The In-Dept Study of the Bible
The Deuterocanonical Books
Deuterocanonical books are a group of texts included in the Old Testament canon by Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox Christians, but are considered non-canonical and referred to as the Apocrypha by most Protestants and by modern Rabbinic Judaism. The word means "second canon," referring to the fact that their canonicity was decided later in church history than the books of the primary (or protocanonical) canon.
Key facts
-
Background: The deuterocanonical books were part of the Septuagint, the earliest Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures used by early Christians.
-
Original language: Although the earliest complete surviving manuscripts are in Greek, the texts were originally composed in a mix of languages, including Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek. Hebrew and Aramaic versions of some books, like Sirach and Tobit, have been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
-
Roman Catholic acceptance: The Catholic Church officially affirmed the deuterocanonical books as canonical at the Council of Trent in 1546. The list of books corresponds to those included in the Latin Vulgate Bible, which was the official biblical text for Catholics for centuries.
-
Eastern Orthodox acceptance: The Eastern Orthodox Church also accepts the deuterocanonical books as canonical, and their tradition includes a wider selection of books than the Catholic Church.
-
Protestant position: During the Reformation in the 16th century, Martin Luther moved these books into a separate intertestamental section called the Apocrypha, arguing that they were not equal to Holy Scripture. Many Protestant Bibles eventually omitted them completely, though some denominations, like Anglicans, still consider them useful for moral instruction.
-
Modern Rabbinic Judaism: Modern Judaism does not accept these books as canonical. The Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh) contains a more limited set of books.
Common differences in terminology
-
Catholic and Orthodox: The term deuterocanonical refers to books whose canonicity was debated for a time before being officially affirmed.
-
Protestant: The term apocrypha is often used for these books, implying they are not considered authentic or canonical Scripture. Some modern academic publishers use the more neutral term deuterocanonical to avoid the pejorative connotation of "apocrypha".
