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Why the “Apocrypha” are not inspired by God and are not part of the Christian canon or the Jewish Tanakh

ℹ️ Context notice
This book is not inspired by God and is not part of the Christian canon or the Jewish Tanakh. It is shown only for historical and study purposes. See full explanation.

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Summary in 7 ideas (TL;DR)

  1. The Jewish Tanakh (Law, Prophets, and Writings) was closed in antiquity; the books called “apocrypha/deuterocanonical” were never part of that canon.
  2. Jesus and the apostles confirm that threefold division (Luke 24:44) and never cite the apocrypha as “Scripture” with formulas like “it is written.”
  3. Ancient Jewish sources (e.g., Josephus) speak of a fixed canon and affirm that prophetic succession ceased after Malachi/Ezra; several apocryphal books acknowledge there were no prophets in their time (First Maccabees 4:46; 9:27; 14:41).
  4. Ancient Christian criteria (apostolicity, orthodoxy, antiquity, universal use) are not met by the apocrypha.
  5. Self-testimony: some apocryphal books do not claim inspiration and even ask indulgence for stylistic faults (Second Maccabees 15:37–39).
  6. Church history: they were read as edifying but distinct from Scripture; Jerome places them “outside the canon.” Several ancient lists differ; Rome declared them canonical at Trent (1546); the Orthodox churches use non-identical lists; Christian churches exclude them.
  7. Practical conclusion: they are valuable for the history and context of the intertestamental period, but not for doctrine as a rule of faith.

1) Definitions and scope

  • Tanakh (Hebrew Bible): tripartite collection accepted by Judaism: Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets), Ketuvim (Writings).
  • Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical books: Jewish writings from the intertestamental period, preserved mainly in Greek (Septuagint). Among them: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus (Sirach), Baruch, First Maccabees, Second Maccabees, Greek additions to Esther and Daniel, etc.
  • Pseudepigrapha: other ancient writings (e.g., 1 Enoch) that were never in standard Jewish or Christian canonical lists.

Terminology note: “apocrypha” is common in Protestant tradition; “deuterocanonical” in Catholic tradition for books accepted in a “second” phase of the canonical process.

2) The Tanakh’s canon and why the apocrypha are not included

2.1 Biblical and Jewish testimony

  • Jesus refers to the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms/Writings (Luke 24:44), reflecting the Tanakh’s structure.
  • Matthew 23:35 (“from Abel to Zechariah”) suggests the boundaries of sacred history according to the Hebrew order, not including the intertestamental period.
  • Romans 3:2: “The oracles of God were entrusted to the Jews,” implying the Jewish community knew which books were God’s oracles.

2.2 Prophetic cessation and self-awareness in the apocrypha

Several passages within the apocrypha acknowledge that there were no prophets in that time:

  • First Maccabees 4:46: they stored the stones of the altar “until a prophet should arise.”
  • First Maccabees 9:27: “Great distress… such as had not been since prophets ceased to appear.”
  • First Maccabees 14:41: decisions “until a faithful prophet should arise.”

If there are no prophets, there is no prophetic inspiration to add books to the Jewish canon. That is why the Tanakh did not include them.

3) Use by Jesus and the apostles: authority of Scripture

  • The New Testament cites Scripture hundreds of times with formulas like “it is written,” always with reference to the Hebrew Bible.
  • Although the New Testament may allude to extra-biblical Jewish literature (e.g., Jude 14 alludes to 1 Enoch), it never canonizes it.
  • Conclusion: the apostolic pattern of authority does not legitimize the apocrypha as Scripture.

4) Ancient Christian criteria of canonicity

  1. Apostolicity or prophetic-apostolic proximity: apostolic author or close circle (for the New Testament) / prophetic voice (for the Old Testament).
  2. Doctrinal orthodoxy: consonance with the rule of faith.
  3. Antiquity: origin in the prophetic era (Old Testament) or the apostolic era (New Testament).
  4. Universal use: broad and continuous reception by the people of God.

Frequent issues in the apocrypha:

  • Lack of a claim to inspiration and acknowledgment of limits (Second Maccabees 15:37–39).
  • Doctrinal tensions with the clear teaching of canonical Scripture (e.g., Tobit 12:9; Sirach 3:30 on almsgiving “wiping away sins,” versus justification and atonement in the New Testament).
  • Anachronisms or historical difficulties (e.g., Judith calls Nebuchadnezzar “king of Assyria”).
  • Doubtful/pseudonymous authorship (e.g., Wisdom speaks in Solomon’s voice but is of much later composition).

5) Why do they appear in some Bibles?

  • The Septuagint (LXX), a Greek translation widely used among Hellenistic Jews and Christians, circulated with collections that included these books.
  • Church Fathers: sometimes they read and cite them for edification; others distinguish them from Scripture (e.g., Jerome, Prologus Galeatus, places them “outside the canon,” though useful to read).
  • Ancient lists (Melito of Sardis, Athanasius, regional catalogues) do not fully agree.
  • Regional councils (Hippo 393; Carthage 397/419) included deuterocanonicals in local pastoral contexts.
  • Council of Trent (1546) in the Catholic Church defined most of the deuterocanonicals as canonical.
  • Orthodox churches maintain non-identical lists among themselves (e.g., Third Maccabees, Psalm 151, etc.).
  • Protestant tradition (Reformation): published separately as “books good to read,” not normative for doctrine (Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles, Anglican).

6) Common objections and brief answers

Do the ancient codices (Vaticanus, Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus) include them?

Yes, they contain broad collections based on the Septuagint, but presence in a codex does not equal uniform canonical recognition. Those same codices include appendices no one today considers canonical (e.g., First and Second Clement).

Did some Fathers use them?

Yes, for edification; yet there was a repeated distinction between “canonical books” (normative for doctrine) and “ecclesiastical/edifying” books.

Did Jamnia/Yavneh “close” the canon?

It is better to speak of a rabbinic process after the year A.D. 70 that confirmed an already received canon; there is no evidence of a formal “council” that added or removed books then.

Jude cites 1 Enoch: does that prove other extra-canonical books can be inspired?

To cite or allude does not imply canonization (Paul cites pagan poets without making them Scripture). Jude uses a known testimony to teach truth, not to canonize1 Enoch.

7) Internal evidence in the apocrypha pointing to non-inspiration

  • Acknowledgment of no prophecy in their era: First Maccabees 4:46; 9:27; 14:41.
  • Confession of limitations: Second Maccabees 15:37–39 (the author asks indulgence for possible defects).
  • Doctrinal tension with the rest of Scripture:
    • Almsgiving that “wipes away” sins (Tobit 12:9; Sirach 3:30) vs. Christ’s atoning work and justification by faith.
    • Prayer for the dead (Second Maccabees 12:45–46) vs. lack of basis in the Hebrew canon and New Testament teaching about judgment.
  • Historical problems (e.g., Judith and Nebuchadnezzar as king of Assyria).

These signs do not disqualify their historical or devotional value, but they do limit their doctrinal use as a rule of faith.

8) Conclusion

  • Jews: never incorporated the apocrypha into their Tanakh because they do not belong to the prophetic era nor meet the criteria for “oracles of God.”
  • Evangelical Christians: follow the canon of Jesus and the apostles (Luke 24:44; Romans 3:2), apply patristic criteria of canonicity, and distinguish between useful reading and inspiration.
  • Current use: they provide historical context (intertestamental period, Maccabees, late Jewish piety), but not doctrinal foundation.

9) Key passages to include (full quotations available on request)

  • Luke 24:44 — Jesus affirms the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.
  • Romans 3:2 — “The oracles of God were entrusted to them.”
  • Matthew 23:35 — “From Abel to Zechariah,” historical boundaries of the Hebrew Old Testament.
  • First Maccabees 4:46; 9:27; 14:41 — Recognition of the absence of prophets.
  • Second Maccabees 15:37–39 — Self-testimony of non-inspiration.
  • Tobit 12:9; Sirach 3:30 — Almsgiving and remission of sins (doctrinal tension).
  • Second Maccabees 12:45–46 — Prayer for the dead (demonic practice).
  • Hebrews 1:1–2 — God speaks through prophets and finally through the Son.

(If you want, I can provide the full quotations in your preferred Bible version to paste as-is.)

10) Classic historical references (for footnotes)

  • Josephus, Against Apion 1.8 (on twenty-two sacred books).
  • Jerome, Prologus Galeatus (Helmeted Prologue; distinction between canonical and ecclesiastical).
  • Festal Letter 39 of Athanasius (list of the Old Testament and books read “for edification”).
  • Council of Trent, Session IV (1546).
  • Thirty-Nine Articles (Article VI, Anglican tradition: “books to be read… but not to establish doctrine”).
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