The books of the Apocrypha include:
flyingroc says I recall correctly, the Septuagint, a translation of the old testament to Greek that dates before the advent of christianity included some of the deuterocanonicals, thus at least may show some jews accepted some of the "apocrypha" as canon.
These books came about during the Second Temple Period. They are known as Apocrypha or 'Hidden books' in Greek. Jewish tradition knows them as Sefarim Chitzonim - 'external books'. i.e they known to be external to the Jewish Canon.
They are written by Jews in Aramaic, Hebrew or Greek and were not admitted into the canonical Jewish 'Bible' because the canon was closed, or they weren't credentially divinely inspirational enough.
They contain the genre of Wisdom literature, consisting of moralistic maxims, history (in Apocrypha I and Maccabees II (the Maccabean Rebellion, written in Egypt, but it is more propagandist and emotive) both were written before 100 BCE, the former written in Palestine.
Other contents include, short stories about Tobit and Judith dating from the Greek or even the Persian Period. Even less well known, is the collection of books known as the Pseudepigrapha. This has Christian editing, but, this is not in the Christian Canon.
In The Testaments of The Twelve Patriarchs (dating from 150 BCE - 50 CE) is an early example of the genre of Ethical Wills. The Christian Messiah in Enoch is widely written about. In Enoch, the Messiah's apocalyptic visions (having already ascended into heaven according to Genesis 5:24), are written about. Enoch I is preserved mainly in Ethiopic.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are among the Apocrypha found in 1947, in the Qumran Caves northwest of the Dead Sea. It is generally agreed that they are remnants of a monastic sect of the Essenes (around from 130 BCE - 73 CE. Among them are Isiah scrolls and fragments of other Biblical, apocryphal and pseudepigraphic books some previously unknown.
They also contain some writings of the community itself. There is a commentary on the Habakkuk which finds in that prophetic book cryptic hints by which contemporary events may be interpreted, and future events predicted. Funnily enough, there is a collection of Thanks Giving Psalms, which stress the ultimate destruction of the ungodly. The Manual of Discipline states the ideals of the community and little punishments for any deviants. In The Scroll of the Children of Light against the Children of Darkness, deriving from Daniel (11:40ff.) The tactics of the forty year war by which, in the eschatological age, the forces of evil will be finally defeated. The scrolls in this paragraph were all found by Solomon Schechter in the store room (genizah) in an ancient Cairo synaggogue. They are also closely related to each other in terms of age and make. Also they are collectively known as the Book of the Covenant of Damascus.
In the writings of the author Philo, whe wrote in Greek from Alexandria, in first century CE - he wrote philosophy, and allegorical interpretations of the Pentateuch. He wrote an attempted synthesis of Hellenism and Judaism which did not appeal to the public at that time, and they chose to ignore him. However, he did exert a strong influence on Christianity.
Another interesting author was Flavius Josephus, who was a Palestinian Jew who was commander of the Sea of Galilee, and played a prominent position in the war against the Romans but defected, and spent the rest of his life in Rome. Josephus wrote an autobiography and a passionate defense of Judaism, against its detractors namely an anti-semitic Orator in Alexandria, named Apion: Against Apion.
The New Testament (and the Old Testament)is written by Jewish people, and has roots in this literature, especially in apocalyptic materials such as the Apocrypha and the Pseudepigpha, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the writings of Philo. Also the srcolls of Psalms and Deuteronomy were found which made their way into canonical writings because due to their credentially divinely inspired material. (Thankyou Augustine!)
D. J. Goldberg & J. R. Rayner, The Jewish People: Their History and Religion
A*poc"ry*pha (#), n. pl., but often used as sing. with pl. Apocryphas (#). [L. apocryphus apocryphal, Gr. hidden, spurious, fr. to hide; from + to hide.]
1.
Something, as a writing, that is of doubtful authorship or authority; -- formerly used also adjectively.
Locke.
2.
Specif.: Certain writings which are received by some Christians as an authentic part of the Holy Scriptures, but are rejected by others.
⇒ Fourteen such writings, or books, formed part of the Septuagint, but not of the Hebrew canon recognized by the Jews of Palestine. The Council of Trent included all but three of these in the canon of inspired books having equal authority. The German and English Reformers grouped them in their Bibles under the title Apocrypha, as not having dogmatic authority, but being profitable for instruction. The Apocrypha is now commonly omitted from the King James's Bible.
© Webster 1913.
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