In this lesson, we continue our series on the Canon of Scripture by examining the Apocrypha—a collection of books written during the "400 years of silence" between the Old and New Testaments. While these books are included in Catholic Bibles and were found in the Greek Septuagint, we explore the historical and doctrinal reasons why they are not considered inspired Word of God.
Key points covered in this video:
- What is the Apocrypha?: We define the term (meaning "hidden" or "secret") and discuss its status as "Deuterocanonical" (a second canon) in certain traditions.
- Historical Inaccuracies: We highlight clear errors in books like Tobit and Judith, where timelines and historical figures (like Nebuchadnezzar and Jonah) do not align with verified history or the inspired scriptures.
- Doctrinal Errors: We look at how books like 2 Maccabees introduce concepts like "praying for the dead" and atonement for the deceased—ideas that contradict the rest of the biblical pattern.
- Fictional Additions: We examine the additions to Esther and Daniel (such as "Bel and the Dragon"), which often feel more like legendary tales or attempts to "correct" perceived gaps in the original inspired texts.
- Jewish & Early Church Perspectives: We clarify that while these books were often considered "useful" for reading, they were never accepted as inspired by the Jews of the first century or the mainstream early church.
By looking at the internal evidence of these books, we can see why they were "left out" of our Bibles—not by accident, but because they lack the hallmarks of divine inspiration.
Join us as we strengthen our confidence in the 66 books that make up the true Canon of Scripture.