The Apocrypha: According to the Authorized Version

by Anonymous, Robert H. Pfeiffer (Contributor)

Many people are unfamiliar with the books of the Apocrypha but are now beginning to appreciate the influence these secondary Biblical writings have had in art, literature, and theology. Those already familiar with the apocrypha will appreciate this single volume to supplement a Bible which does not contain them.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, History, Christian, Christianity, Classics, Reference

295 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1611

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:

* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author

Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[Brett C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a King James Version of the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha is a collection of 'hidden' books are considered canon and lawful scripture by the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Assyrian Church of the East (the Aramaic-speaking Chaldean church), and Oriental Orthodox Church (Armenian, Syriac, Coptic, Eritrean, Ethiopian). These additional books contain historical information and have spiritual context/prose that seems consistent with Christian value.

Listed are the books found in this volume:

1 Esdras
2 Esdras
1 Macabees
2 Macabees
Tobit
Judith
Wisdom
Sirach
Baruch
Epistle of Jeremiah
Susanna
Prayer of Azariah
Prayer of Manasseh
Bel and The Dragon
Laodiceans

There are different books used by different faiths. It depends who you're talking to when it comes to what is and what isn't the Apocrypha. Roman Catholics have these standard books while the other church organizations have even more books.

Eastern Orthodox: 3 & 4 Macabees, Psalm 151

Ethiopian Orthodox: 3 & 4 Ezra, 4 Baruch, Jubilees, Enoch

This small book and my limited research has only scratched the surface of additional books found in Christianity. The Protestant Reformation decided to remove these books. Martin Luther is quoted saying "Apocrypha, that are books which are not considered equal to the Holy Scriptures, but are useful and good to read."

I would recommend this to anyone curious about the extra books removed from the Bible. One could dedicate days to researching and reading about the Apocrypha and this is a good starting point. Thanks!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have wanted to read the entire Apocrypha since I was in college and have attempted it several times. I finally did it but it wasn't easy. Many parts were frustrating for me because I like text to flow and I had to keep stopping to research context and understand exactly what I was reading. The books are out of chronological order and some are history while others are prayers.

My favorite book was Ecclesiasticus which is also called The Sirach. It is a really long book but so full of beauty.

[Andrew Barger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of curiosity more than anything else, I recently read the King James Version of the Apocrypha published in 1611 by the Church of England. Yes, you read it right, the Apocryphal books were published alongside the normal books of the Bible in the revered King James version.

There are those who believe Apocrypha is bad word to describe heretic books. Nothing could be further from the truth. These books missed the cut by a hair. Many are thought to be 100% historically accurate just, for one reason or another, not sanction by God as he worked through individuals to write them.

They read like many Old Testament books. In other words, they are a bit dry in places. Some of the stories are quiet good although lacking character generation that we take for granted today. "The Idol Bel and the Dragon" is the only suspect one in my view. It's a little far out there, but then isn't the story of Noah's Ark, the parting of the Red Sea, David and Goliath, etc? would be more at home in a collection of fantasy short stories. Middle Unearthed: The Best Fantasy Short Stories 1800-1849

Many more books have been uncovered than those found in the original King James Version of the Bible. Those can be found in other compilations.

What would really make these books shine is background information about the author, when they were discovered, why they were excluded from the normal Biblical books, annotations, etc. Still, if you are curious, it is worth your time to sit down and read the books of the Apocrypha.

#ApocryphaReview #KingJamesApocrypha

[Samuel Bierig]

Welp, Im still a Protestant. 'twas fascinating tho. I look forward to reading through it again someday.

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read the Bible several times but not one containing these books. I decided to read them so I would get some idea what was in them.

With due respect to those who consider these books to be sacred scripture, my rating is based on my impression of them as literature. I understand that it’s not the job of such texts to be entertaining or particularly enjoyable to read.

I got through it anyway.

[Illiterate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some fun tales and romances. Mainly theological histories and moralistic commands focused on a chosen people and their ethnic purity.

[Ian Ritchie]

Intriguing and edifying. I enjoyed this a lot more than I had expected. It was cool to see how the second temple-period Jews interpreted and applied Hebrew biblical wisdom, and also the many ways these books would have influenced the New Testament writers. It's similarly interesting to examine the historical source of many Roman Catholic or Orthodox doctrines such as prayers for the dead, purgatory, indulgences, intercession of the saints, etc. and read them in that context. But sola scriptura :)

[Jonathan Inman · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the history and stories are interesting, especially in the triumphs and horrors of captive Israel, the books typically lack the spirit-inviting insight of much of the more commonly canonized scriptures. There are segments of beautiful wisdom and poetry, but some of those parts somehow end up feeling uninspired and falling flat despite the good things they share. That said,

-The Additions to the Book of Esther was the BEST part for me. It humanized Esther in a way I never considered and gave me incredibly more respect for that amazing woman! The bravery! The additions also gave more depth and understanding to the story, such as greater insight as to why Haman hated Mordecai so much.

-Also, Judith was a total boss!!!

[Joshua Pearsall · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the Church has long held these books in high standards so do I, and was happy to be able to work through them all this year. I read through several on my channel including devotional thoughts and reflections if you would be interested (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...). I encourage anyone and everyone to read these texts, even though they are not Scripture they are nourishing.

[S. Runyan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather dry in most places but a sufficient read for complementing the full reading of Scripture. It is much more of an historical accomplishment to have this book under one's belt than it is edifying to one's faith.

[Connor Longaphie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would encourage all Christians to read these books

[Hannah Bristow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good stories. A bit more alternative than the Bible.

👍The dragon. The boys in the fire. Judith is cool. 👍
The books of wisdom drag a bit.

[Derek Kreider]

This was my first full read through the Apocrypha. Overall I don't understand why Protestants don't find this valuable. The Wisdom of Solomon is particularly fascinating with very clear nods to Jesus. The story of Judith, Esdras, and Susana also elevates women more so than we see in the Old Testament, and makes a transition to the New much easier to see. Tobit deals even more explicitly with the problem of evil than does Job. The additions to Esther are also fascinating and add an element to Mordecai's motivations.

There's a lot in here that you could easily do without, especially the Maccabees. But overall it's a worthwhile read.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Apocrypha consists of books associated with the Septuagint (Hebrew writings preserved in Greek, sometime in the 300 years before Christ) that didn't make it into the main (Hebrew or Protestant) canon of scripture.

I'd long wanted to read it, and over the course of this year (beginning in January) I took in a book at a time, between reading other books, from the lovely little 1950s King James Version volume (published as part of the New Oxford School Bible) I found somewhere sometime ago. (An edition which uses up nearly the entire space of its backcover blurb to explain to kids all about the Sheldon type (designed by J. van Krimpen in 1947) in which the text is set. Love it.)

I think my favourite books (for reading pleasure, rather than any particular intent of spiritual nourishment), were Tobit and 2 Maccabees. I tracked my reading progress as I went by making little <420-character impressions / summaries of each book on the Goodreads app. Here they are:

1 Esdras is the Greek Septuagint version of the Hebrew Ezra-Nehemiah. It covers, in a bit of a tangle, the same material as Ezra, with the addition of the fascinating and quite charming Tale of the Three Guardsmen, which was the clear highlight. (Edit: A Hebrew adaptation of a Persian story, there's a nice little summary of the Tale of Three Guardsmen here: https://bibleprojectblog.com/2014/06/...)

2 Esdras, ascribed to Ezra, but probably written between 70 and 218 AD. Lots of general judgement and mayhem... "Fire, and hail, and flying swords" (15:41), including opening sections in which God rejects Israel, theologically contradicted by the rest of the book. Esdras fasts for about six weeks (eating a few flowers and herbs), has apocalyptic visions and ends up writing some secret books.

The great little folk tale, Tobit. A guy going blind when birds shit in his eyes, a demon falling in love with a young woman and killing her first seven husbands on their wedding nights, the angel Raphael disguised as a travelling companion, a dog, a fish, an inheritance... this story has it all. Colourful characters and a moral in favour of those who do works of charity.

The story of Judith, the Hebrew widow who caused the rout of an invading Assyrian-led army by infiltrating the camp of the general, Holofernes. Much taken by Judith's beauty and wit, Holofernes gets drunk and when his servants leave him and Judith to it, she cuts off his head. Upon discovering his headless corpse in the morning, the army freaks out and runs away, cut down as they go by the triumphant Hebrews. (Edit: the beheading of Holofernes by Judith became a favourite subject of art - look it up, if you dare.)

The Rest of Esther, which fills in extra details that are only found in Greek manuscripts and not Hebrew. Most saliently, where the canonical Book of Esther never once mentions God, these apocryphal chapters - presumably a work of later editing - mention God all the time.

Wisdom of Solomon (aka The Book of Wisdom) written in Alexandria, around the late first century BC to early first century AD, and put into the mouth of Solomon. Containing plenty of damnation for the wicked it also has some lovely turns of phrase when describing wisdom. Has an extended critique of idols, then seems to go off track from its main theme with an Exodus apocalypse, before ending abruptly.

Ecclesiasticus (aka Sirach). A huge collection of 2nd Century BC 'common sense'. How to be a respected patriarch (including a liberal dose of misogyny and repressive parenting) etc. With the exception of a few beautiful passages that break out of the pattern, it's essentially way too much advice. A proverb of my own: "A man of too much advice loseth his hearers; and a surfeit of proverbs wearies the soul."

Baruch. Baruch being Jeremiah's scribe, the book deals with the new context of exile under Nebuchadnezzar. I think of all the books I've read so far from the Septuagint Apocrypha, this is the one that sounds most like the canonical books, in terms of content and quality.

The short exilic texts - extra bits of the Book of Daniel plus one - Song of the Three Holy Children (the song purportedly sung in the fiery furnace), History of Susanna (in which Daniel first receives public notoriety by bringing two old pervy lechers to justice) and Bel and the Dragon (when Daniel brings down a couple of Persian gods). Also, The Prayer of Manasses, King of Judah, captive in Babylon.

1 Maccabees: The exploits of Judas and his brothers in resisting the Greek Seleucid Empire. Machinations, intrigues, deceptions, thousands of horsemen and foot soldiers moving back and forth, and people getting burnt in strongholds. Violent times for the Jewish Hasmonean dynasty and their campaigns for independence and religious purity.

2 Maccabees: The trouble really starts when a bloke named Jason becomes high priest and sets up a gymnasium near the temple where the gym bunnies wear hats and the priests end up playing discus more than attending to their duties. 2 Maccabees isn't a sequel to 1 Maccabees, but a different, more narratively adroit, focused and dramatically compelling telling of the intrigues and exploits of Judas Maccabeus against the powers of the Greeks.

Thus went it with Nicanor: and from that time forth the Hebrews had the city in their power. And here will I make an end.

And if I have done well, and as is fitting the story, it is that which I desired: but if slenderly and meanly, it is that which I could attain unto.

For as it is hurtful to drink wine or water alone; and as wine mingled with water is pleasant, and delighteth the taste: even so speech finely framed delighteth the ears of them that read the story. And here shall be an end.

(2 Maccabees 15:37-39, the ending of 2 Maccabees and The Apocrypha)

[Ruben · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I finally got around to reading the Apocrypha. It took me a while to finish it. I started sometime last year, stopped, and then picked it up again about six months ago. These books are very good for understanding the history of the intertestamental period, but definitely lacked the feel of the rest of the Bible. Even if Christians don't read it for doctrinal teaching, it is a good read to understand the context of Jesus' time, the religious zeal of the Pharisees, etc. Many parts of the Ecclesiasticus felt like it were copying Proverbs. Considering that the people of that time were very familiar with Proverbs, it doesn't surprise me if they were quoting it. I liked the Prayer of Manassah quite a bit. I think that one, and Ecclesiasticus were my favorite books contained herein.

[Dan Pan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found a majority of the stories pretty boring. I could’ve saved a lot of time just reading a Wikipedia article about them.

But some stories, like Tobit, Judith, Suzanna, Bel and the Dragon, and Maccabees were pretty interesting.

I understand why these books were not included in the Bible. The vibe is different. And I’m pretty sure there were mistakes in them.

Interesting, but not riveting at all.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly forgettable; I can see why these books didn't make it into the Bible. Ecclesiasticus is good, but the only must-read here is II Esdras, which rivals any of the prophetic books of the Old Testament in power.

[Demetrius Rogers]

How do you rate the Apocrypha? It is what it is. I gave it 4 stars because I did really enjoy gaining an awareness of these books. Some were tedious, others entertaining, and some outright fanciful. The books worth re-visiting, imo, is Judith, The History of Susanna, and I Maccabees.

[Mercy Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! So much wisdom and more clues into the life and History of the fascinating black people called the Israelites.

[sistaotey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. The books included in this transliteration have certainly strenghtened my thoughts as a woman in ministry.

[Andrew]

The line you often see about these books is that they are not inspired and inerrant scripture, but that they are 'worthy of being read'. And I have to say, that's about how I feel myself. At their best, they re-state innumerable things from the Old Testament, and anticipate many things in the New Testament. It does seem clear that the Jews of the New Testament times were familiar with much of these writings, and their echoes in the New Testament are easy to spot. That said, I'm certainly not convinced that any of the key New Testament figures accepted them as unbreakable scripture.

Some over-zealous Protestants like to cherry-pick a small number of verses in order to portray the Apocrypha as containing blatant heresy. But let's be real here - you could just as easily cherry-pick certain verses from the Old and New Testaments and portray them as teaching heresy as well. There's some weird bits here and there, especially in certain books. But for the most part, you won't find much that seems to veer off from the rest of the Bible.

1 Esdras - Mostly a straightforward re-narration of the last parts of Kings/Chronicles, into Ezra/Nehemiah. There's one wacky bit featuring a debate about what's the most powerful force: wine, kings, women, or the truth (spoiler - it's truth).

2 Esdras - Like another reviewer, I thought this was the standout. A lot of good Messianic prophecy, and some powerful scenes of wrestling with questions of theodicy. Ultimately though, this is widely believed to have been written after the time of Jesus, despite being ascribed to Ezra, and thus, just about no one considers it fully accurate and canonical. A powerful read nonetheless.

Tobit - Got to admit, this one felt a bit... cheesy and goofy. It lacked the sort of gravitas and stateliness that you expect of true scripture. Still, it might be the source of that one line in the New Testament about 'entertaining angels.'

Judith - This one has echoes of the stories of Jael and Esther. But I prefer those over this one. Basically, some devout Jewish woman uses sex appeal to get some creepy military leader drunk, and then beheads him.

Esther - Speaking of Esther! That book famously doesn't mention God at all, and these 'additions' remedy that problem. This seems like a (slightly tacky) attempt to make explicit what was fine enough being left as implicit.

Wisdom of Solomon - It starts off somewhat in the manner of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, and then ends up turning into something more like one of the Old Testament prophets. Overall, didn't find it especially memorable.

Sirach - This one is the real '2nd Proverbs' of the collection. Long-ish but really good. Verse 19:24 might be my favorite: "He that hath small understanding, and feareth God, is better than one that hath much wisdom, and transgresseth the law of the most High." Also has a lot of decidedly un-feminist musings. In brief, a good wife must be sweet, submissive, guileless, sexually pure, and absolutely adoring of her husband.

Baruch - Fairly short, and very much in the vein of Jeremiah, and other prophets. It would fit right in alongside them without much trouble I'd say.

Epistle of Jeremiah - Incredibly repetitive. Mostly says over and over 'idols are manmade and aren't actually living'.

Prayer of Azariah - A very worthy prayer and a very worthy song. Supposedly what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego prayed and sang inside the great furnace.

Susanna - A godly woman is falsely accused of sexual immorality by two evil, lustful elders. This story seems to be echoed quite a bit in that added portion of John's gospel about the woman caught in adultery. It raises the question of whether that allegedly adulterous woman was actually guilty, or simply accused by evil false witnesses.

Bel and the Dragon - Two comedic illustrations of the point made in Jeremiah's epistle - that idols aren't actually alive. Reminiscent of Elijah's mockery of Ba'al.

Prayer of Manasseh - Another very worthy prayer. Like the tax collector in in the parable of Jesus, the King of Judah essentially says 'have mercy on me, a great sinner.'

1 Maccabees - Wars. Endless, endless wars. And diplomacy. Wars don't excite me, so I found this one dry and tedious indeed.

2 Maccabees - Blegh. Not quite as dry and tedious as the other one, but reading a marginally more engaging version didn't get me to especially enjoy it. Contains an incredibly sad story about 7 young siblings being brutally murdered one after the other as martyrs for their faith.

In the end, I'm still leaning toward the Protestant viewpoint that these works aren't true inspired, inerrant scripture. If anything, I'd say the book of 1 Enoch (also recently reviewed) has a better claim of being that. Nonetheless, I'm glad to have read these works, and I do think every Christian will do well to read them.

[Mike Futcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

After going into the Bible a few years back as a scofflaw atheist and coming out as someone with a healthy respect for the philosophy and stories of the Bible, particularly when rendered in that gorgeous King James prose, I opened the Apocrypha with an open mind. These are the ugly stepchildren of the Biblical corpus; texts that, for one reason or another, are considered non-canonical. Sometimes that is because they were meant to be read in private rather than in public service, sometimes because their authenticity was unclear, and mostly, I suspect, because in the various translations and denominations of Christianity over the millennia, they just got shuffled out of the pack.

After reading the Apocrypha, I do find myself wishing some had been expunged due to being too heretical. Because, even though it is also available in that King James prose, the book could do with some spice to it. From first to last I found the Apocrypha dull and tedious, and while some might have that impression of the canonical Bible, that was certainly not my impression of it when I finally sat down to reading it some years back. The Bible had the masterpiece that is the Book of Job, some neat origin stories in Genesis, the fiery books of Moses, eloquent philosophic rants like Jeremiah, to say nothing of the New Testament's 'Greatest Story Ever Told' and Revelation fever-dream. The Apocrypha had nothing like that, but it also didn't have much else. (And some other non-canonical books which sound interesting, like the Gnostic Gospels – particularly Thomas – and the Gospel of Judas, don't form part of the Apocrypha either.)

The Apocrypha starts off with the two books of Esdras, which are standard Old Testament fare about waging war on powerful enemies and coming through by the power of the Lord. They're interesting enough, but they don't do anything that the Books of the Kings don't do, and the Books of the Kings are far from the best stuff in the Bible. After a banal book called Tobit, there is the Book of Judith, which is the only part of the Apocrypha which threatens to actually be interesting for a moment (Judith seduces a warlord who is an enemy of the Jews, then beheads him in his bed in the night).

After that, there is a long scattergun sequence of books that are nothing very much, but at least are short (though all of the books in the Apocrypha are quite short). This is disappointing, and even a book called the Wisdom of Solomon, which should at least have a few good lines, is mostly just unreflective stuff about praising and trusting in God, lacking the nuance of many similar proverbs in, well, Proverbs.

The book ends with its two longest pieces – the two Books of the Maccabees. Like Esdras, these are banal narratives of fighting other desert tribes and trusting in God to help you smite them. It's sub-standard fare, lacking anything memorable. Ultimately, one can see why the Apocrypha is not part of the canonical Bible; there's just not much there for people to chew on, except for one or two of the more dedicated Biblical scholars. I maintain, not just due to its importance and influence but its objective quality, that the King James Bible should be on the reading list of anyone who is serious about literature. But the Apocrypha can be safely ignored.

[John Engelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The King James translation of the Apocrypha consists of fourteen Biblical books. These were written after the last book in the Old Testament (AKA the Jewish Bible) was written, but before the first book in the New Testament was written. These books were originally written in Koine. That was the same dialect in Greek that the New Testament was written in.

At the end of the Old Testament the Persian Empire conquered the Babylonian Empire and made it possible for the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem.

Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire. He was friendly toward the Jews. However, when he died at the age of thirty two his empire was divided between his generals. The general who inherited the Land of Israel tied to eliminate the Jewish religion.

This inspired the Maccabean Revolt, which lasted from 167 to 160 B.C. It ended with a Jewish victory. Two of the books in the Apocrypha are I Maccabees and II Maccabees. These are about the revolt. The other books in the Apocrypha were written at about the seme time as the revolt.

In the Apocrypha we find the growth of a belief that is not found in the Old Testament and is fully developed in the New Testament. This is the belief in post humous rewards for good behavior and post humous punishment for bad behavior.

Parts of the Old Testament argue unconvincingly that good behavior is rewarded with prosperity, and bad behavior is punished by poverty. This doctrine became more unconvincing during the Maccabean Revolt because the Hellenistic ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes punished Jewish piety horribly. Today most observant Jews believe in Heaven and Hell, even though the books of the Apocrypha never entered the Jewish canon.

In the Apocrypha we learn of the fate of the Arc of the Covenant. In the Old Testament the last we learn of the Arc of the covenant is in II Chronicles 35:3 when we read:

“And [King Josiah] said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now the LORD your God, and his people Israel.”

In II Maccabees 2:4-7 we read

“It was also contained in the same writing that the prophet {Jerimiah], being warned of God, commanded of the tabernacle and the ark to go with him, as he went forth into the mountain where Moses climbed up and saw the heritage of God. And when [Jerimiah] came thither he found a hollow cave and laid the tabernacle and the ark and the altar of incense, and so stopped the door…

“As for the place it should be unknown until the time that God gather his people again together and receive them into his mercy.”

Now that the Jews are back in Israel it would seem that it is a good time for them to find the Ark of the Covenant and bring it to Israel where it belongs.

[dejah_thoris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although intended as an aid to the reader, the lack of verse numbers and expected split-page formatting results in LONG paragraphs that can be hard to follow. (Any other dyslexics on the line?) The style also isn't KJV as I learned it, but that's what the title page claims. Read and weed from my father's collection.

It's interesting to see what stories didn't make it into the Bible. Most seem to be excluded to maintain patriarchy. For example, the first book of Esdras includes an anecdote about three brothers naming the most powerful force in life. One says alcohol. The next says the king. Then the last says women and everyone has to agree. The Wisdom of Solomon was probably cut for referring to Wisdom as a feminine entity. Then there's Judith: the glorious story of a young widow seducing and decapitating Holofernes to preserve her people. She even brings the head back to decorate the city wall. Definitely can't be telling young women that story, especially the part about her being nearly worshipped when she returns in triumph. No, all the interesting women had to be eliminated. My apologies for not remembering more about Esther and Susanna.

The other deselected texts may have been chosen to declutter the narrative. The books of Maccabees, for example, describe close collaborations with the Romans, which makes sense considering they were written prior to Jesus' arrival. The Church probably didn't think the common people would understand that Rome's policies regarding foreign cultures, and Judaism in particular, changed over time. It's much easier to just make all of Rome the villain.

Then there's the weird bits and bobs, like Bel and the Dragon, that could've been included without detracting much from the main message. In fact, I wish Bel and the Dragon hadn't been excised because it explains how Daniel landed in the lion's den. I have a feeling the dragon proved too distracting though. I can picture a cleric wailing, "Every time I read that story all they focus on IS the mechanical dragon! How did it work? How did Daniel know to defeat it? Why don't we have a dragon? ARGH!" So everyone agrees to focus on the lions, which are scary enough, and not so much on how Daniel got there. "The king didn't like him, isn't that enough? Do we really need another plot device? Let's just cut to the lions." A serious loss to the Bible though because it is a damn good story. How DID they build it?

[Nicholas Anctil · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the Apocrypha for the first time (including the Eastern Orthodox additions), these are my takeaways.


𝐓𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐭: reads like a Shakespeare comedy featuring Raphael the Archangel. Cool to see the mention of the seven angels before Revelation 11:2 was written.

𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐡: who would win: the entire Assyrian army or one praying widow. Righteous deception and resistance to unbiblical rule. Cool to see the inspiration for the Anabaptist Hille Feicken during the Münster Rebellion.

𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫: this story didn't need to add dragons but I'm glad it did.

𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐧: Walmart Proverbs of Solomon but also randomly has apocalyptic visions.

𝐒𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐡 (𝐄𝐜𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐬): not gonna lie, 23:19 was really convicting.

𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐚𝐡: his intimate laments remind me of St Augustine's Confessions. God’s promise foreshadows a postmillennial kingdom. Love some good idol roasting and mocking of false gods.

Additions to Daniel
𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐬 (𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐡): the first fire mixtape in history.
𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚: cool to see Deuteronomy 19:15-21 in action.
𝐁𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧: Daniel the Detective & Dragonslayer.

𝟏 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐬: Alexander the Great. Abomination of Desolation. Righteous resistance. Maccabean Revolt. Elephant warfare. Pretty Epic. Cool to see how this shaped the Jewish expectation of the Messiah as a warrior-king.

𝟐 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐬: director's cut of 1 Maccabees; less chronology, more action. The Maccabean martyrs could fit nicely into Foxe's Book of Martyrs. Are we today as zealous as the Maccabees?

𝟑 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐬: Proverbs 21:1 in action. Death by drunk elephant stampede is a new one. The supernatural comic reversals were hilarious, like Shakespeare's The Tempest.

𝟒 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐬: graphic descriptions of the Maccabean martyrs. Religious reasoning trumps emotion. Do we fear the Lord enough? Would we be willing to endure the same?

𝟏 𝐄𝐬𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐬: the Three Guardsmen story adds a neat Canterbury Tales spin.

𝟐 𝐄𝐬𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐬: all the apocalyptic visions and war against sin echo Paradise Lost.

𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐡: HERESY DETECTED AT VERSE 8

𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝟏𝟓𝟏: classic David & Goliath.

- Bonus -
𝟏 𝐄𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐡: deep angel cosmology. Gives off a Dante's Divine Comedy kinda vibe. Does Genesis 6:4 describe the Watchers?


Even though these writings are not inspired Scripture, I appreciate reading through it. There's some good stuff in here.

[Louis Lapides · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure how to review a set of writings many feel belong in the genre of scripture. I can agree that the Apocrypha depict alignment with this genre, but I am not convinced of its canonicity in conjunction with the Older and New Testaments.

However, the Apocrypha forms a valuable source of study regarding inter-testamental history especially I and II Maccabees. The books such as Ecclesiasticus and others included much material already found in the biblical book of Proverbs. For comparative studies, this resource can be helpful.

The question remains whether or not the authors of the “sayings of Solomon” were inspired and actually obtained the writings of the King of Israel. It does matter.

The inclusion of additional material for Esther and Daniel appeared to me as contrived. The additions to Esther might have been added to make up for the troublesome observance that Esther does not mention the name of God, while the additional data surely does.

Apocalyptic visions in 1 and 2 Esdras within the context of an historical replication of the material in Ezra and 2 Chronicles was puzzling and seemed out of context. I can see why some Church Fathers were hesitant to include the Apocrypha within the biblical canon.

However, it is important for evangelicals to not ignore these books that are held respectfully by our Catholic and Eastern Orthodox friends. These books do not contain page after page of heretical doctrine.

Yes, there are questionable teachings included in some texts, but let not these alleged aberrations keep one from reading the Apocrypha bad becoming familiar with its various genres and historical contributions.

[Gable Roth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't find the exact edition for the version that I listened to. I tried to add it but it didn't work.

Anyway, I have always wanted to read the apocrypha. I have heard so many things about it throughout my life and there is even a section in the Doctrine and Covenants from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that mentions it. It says:

"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."

As I read through I think I was able to identify some parts that weren't as true as others. Then there were parts that were just amazing and if I had been reading a paper copy I may have pulled out my highlighter to mark it in order to remember it for later. Maybe someday in the future I will read a paper version of it.

Overall, the book does have a very Old Testament feel, which makes sense since that is where the books would fit if they were to be incorporated into canonized scripture. All in all I think there are aspects of it that are inspirational but I am not sure if there is anything that isn't already present in canonized scripture. Not saying that too much scripture is a bad thing... just saying that I think the current scriptures are sufficient to help one along the path to Christ.

[Dennis J. Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The stone which the builders rejected turns out to be the most important piece. He that falls upon the stone shall be broken, but those who the stone shall be ruduced to dust." I Highly recommend this for those who are serious about their faith walk and growth. This tool will certainly help establish those goals.

These books were a part of the original King James Bible in 1611 and they are still in the Catholic Bible today. Early church politics and opinions are the reasons why they were removed. These books are definitely worth studying and are an invaluable resource of wisdom and understanding.

[Jeff Voegtlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to read this collection of ancient works that have some connection to various Bible stories. At various times I wondered whether they were written after the New Testament, perhaps that’s because they were originally written in Greek. It was also interesting to see how some presumably spiritual people wrote about things during those days. So much of some of it was paraphrases of the Bible, and some of it was quite fanciful. I don’t expect to ever read it again, but as someone who studies and preaches and teaches the Bible, I thought it would be useful to have read it at least once.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The bits of the Bible that didn't become part of the Bible as we know it today and as compiled by the Hebrews. I'll be honest and say I would have gotten more out of this had I done more research and spent more time looking at each part/book to find out why it wasn't included in the Bible. I am far from a theological scholar so for me it was just an interesting read.