ABOUT THE APOCRYPHA

The Apocrypha refers to a collection of ancient Jewish writings, mostly from 200 BC to 100 AD, considered "hidden" or of uncertain origin and not part of the core Hebrew Bible canon. These books, including Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch, and 1-2 Maccabees (plus additions to Esther and Daniel), fill the intertestamental gap between the Old and New Testaments.

Catholic Bibles
Catholic Bibles include these books (called deuterocanonical) in the Old Testament, affirmed by councils like Trent in 1546 as inspired Scripture. Early church fathers like Augustine supported their inclusion.

Protestant Bibles
Most modern Protestant Bibles exclude the Apocrypha entirely or place it in a separate section as non-canonical, following Martin Luther's model and Jewish rejection of these Greek-origin texts. Reasons include their absence from the Hebrew canon and lack of New Testament quotes.

Orthodox Bibles
Eastern Orthodox Bibles include the Catholic deuterocanonical books plus extras like Prayer of Manasseh and 3 Maccabees. Anglican traditions sometimes print them for historical value but not as authoritative.