Why Reject The Apocrypha?
The meaning of the word "apocrypha" itself is "hidden, concealed, or secret." It comes from the Greek word apokruphos. The word as we commonly use it today, means the rejected or non-canonical books. Jerome was the first to apply it to all books not found in the Jewish canon.
Most of the time there are listed fourteen apochyphal books. These are: Historical and Narrative; I Esdras, I Maccabees, and II Maccabees. Didactic or the books of teaching; The Wisdom of Solomon, and Ecclesiasticus (also known as the Wisdom of Ben-Syraic). The religious romances; Tobit and Judith. The so-called Prophetic books; II Esdras and Baruch with the Epistle of Jeremiah. Finally, the legendary additions; The Edition of Esther, The Song of the Three Holy Children, The Story of Suzanna, Bel and the Dragon, and The Prayer of the King Mannesses.
There are some other smaller, less important additions to our inspired books, but they shall not be mentioned. Since so many of our religious friends and others inquire as to why we do not accept these books as inspired and consequently do not teach them as many religious bodies do, I shall turn to a consideration of the many various reasons for rejecting all of these "outside books."
The New Testament very frequently quotes, and much more frequently contains references to the Old Testament. The Pentateuch, the Prophetic books, the Psalms and other parts of the Old Testament are quoted and alluded to so many times in the New Testament. But in all these quotations and allusions, we look in vain for a reference to the apocryphal books. Though there are many places where incidents found in the apocryphal writings might have given good illustrations, no such illustrations from them are found anywhere in the New Testament. Is not this strange indeed if these apocryphal writings were inspired?
It seems very clear that if the writers of the New Testament were acquainted with them and sanctioned them, they would have quoted from them at least once. They did sanction the whole Hebrew canon as it existed in their time but they sanctioned none of the apocryphal books, for they never quote from them, and these books never formed a part of the Hebrew canon.
Josephus, the famous Jewish historian, gives an account of all the books held sacred by the Hebrews and he clearly recognizes the existence of the apocryphal books but expressly excludes them from the sacred canon. (Consult Origin and History of the Books of the Bible, by C. E. Stowe, pp.585, 566.) He says moreover, that all the Jews kept their canon free from addition and free from any kind of change whatsoever. No. it is certain, the Jews during and before the time of Christ did not accept the apocryphal books as inspired.
In answer to the question presented in our title, there are many and varied reasons for rejecting the apocrypha, but I shall give only the ones which are strongest and merit the best attention:
First of all, these books never had the approval nor sanction of Christ or His apostles, or of any other writer of the New Testament. They never thought of them as from God.
They formed no part of the original Hebrew canon, and were, for the most part, not written until after the Old Testament inspiration had ceased and the Hebrew canon was closed.
They were rejected by a majority of the early churches and by the best of the so-called "church fathers." It was quite a while before anyone began to accept them as inspired.
The books themselves, when examined individually, can be proven to be unworthy of a place in the inspired canonical scriptures. These false books contain many chronological, historical and geographical errors in them. This alone, if proven, is enough for us to reject them, for the true Word of God would contain no errors of this sort. These books also, in many places, teach doctrines which are in direct conflict to the teaching of the Bible.
One of the most powerful arguments against the apocrypha is that they were never quoted in the New Testament as we have formerly stated. They were in existence at this time. If Christ and the apostles did regard these as inspired books, it is certainly strange that they never even mentioned them!
Josephus claims they are excluded from the Hebrew canon. Philo, and Alexandrian philosophers, quoted from the Old Testament frequently but never from these books and never does he even mention them. Jerome rejected the canonicity of the apocrypha. Roman Catholics today look up to Jerome as one of their "church fathers," yet Jerome himself rejected the apocrypha as uninspired. Jerome knew these apocryphal books were not from God.
Another very important reason for rejecting these false books is the fact that the authors themselves do not always claim divine inspiration. In fact, some disclaim it. These books do not have authors appointed by God.
These apocryphal books contain many absurdities which is most certainly not characteristic of the true Word of God. The Bible is neither unreasonable nor absurd, but many of these apocryphal books are.
Finally, these apocryphal books are self-contradictory. They are self-condemned. They are not the Word of God. May we ever obey the principle set forth in Revelation 22:18,19, and thus keep the Word of God pure and undefiled.
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