Anyone reading the Apocrypha for information/history's sake?

[AnOldLady]

I found myself curious about the apocryphal literature and wondered if anyone else has read or is reading it, and whether anyone would want to post comments. My interest was peaked a few months ago after picking up a really old book at a local booksale purportedly written by Josephus about "the last days of the Jews." I admit I have little information, so bear with me if I'm way off wrong, but it seemed this might have been his chronicling of the events of roughly 70 AD. Realizing we may have sources of history, whether inspired sufficiently to be included in the canon of Scripture or not, I decided to look at what was once associated with Scriptures. Remembering that these books were in the 1611 KJV, I thought it might be OK to ask the question here.

What have you read and what are your thoughts? What can you offer from your experience that adds to the understanding of any of the readers of the thread? Thanks in advance.

 

[RodB651]

What have you read and what are your thoughts?

Over the last three years, I have participated in bible studies that have referenced Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Jubilees, and a few others.

They make for good reference especially if you're doing any end times study. You have to be careful about mentioning these sources though. People will get their undies in a wad quickly!

 

[Magenta]

According to historical accounts, the the apocryphal books were not accepted as inspired.
The Apocryphal and Pseudepigraphical writings were preserved in the Catholic Bible but
not canonized in the Hebrew Bible due to a number of reasons, starting with their questionable authorship
or authenticity. They were all written during a time (400 years) between the two testaments when it was
acknowledged there were no prophets, and no direct revelation from God. The New Testament Jews never
included them in any Jewish collection of Scriptures, so contrary to people believing that books have been
removed from the Bible, the opposite is actually true: books have been added. During New Testament times,
without argument or qualification, a commonly understood body of books was in existence which the Jews
recognized to be the sacred and authorized Scriptures. What is known as the Apocrypha was not among them.

The Apocrypha contains a great variety of errors – historical, geographical, chronological, and moral,
and promotes doctrines which contradict the Bible. Without these apocryphal books, the Roman Catholic
Church would have absolutely NO support for their doctrines of purgatory, praying for the dead, and offering
sacrifices for the dead (indulgences was a significant reason for the reformation). The inclusion of the
Apocrypha in the original printing of the King James Bible was strictly for historical reasons.

 

[GWH]

I found myself curious about the apocryphal literature and wondered if anyone else has read or is reading it, and whether anyone would want to post comments. My interest was peaked a few months ago after picking up a really old book at a local booksale purportedly written by Josephus about "the last days of the Jews." I admit I have little information, so bear with me if I'm way off wrong, but it seemed this might have been his chronicling of the events of roughly 70 AD. Realizing we may have sources of history, whether inspired sufficiently to be included in the canon of Scripture or not, I decided to look at what was once associated with Scriptures. Remembering that these books were in the 1611 KJV, I thought it might be OK to ask the question here.

What have you read and what are your thoughts? What can you offer from your experience that adds to the understanding of any of the readers of the thread? Thanks in advance.

Yes, I read them during my seminary days and found them quite uninspired.
I cannot think of anything that would edify or enlighten folks on CC--
of course, my memory is like that cited in 2Peter 1:12-15!
Thus, I would be interested in what someone else thinks worthwhile to know/remember in them.

 

[Tall_Timbers]

I like the book of Sirach (sp?). I've read all of the apocrypha but it's been a long time...

 

[homwardbound]

I found myself curious about the apocryphal literature and wondered if anyone else has read or is reading it, and whether anyone would want to post comments. My interest was peaked a few months ago after picking up a really old book at a local booksale purportedly written by Josephus about "the last days of the Jews." I admit I have little information, so bear with me if I'm way off wrong, but it seemed this might have been his chronicling of the events of roughly 70 AD. Realizing we may have sources of history, whether inspired sufficiently to be included in the canon of Scripture or not, I decided to look at what was once associated with Scriptures. Remembering that these books were in the 1611 KJV, I thought it might be OK to ask the question here.

What have you read and what are your thoughts? What can you offer from your experience that adds to the understanding of any of the readers of the thread? Thanks in advance.

All, I can say in the council of Trent, 1612 many writings were deemed as not written by God through those writers
Then, that does not mean no one can read them, And that does not mean God did not write through them. God writes in his children's hearts God face them in risen Son today, and did that prior to Son also Ezekiel 36:26 now by Son has (Past Tense) taken all sine (errors out of the way Psalm 103:12 sir, so we can enter Father's throne of grace confidently today.
However, no matter, God Father in Spirit and Truth does the real teachings as whom Jesus listened to and did not ever sin. Not against Father anyways. Against the Pharisees and religious leaders he was said he did. EX; Accused of doing work on the Sabbath day. As he healed a man on that day in front of them as they're doing thier ritual worshipping in that Tabernacle not made by God. By them in their own understandings, yet claimed they were the oracle's of God. Then prompted people to follow them and say it is God leading them, NOT!!!!!!!!!!! Jesus exposed them did not fight them exposed
According to Jesus, as he well said truth to them about them and of them, And never confronyted them to tell them or cause an argument, he waited for them to challenge him, as he only spoke back truth to them, Which they hated'
Ex: you (Pharisees) strain out gnats and swallow a camel. You nullify God dierect commandment accepting tithes from others that need that money to take care of their age old parents. You defy that commandment. stating if you give it to us this tabernacle, you are free from honoring your parents.
You seek out people to join this place and then you make them twice the Son of Hell as you are already, being. selfish for money and to be honored by people as if you are better than others.

God is there only true teacher. Jesus was not even a levite, so not a Pharisee you see Hebrews 7:11-12 he went to that death once willingly nd reconciled everyone to himself, even those that got him killed wanting the stand, to be leaders. Nothing has changed in the first born flesh people has it?

Wherever you go, whatever you do, God will be there with you to teach you, to learn what is good for you and yeah tis not good for you, I am talking about your Soul, not flesh. All fles=h first birth is dead to God Romans 8


I trust for God to teach you truth over all the many errors her win this world still, thanks

 

[Levib]

My thoughts on reading any religious material-

First, it takes a great deal of knowledge to properly discern material as being biblical/truthful. That discernment comes with knowing God. Time, experience, prayer and reading what has long been agreed upon as Gods word.

Second, discernment alone cannot protect our minds from being poisoned. You can only discern it to be good or bad after you’ve put it into your mind. Being able to discern if a food was poisoned only after eating it would be of little value. There are very poisonous things which we are better off not learning about.

Personally I’ve always struggled with simple daily reading of the bible. Therefore I should continue the bible before moving on to something less spiritually fulfilling.

 

[Karlon]

no!

 

[homwardbound]

My thoughts on reading any religious material-

First, it takes a great deal of knowledge to properly discern material as being biblical/truthful. That discernment comes with knowing God. Time, experience, prayer and reading what has long been agreed upon as Gods word.

Second, discernment alone cannot protect our minds from being poisoned. You can only discern it to be good or bad after you’ve put it into your mind. Being able to discern if a food was poisoned only after eating it would be of little value. There are very poisonous things which we are better off not learning about.

Personally I’ve always struggled with simple daily reading of the bible. Therefore I should continue the bible before moving on to something less spiritually fulfilling.

It seems you are in process too Matthew 10:16-20

 

[rrcn]

The works of Josephus are not related to the apocrypha, but is a historical account of activities which he witnessed. It is not in anyway equivalent to the Bible but can serve to support the historical context of the times for students of the Bible. I believe your book is part of his work, The Jewish Conflict, a seven book series.
Remember that he was working for the Romans and the winner of the conflict always writes history.

 

[AnOldLady]

The works of Josephus are not related to the apocrypha, but is a historical account of activities which he witnessed. It is not in anyway equivalent to the Bible but can serve to support the historical context of the times for students of the Bible. I believe your book is part of his work, The Jewish Conflict, a seven book series.
Remember that he was working for the Romans and the winner of the conflict always writes history.

Good point, and thank you, RRCN. I knew Josephus was an "outside" historian, but I wasn't aware the Josephus book was part of a larger series. As I read it, it it felt like a view from the outside,.

Historic writing is always interesting to me in that it provides a view from eyes that we never met, even though it is admittedly difficult to ascertain where that particular view fits in with the larger picture we call "history." One can still find lots of life lessons in that area, because we can see over time what works and what doesn't in line with the life that we know we are called to live.

As to the canonical Scriptures, I've seen for myself how putting the history together with the instructions significantly helped my understanding of the Old Testament to make sense in daily life and to show more fully what Jesus was teaching.

 

[GWH]

Good point, and thank you, RRCN. I knew Josephus was an "outside" historian, but I wasn't aware the Josephus book was part of a larger series. As I read it, it it felt like a view from the outside,.

Historic writing is always interesting to me in that it provides a view from eyes that we never met, even though it is admittedly difficult to ascertain where that particular view fits in with the larger picture we call "history." One can still find lots of life lessons in that area, because we can see over time what works and what doesn't in line with the life that we know we are called to live.

As to the canonical Scriptures, I've seen for myself how putting the history together with the instructions significantly helped my understanding of the Old Testament to make sense in daily life and to show more fully what Jesus was teaching.

If you are interested in history, you might appreciate the History of Beliefs thread.

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

I found myself curious about the apocryphal literature and wondered if anyone else has read or is reading it, and whether anyone would want to post comments. My interest was peaked a few months ago after picking up a really old book at a local booksale purportedly written by Josephus about "the last days of the Jews." I admit I have little information, so bear with me if I'm way off wrong, but it seemed this might have been his chronicling of the events of roughly 70 AD. Realizing we may have sources of history, whether inspired sufficiently to be included in the canon of Scripture or not, I decided to look at what was once associated with Scriptures. Remembering that these books were in the 1611 KJV, I thought it might be OK to ask the question here.

What have you read and what are your thoughts? What can you offer from your experience that adds to the understanding of any of the readers of the thread? Thanks in advance.

This is Pastor Jason Georges on the topic. I hope this answers your questions on the Apocrypha.

 

[AnOldLady]

If you are interested in history, you might appreciate the History of Beliefs thread.

Thank you for the suggestion, GWH. I appreciate that you put a lot of work into it! I read into the second page, but I'll be back for more of the story. Nicely done!

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

.Josephus was just a Jewish historian. His writings were not inspired of God either. They are famous historical records and worthy of reading if they do not distract from time with the Lord.

 

[kinda]

Remembering that these books were in the 1611 KJV, I thought it might be OK to ask the question here.

What have you read and what are your thoughts? What can you offer from your experience that adds to the understanding of any of the readers of the thread? Thanks in advance.

I was just gonna post this, so thanks.


"The King James Bible originally contained 80 books, but later versions removed 14 books, often referred to as the Apocrypha"

Big question here, why were they taken out, and by who?

"Why the books were removed"

• "Theological differences: Many Protestants view the books of the Apocrypha as not being divinely inspired Scripture, though they may be considered historically or spiritually useful. Protestant reformers in the 16th century generally excluded them, and this view grew in subsequent centuries."
• "Economic factors: The British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS), a major publisher, decided in 1826 to stop funding Bibles that included the Apocrypha. This was partly to lower printing costs, as removing the books made the Bibles cheaper to produce and more affordable for mass distribution."
• "Shift in Protestant canon: The Bible societies' decision helped standardize a 66-book canon for Protestants, making the 1611 KJV's inclusion of the Apocrypha an exception rather than the rule. This shift cemented the 66-book version as the norm for most Protestants. "

-Google A.I.

 

[kinda]

"The Apocrypha was not removed from the King James Version (KJV) by a single individual or group.

Its removal was a gradual process driven by Protestant reformers who, beginning with Martin Luther, questioned the books' authority,

and by groups like the British and Foreign Bible Society, which stopped printing Bibles with the Apocrypha starting in 1804.

The Apocrypha was initially included in the 1611 KJV but was placed in a separate section between the Old and New Testaments.

• Protestant Reformation: Reformers like Martin Luther argued for "sola scriptura" (scripture alone), which emphasized the Hebrew Bible as the ultimate authority. Though Luther included the Apocrypha in his own Bible, he placed it in a separate section and noted they were not considered equal to Scripture.

Martin Luther considered the Apocrypha to be good and useful for reading but not equal to the canonical books of Holy Scripture. He placed them in a separate section between the Old and New Testaments in his German Bible translation, viewing them as secondary and not divinely inspired or authoritative for defining doctrine. His opinion was influenced by the fact that these books were not in the original Hebrew Old Testament and that some Catholic teachings were based on them."

Google