"What are the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical books?"
Answer:
Roman Catholic Bibles have several more books in the Old Testament than
Protestant Bibles. These books are referred to as the Apocrypha or
Deuterocanonical books. The word apocrypha means “hidden,” while the
word deuterocanonical means “second canon.” The Apocrypha /
Deuterocanonicals were written primarily in the time between the Old and
New Testaments, as well as additions to the books of Esther and Daniel.
The books are named: 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, the Letter of Jeremiah, Prayer of Manasseh, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees.
The nation of Israel treated the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical books with
respect, but never accepted them as true books of the Hebrew Bible. The
early Christian church debated the status of the Apocrypha /
Deuterocanonicals, but few early Christians believed they belonged in
the canon of Scripture. The New Testament quotes from the Old Testament
hundreds of times, but nowhere quotes or alludes to any of the
Apocryphal / Deuterocanonical books. Further, there are many proven
errors and contradictions in the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonicals. Here are
a few websites that demonstrate these errors:
http://www.justforcatholics.org/a109.htm
http://www.biblequery.org/Bible/BibleCanon/WhatAboutTheApocrypha.htm
http://www.johnankerberg.org/ankerberg-articles/apocrypha.html
The Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical books teach many things that are not
true and are not historically accurate. While many Catholics accepted
the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonicals previously, the Roman Catholic Church
officially added the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonicals to their Bible at the
Council of Trent in the mid 1500’s A.D., primarily in response to the
Protestant Reformation. The Apocrypha / Deuterocanonicals support some
of the things that the Roman Catholic Church believes and practices
which are not in agreement with the Bible. Examples are praying for the
dead, petitioning “saints” in Heaven for their prayers, worshipping
angels, and “alms giving” atoning for sins. Some of what the Apocrypha /
Deuterocanonicals say is true and correct. However, due to the
historical and theological errors, the books must be viewed as fallible
historical and religious documents, not as the inspired, authoritative
Word of God.
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