Apocrypha: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
imported>Godsy alphabetize, section title, and spacing |
imported>OAbot m Open access bot: url-access=subscription updated in citation with #oabot. |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{short description|Works of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin}} | {{short description|Works of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin}} | ||
{{about|the general concept of apocryphal literature|the section found in some Bibles called Apocrypha|Biblical apocrypha|other uses}} | {{about|the general concept of apocryphal literature|the section found in some Bibles called Apocrypha|Biblical apocrypha|other uses}} | ||
[[File:Notes et extraits pour servir à l'histoire des croisades au XVe siècle, pp. 126-127 (Jorga, 1915).jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4|The apocryphal letter of Sultan [[Mehmed II]] to the Pope ({{lang|fr|Notes et extraits pour servir à l'histoire des croisades au XVe siècle}}), published by [[Nicolae Iorga]]. Series 4: 1453–1476, Paris; | [[File:Notes et extraits pour servir à l'histoire des croisades au XVe siècle, pp. 126-127 (Jorga, 1915).jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4|The apocryphal letter of Sultan [[Mehmed II]] to the Pope ({{lang|fr|Notes et extraits pour servir à l'histoire des croisades au XVe siècle}}), published by [[Nicolae Iorga]]. Series 4: 1453–1476, Paris; Bucharest, 1915, pages 126–127]] | ||
'''Apocrypha''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|p|ɒ|k|r|ɪ|f|ə}}) are biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of scripture, some of which might be of doubtful authorship or authenticity.<ref>{{Cite OED|Apocrypha|id=9256}}</ref> In [[Christianity]], the word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings that were to be read privately rather than in the public context of church services. Apocrypha were edifying Christian works that were not always initially included as [[Biblical canon|canonical]] [[scripture]]. | '''Apocrypha''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|p|ɒ|k|r|ɪ|f|ə}}) are biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of scripture, some of which might be of doubtful authorship or authenticity.<ref>{{Cite OED|Apocrypha|id=9256}}</ref> In [[Christianity]], the word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings that were to be read privately rather than in the public context of church services. Apocrypha were edifying Christian works that were not always initially included as [[Biblical canon|canonical]] [[scripture]]. | ||
The adjective "apocryphal", meaning of doubtful authenticity, mythical, fictional, is recorded from the late 16th century,<ref>{{Cite OED|apocryphal|id=9258}}</ref> then taking on the popular meaning of "false," "spurious," "bad," or "heretical." It may be used for any book which might have scriptural claims but which does not appear in the canon accepted by the author. A related term for both canon and non-canonical texts whose authorship seems incorrect is [[pseudepigrapha]], a term that means "[[false attribution]]".<ref name="ISBE">{{Cite encyclopedia |editor-first=Geoffrey William |editor-last = Bromley |title=Apocrypha |encyclopedia=The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia |edition=2 |publisher=W.B. Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, Michigan |date= 2009}}</ref> | The adjective "apocryphal", meaning of doubtful authenticity, mythical, fictional, is recorded from the late 16th century,<ref>{{Cite OED|apocryphal|id=9258}}</ref> then taking on the popular meaning of "false," "spurious," "bad," or "heretical." It may be used for any book which might have scriptural claims but which does not appear in the canon accepted by the author. A related term for both canon and non-canonical texts whose authorship seems incorrect is [[pseudepigrapha]], a term that means "[[false attribution]]".<ref name="ISBE">{{Cite encyclopedia |editor-first=Geoffrey William |editor-last = Bromley |title=Apocrypha |encyclopedia=The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia |edition=2 |publisher=W.B. Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, Michigan |date= 2009}}</ref> | ||
In Christianity, the name "[[biblical apocrypha|the Apocrypha]]" is applied to a particular set of books which, when they appear in a Bible, are sometimes placed between the Old and New | In Christianity, the name "[[biblical apocrypha|the Apocrypha]]" is applied to a particular set of books which, when they appear in a Bible, are sometimes placed between the [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament]]s in a section called "Apocrypha."<ref>{{cite book |last=Ewert |first=David |title=A General Introduction to the Bible: From Ancient Tablets to Modern Translations |date=11 May 2010 |publisher=Zondervan |isbn=9780310872436 |page=104 |quote=English Bibles were patterned after those of the Continental Reformers by having the Apocrypha set off from the rest of the OT. Coverdale (1535) called them "Apocrypha". All English Bibles prior to 1629 contained the Apocrypha. Matthew's Bible (1537), the Great Bible (1539), the Geneva Bible (1560), the Bishop's Bible (1568), and the King James Bible (1611) contained the Apocrypha. Soon after the publication of the KJV, however, the English Bibles began to drop the Apocrypha and eventually they disappeared entirely. The first English Bible to be printed in America (1782–83) lacked the Apocrypha. In 1826 the British and Foreign Bible Society decided to no longer print them. Today the trend is in the opposite direction, and English Bibles with the Apocrypha are becoming more popular again.}}</ref> The canonicity of such books took longer to determine. Various of these books are accepted by the [[Catholic Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Churches]] and the [[Church of the East]], as [[deuterocanon]]ical. Some Protestant traditions reject them outright; others regard the Apocrypha as non-canonical books that are useful for instruction.<ref name="Wells1911">{{cite book |author-last1=Wells |author-first1=Preston B. |title=The Story of the English Bible |date=1911 |publisher=Pentecostal Publishing Company |page=41 |language=English |quote=Fourteen books and parts of books are considered ''Apocryphal'' by Protestants. Three of these are recognized by Roman Catholics also as ''Apocryphal''.}}</ref><ref name="FUP1970"/> | ||
==Etymology== | ==Etymology== | ||
| Line 17: | Line 17: | ||
=== Esoteric and metaphorical usage === | === Esoteric and metaphorical usage === | ||
{{wiktionary|apochryphal}} | {{wiktionary|apochryphal}} | ||
The word ''apocryphal'' ({{lang|grc|ἀπόκρυφος}}) was first applied to writings that were kept secret<ref>{{cite book|title=A Dictionary of the Bible: Volume I (Part I: A -- Cyrus) |author-last=Hastings |author-first=James |publisher=The Minerva Group, Inc. |year=2014 |isbn=9781410217226 |pages=116}}</ref> because they were the vehicles of [[esoteric]] knowledge considered too profound or too sacred to be disclosed to anyone other than the initiated. For example, the [[Apprenticeship|disciples]] of the [[Gnostic]] [[Prodicus]] boasted that they possessed the secret ({{lang|grc|ἀπόκρυφα}}) books of [[Zoroaster]]. The term in general enjoyed high consideration among the [[Gnostics]] (see [[Acts of Thomas]], pp. 10, 27, 44).<ref name="EB1911">{{harvnb| Charles|1911}}</ref> | The word ''apocryphal'' ({{lang|grc|ἀπόκρυφος}}) was first applied to writings that were kept secret<ref>{{cite book|title=A Dictionary of the Bible: Volume I (Part I: A -- Cyrus) |author-last=Hastings |author-first=James |publisher=The Minerva Group, Inc. |year=2014 |isbn=9781410217226 |pages=116}}</ref> because they were the vehicles of [[Western esotericism|esoteric]] knowledge considered too profound or too sacred to be disclosed to anyone other than the initiated. For example, the [[Apprenticeship|disciples]] of the [[Gnostic]] [[Prodicus]] boasted that they possessed the secret ({{lang|grc|ἀπόκρυφα}}) books of [[Zoroaster]]. The term in general enjoyed high consideration among the [[Gnostics]] (see [[Acts of Thomas]], pp. 10, 27, 44).<ref name="EB1911">{{harvnb| Charles|1911}}</ref> | ||
{{anchor|Metaphorical usage}} | {{anchor|Metaphorical usage}} | ||
The adjective ''apocryphal'' is commonly used in modern English to refer to any text or story considered to be of dubious veracity or authority, although it may contain some moral truth. In this broader metaphorical sense, the word suggests a claim that is in the nature of [[folklore]], [[factoid]] or [[urban legend]]. | The adjective ''apocryphal'' is commonly used in modern English to refer to any text or story considered to be of dubious veracity or authority, although it may contain some moral truth. In this broader metaphorical sense, the word suggests a claim that is in the nature of [[folklore]], [[factoid]] or [[urban legend]].{{cn|date=August 2025}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Michalska |first=Aleksandra |date=2025-06-20 |title=Contemporary Apocryphal Stories Based on the Life of Prepodobna Stoyna – a Bulgarian Prophetess, Healer, Non-Canonical Saint |url=https://apcz.umk.pl/LL/article/view/62602 |journal=Literatura Ludowa |volume=69 |issue=1-2 |pages=7–20 |doi=10.12775/LL.1-2.2025.001 |issn=2544-2872|doi-access=free }}</ref> | ||
=== Writings of questionable value ===<!-- This was originally part of the Esoteric writing section, but it does not seem to fit. It seems to be a separate topic--> | === Writings of questionable value ===<!-- This was originally part of the Esoteric writing section, but it does not seem to fit. It seems to be a separate topic--> | ||
| Line 174: | Line 174: | ||
The Jewish apocrypha, known in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] as הספרים החיצונים (''Sefarim Hachizonim:'' "the external books"), are books written in large part by [[Jews]], especially during the [[Second Temple period]], not accepted as sacred manuscripts when the [[Hebrew Bible]] was [[Development of the Hebrew Bible canon|canonized]]. Some of these books are considered sacred by some [[Christians]], and are included in their versions of the [[Old Testament]]. The Jewish apocrypha is distinctive from the [[New Testament apocrypha]] and [[biblical apocrypha]] as it is the only one of these collections that works within a Jewish theological framework.<ref>{{cite web|title=APOCRYPHA - JewishEncyclopedia.com |url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1644-apocrypha |access-date=12 June 2020 |website=www.jewishencyclopedia.com}}</ref> | The Jewish apocrypha, known in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] as הספרים החיצונים (''Sefarim Hachizonim:'' "the external books"), are books written in large part by [[Jews]], especially during the [[Second Temple period]], not accepted as sacred manuscripts when the [[Hebrew Bible]] was [[Development of the Hebrew Bible canon|canonized]]. Some of these books are considered sacred by some [[Christians]], and are included in their versions of the [[Old Testament]]. The Jewish apocrypha is distinctive from the [[New Testament apocrypha]] and [[biblical apocrypha]] as it is the only one of these collections that works within a Jewish theological framework.<ref>{{cite web|title=APOCRYPHA - JewishEncyclopedia.com |url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1644-apocrypha |access-date=12 June 2020 |website=www.jewishencyclopedia.com}}</ref> | ||
Although [[Orthodox Jews]] believe in the exclusive [[canonization]] of the current 24 books in the [[Hebrew Bible]], they also consider the [[Oral Torah]], which they believe was [[Law given to Moses at Sinai|handed down from Moses]], to be authoritative. Some argue that the [[Sadducees]], unlike the [[Pharisees]] but like the [[Samaritans]], seem to have maintained an earlier and smaller number of texts as canonical, preferring to hold to only what was written in the [[Law of Moses]] (the [[Torah]]),<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=40&letter=S&search=Sadducees |title=SADDUCEES |encyclopedia=jewishencyclopedia.com}}</ref> making most of the presently accepted canon, both Jewish and Christian, apocryphal in their eyes.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} Others believe that it is often mistakenly asserted that the [[Sadducees]] only accepted the [[Pentateuch]] (Torah).<ref name="Holman study bible">{{cite book|title=Holman study bible. |date=2013 |publisher=Holman Bible Pub |others=Howard, Jeremy Royal., Blum, Edwin., Stabnow, David K., Holman Bible Staff. |isbn=978-1-4336-0509-3 |edition=NKJV |location=Nashville, TN |oclc=828886896}}</ref> The [[Essene]]s in Judea and the [[Therapeutae]] in [[Egypt]] were said to have a secret literature (see [[Dead Sea | Although [[Orthodox Jews]] believe in the exclusive [[canonization]] of the current 24 books in the [[Hebrew Bible]], they also consider the [[Oral Torah]], which they believe was [[Law given to Moses at Sinai|handed down from Moses]], to be authoritative. Some argue that the [[Sadducees]], unlike the [[Pharisees]] but like the [[Samaritans]], seem to have maintained an earlier and smaller number of texts as canonical, preferring to hold to only what was written in the [[Law of Moses]] (the [[Torah]]),<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=40&letter=S&search=Sadducees |title=SADDUCEES |encyclopedia=jewishencyclopedia.com}}</ref> making most of the presently accepted canon, both Jewish and Christian, apocryphal in their eyes.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} Others believe that it is often mistakenly asserted that the [[Sadducees]] only accepted the [[Pentateuch]] (Torah).<ref name="Holman study bible">{{cite book|title=Holman study bible. |date=2013 |publisher=Holman Bible Pub |others=Howard, Jeremy Royal., Blum, Edwin., Stabnow, David K., Holman Bible Staff. |isbn=978-1-4336-0509-3 |edition=NKJV |location=Nashville, TN |oclc=828886896}}</ref> The [[Essene]]s in Judea and the [[Therapeutae]] in [[Egypt]] were said to have a secret literature (see [[Dead Sea Scrolls]]).<ref name="dead sea scrolls">{{cite journal |last1=Moss |first1=G A |title=Historical perspectives on health: The Essene’s sister sect in Egypt: another medical site? |journal=Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health |date=December 2002 |volume=122 |issue=4 |pages=256–265 |doi=10.1177/146642400212200414 |pmid=12557736 |access-date=8 February 2026|url=https://doi.org/10.1177/146642400212200414|url-access=subscription }}</ref> | ||
Other traditions maintained different customs regarding canonicity.<ref>[http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/sbrandt/canon.htm The Old Testament Canon] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206105955/http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/sbrandt/canon.htm |date=December 6, 2007 }}</ref> The [[Beta Israel|Ethiopian Jews]], for instance, seem to have retained a spread of canonical texts similar to the [[Ethiopian Orthodoxy|Ethiopian Orthodox Christians]].<ref>[http://gbgm-umc.org/UMW/BIBLE/ethold.stm Ethiopian Orthodox Old Testament] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071231095249/http://gbgm-umc.org/UMW/BIBLE/ethold.stm |date=December 31, 2007 }}</ref><ref>''Encyclopaedia Judaica'', Vol 6, p 1147.</ref> | Other traditions maintained different customs regarding canonicity.<ref>[http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/sbrandt/canon.htm The Old Testament Canon] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206105955/http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/sbrandt/canon.htm |date=December 6, 2007 }}</ref> The [[Beta Israel|Ethiopian Jews]], for instance, seem to have retained a spread of canonical texts similar to the [[Ethiopian Orthodoxy|Ethiopian Orthodox Christians]].<ref>[http://gbgm-umc.org/UMW/BIBLE/ethold.stm Ethiopian Orthodox Old Testament] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071231095249/http://gbgm-umc.org/UMW/BIBLE/ethold.stm |date=December 31, 2007 }}</ref><ref>''Encyclopaedia Judaica'', Vol 6, p 1147.</ref> | ||