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The Apocryphal Books
The Apocryphal books
LaGard Smith has a good overview of these books in the Daily Bible. There is not a lot of discussion anymore about whether they should be considered as part of the Old Testament books. Without a lot of details here are a few observations.
1. Even if they were considered part of the Old Testament, they would be part of the OLD that gave way to the NEW.
2. They were not considered part of the accepted books by the Jewish people although they were recognized to have varying levels of usefulness as moral lessons.
3. Jesus alluded to the whole of the Jewish OT in Matt. 23:35 when he spoke of events from Abel to the death of Zechariah the son of Barachiah. In the arrangements of the OT in Jesus day, this was the first book and the last book. It would be like us saying "Matthew to Revelation".
4. Jesus and the NT writers quoted profusely from the Old Testament (over 1000 such have been noted), quoting from or alluding to 35 out of the 39 books, yet not once did they refer to these books.
5. Early Christian writers (Origen and Tertullian) who also quoted profusely from the Old Testament, did not recognize these books as part of the accepted books.
6. It wasn't until the Catholic Council of Trent (1546) that the Catholic church officially affirmed their belief that they should be accepted. Hugh DeLong
