who makes a fool of the reigning sovereign.

[J. Alfred · Rating 3 out of 5]

Undoubtedly interesting, with varied sources of interest, just like the canonical Protestant Bible. There are some books that read sort of like clumsier versions of Job or Esther-- one might call it the pious-folk-tale genre (I like Tobit best of these). Then there are Ecclesiasticus and the Book of Wisdom which the editor assures us are important documents in the history of religious thought (I think there's real truth to the idea that Wisdom as seen in Proverbs kind of gets bigger and stronger in the inter-testine period and comes out looking very much like John's logos). Lastly, there are the Maccabees books, which must strike the reader as being fraught with what Gibbon would call Philosophical History-- petty kings and their squabbles all over the place.
I always had this dark idea that the Apocrypha was a breeding ground for all sorts of heresy and misdevotion, which is, upon maturer reflection, simply stupid. They are mostly charming and mentally useful stories, and while it's granted that these books don't seem to fit so well with the Protestant Bible, I don't see any reason to hate and fear them. They've got to be a lot less pernicious than a lot of the Patristic writings!

[Legion]

So far, not bad, reminds me I've got to put the Koran on the to read shelf, but I know myself and it's going to be quite some time. There isn't much info here other than the translation. From the intro, the guy seems to be a relatively unbiased "believer". Coming from a pretty much non-believer, I'd take that as a "compliment", the unbiased part I mean.

Before you read this, read the Bible. I'm saying that as a person who is not pushing the religious side. I took a class that was called Bible as Lit... Just remember, it is a fundamental piece in lit...

By the way, I would also suggest reading Greek mythology and Nietzsche... if you don't laugh, that's okay.

[for-much-deliberation ... · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've actually read the New English version of this book, or maybe I should say set of books. Most of these stories more or less tie into many Old Testament stories, eg,"The Rest of the Chapters of the Book of Esther" , but for varying reasons were omitted from the standard King James. In some cases I see why this omission took place, however, some passages are quite inspirational and good advice for everyday life, for example, "The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach, or Ecclesiasticus".

[Jill]

I got this as a gift from my brother my freshman year in high school. I was surprised to find a lot of genealogical sections in it. I really enjoyed some of the stories in here. Favorites of mine included two subsections of Daniel - "Bel and the Dragon" and "Susannah and the Elders," and the book of Judith, which is rather reminiscent of the story of Jael and Sisera (an OT favorite of mine)

[Judith Chelekis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually, I did not finish this. I tried to read it but the version I was reading (which I couldn't find on Goodreads) was both dry and lacking in something. I did read the book of Judith. Interesting but not what I was hoping for. I would like to revisit this someday and actually study more on books not included in the Bible.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. Also read in November of 1980.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely need the Holy Ghost to guide while reading this to glean the truth out of it......

[Deanna Sutter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly some interesting reading....