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Bible Apocrypha

NRSV Bible with the Apocrypha List Price: $17.99

The New Revised Standard Version is the "standard" translation used by mainline Protestant churches, Orthodox churches, and by many Catholics. The NRSV debuted in 1989 and is owned by the National Council of Churches, which is the leading force for ecumenical cooperation among Christians in the United States representing thirty–five denominations with forty–five million members in more than 100,000 churches across the country...

why do catholics include the apocrypha as part of their bible?

I am studying the old testament and i want to know why catholics include the apocrypha as part of their bible?

The name apocrypha is applied by Catholics to writings of a religious character, outside the scriptural Canon which, though not inspired, made some pretensions to divine authority or were sometimes considered sacred. Examples of some of these books include the Ethioptic Henoch, Assumption of Moses, and the Apocalypse of Abraham. In the early history of the Church, about forty books were condemned as apocryphal.

To prevent possible misunderstanding it must be remembered that there is a different use of the word in Protestant circles.

During the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther and those who ultimately followed his example, removed seven books from the Old Testament, following the Torah as it had been edited by the rabbis at the Council of Jamnia (100A.D.).

Protestants then applied the term apocrypha to those books that were removed (now called deuterocanonical by Catholics, as Catholics still hold them to be inspired and canonical). Unfortunately, Protestants often include The Prayer of Manassas, 3 and 4 Esdras, and Bell and the Dragon, which only increases confusion.

The Prayer of Manassas, and 3 and 4 Esdras were never considered a part of the Canon of Holy Scriptures, but were included for a time in some versions of the Latin Vulgate because it was still considered fit for reading, and naturally included a clear introduction that they were not a part of the Canon. Some translators chose to keep these books because of their beauty in style. There is probably no Catholic Bible that has included these books for at least 200 years.

The Catholic Church follows the Greek Septuagint, the work of approximately 70 Jewish authors, who translated the Hebrew texts into Greek, as Greek was more commonly used by the Jews than Hebrew at the time. This translation was done about 300B.C.

There is no Jewish document of pre-Christian dating which gives us a complete list or catalogue of the inspired books of the Old Testament. Yet, there is much evidence that authentic collections of the sacred books were in existence.

There were besides the Palestinian Jews, another community of Greek-speaking Jews, principally located in Alexandria. For their own benefit, the Greek translation of the (Old Testament) Scriptures was made. Although it has been long assumed that there were great differences of opinion between Alexandria and Jerusalem regarding different theories of inspiration, the Alexandrian (Hellenistic) Jews looked to Jerusalem for their Scriptures, translations, and religious guidance. Doubts or questions from Alexandria were sent to Jerusalem for resolution. The Alexandrian Jews used the deuterocanonical books because they had received them from Palestine. As these books were sent from Palestine, they no doubt had some measure of canonicity there. Acceptance of these deuterocanonical books in Palestine at this time would not have been a problem, as the rigid concept used approximately 400 years later at the Council of Jamnia was not considered necessary.

The Old Testament was not considered officially defined by the Jews until the threat of "Christian heresy". Its wide diffusion of Christian writings led the Jews of Palestine to convene the Council of Jamnia. Their criterion was that the book had to conform to the Pentateuch, could not have been written after the time of Esdra (400B.C.), and it had to be written in Hebrew and in Palestine.

The inspiration of the deuterocanonical books was eventually recognized throughout the Catholic Church after some initial concern, and consequently became officially accepted at various Church councils (Carthage, Trent, etc.).

At the time of Our Lord and the Apostles, the Septuagint version was used by all the Jews of the dispersion, and the sacred writers of the New Testament made diligent use of a Greek version which contained the deuterocanonical books and passages. Had these not been considered inspired, surely the Apostles and disciples would have warned the early Christian readers and determined exactly the authentic catalogue of sacred books.

The only passage in the New Testament which may contain a possible allusion to an apocryphal book is Jude 14f. Hence, nowhere in the New Testament is there an explicit citation, in which an apocryphal book is assumed as canonical.

	Mysteries of the Bible: The Greatest Stories (A&E Collector's Choice) List Price: $14.95 Sale Price: $2.19 Used From: $0.85
	This set includes four episodes of Mysteries of the Bible: The Bible's Greatest Secrets The Bible is the equivalent of a treasure map in this archeological edition of A&E's Mysteries of the Bible series...

	The Book of Revelation (WatchWORD Bible) Sale Price: $14.95 Used From: $14.91
	AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTION. The greatest prophetic message of all time, The Book of Revelation foretells the world's end and God's victory over evil when Jesus Christ returns from heaven. John's message is more relevant than ever...

The History Channel : The Story of the Twelve Apostles , the Story of Paul the Apostle : Christianity Box Set - 170 Minutes Plus Extra's Sale Price: $25.01

The Story of the Twelve Apostles This documentary from the History Channel does a fine job examining the lives of the 12 disciples chosen by Christ to carry his teachings to the world. Beginning by providing an historical overview of life in Jerusalem under Roman rule, it goes on to cogently explain the circumstances by which Jesus, having become recognized as a teacher, was able to recruit his apostles...

	The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version, College Edition List Price: $32.99 Sale Price: $26.39 Used From: $20.00
	The premier study Bible used by scholars, pastors, undergraduate and graduate students, The New Oxford Annotated Bible offers a vast range of information, including extensive notes by experts in their fields; in-text maps, charts, and diagrams; supplementary essays on translation, biblical interpretation, cultural and historical background, and other general topics...

Inside the Bible $17.95 This book is a popular introduction to each of the 73 books of the Bible designed to help the reader grow in the knowledge and love of God's Word. The introduction to each book includes the time frame and author, the theme, a summary of the contents and some comments about the context in which it was written, the theology of the book, an outline, and a prayer taken from the book. Fr. Baker provides quick access to essential information the daily or occasional reader of sacred scripture should find helpful. The book may also be of help to more advanced students who wish to refresh their memory of a particular book of the Bible. By carefully reading Inside the Bible one can have a thumbnail summary of each book of the Bible at his fingertips. "Many Catholics revere the Bible without reading it. They find themselves paralyzed, not knowing where to start reading. Fr. Kenneth Baker comes to the rescue. In brief synopses of the 73 books he guides new readers through the threshold and shows them how they can move forward on their own. Inside the Bible will transform almost-readers into avid readers of the sacred text." "Karl Keating, Author, What Catholics Really Believe Fr. Kenneth Baker, S.J. , is the editor of Homiletic and Pastoral Review and author of the 3-volume series Fundamentals of Catholicism . '

The Bible and the Qur'an (Book on CD) $23.95 Read by Chris Knufke 'A Catholic missionary examines differences between the Bible and the Quran.

Catholic Study Bible $9.95 The 12th volume in this very popular study Bible series based on the Ignatius Bible, the Revised Standard Version edition. Each volume in the series contains numerous Bible study helps and tools that include insights from the Church Fathers, topical essays, word studies and charts, maps, study questions and a cross-reference section.'

Walking the Bible $24.95 This beautifully shot PBS special offers valuable insights into the roots of the Biblical narrative. Both a heart-racing adventure and an uplifting quest, it presents one man's epic journey "by foot, jeep, rowboat and camel"through the stories of the first five books of the Bible. From crossing the Red Sea to climbing Mt. Sinai, to considering the burning bush, Bruce Feiler's inspiring odyssey will bring you back to the world of the major Biblical characters.

Ignatius Bible - New Testament on CD $58.95 Read by Mark Taheny Revised Standard Version"Regarded by many Bible scholars as the most beautiful, accurate and clearest modern translation of the Bible in English.