To explain simply, the
apocrypha and pseudepigrapha are collections of writings which were
not included in the Bible for various reasons. There is a lot
written on this subject and I encourage you to research
the history of the
Bible. They key, however, is that the Bible is
trustworthy and reliable and if it wasn't (for example, if it
contained false information), it would have to be thrown out and
would not be the Word of God. The Bible has stood the test of time
and archeological discoveries have always proven the Bible to be
true. The apocrypha and pseudepigrapha were not included for many
reasons but namely because they didn't pass the stringent tests
required in the long process of assembling God's Word into one book
called the Bible. You will be amazed at the care taken in this
process!
Roman Catholics sometimes call some of these writings
Deuterocanonical, meaning "Second Canon"
and some are often included in a middle section of Catholic Bibles
but not considered equal in authority and inspiration as the Canon.
Protestants typically call these writings the
Apocrypha. The term “apocrypha” comes from a Greek word meaning
“hidden”, or “things hidden away”. In modern jargon, the word is
often used to describe things that are spurious, or of questionable
authority.
The Pseudepigrapha (sued-a-PIG-ruffa), whose Greek, meaning is
"false subscriptions," is a group of Jewish and Jewish-Christian
texts primarily written between 250 B.C.E. and 200 C.E. These books
are not included in any Bible, Apocrypha, or even rabbinic literature.
Of course, some books in the Apocrypha are also written with “false
subscriptions” – Baruch, Letter of Jeremiah, 2 Esdras, Wisdom of
Solomon, etc., adding to some of the confusion surrounding what
books are considered to be part of the Apocrypha, and what books are
part of the Pseudepigrapha.
It is widely accepted why these books were not included in
the Canon, and it is also pretty clear where they are considered
inaccurate. With that in mind, they still contain a lot of
beneficial information and I have enjoyed studying a lot of these
books as a supplement to my regular Bible reading. Keep in
mind it is much more important to read the Bible, not false
writings.
This is
the largest list of it's kind anywhere on the Internet (and has
working links!) and includes the apocrypha/deuterocanonical
writings, the pseudepigrapha, other extrabiblical writings, and some
historical works.
Legends of the
Jews
(Ginzberg)
- This is a
massive collation of the Haggada--the traditions which
have grown up surrounding the Biblical narrative. These
stories and bits of layered detail are scattered
throughout the Talmud and the Midrash, and other
sources, including oral. In the 19th century Ginzberg
undertook the task of arranging the Haggada into
chronological order, and this series of volumes was the
result.
