Showing posts with label apocrypha. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apocrypha. Show all posts

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Why Apocrypha was Apocrypha? II

The Wisdom of Ben Sira was written 180 to 175 and canonised in Catholic and Orthodox, but not in Protestant. Therefore we can read it in Septuagint, Vulgate. The reason this was taken out of canon in Protestant was probably judging from its contents. They are regarded as a copy of Proverbs.

Maccabees were written in 100 BC and those Hebrew texts were lost.

The rest of Daniel& Esther might be added later. Not found in Hebrew canon.

Book of Baruch is not found in Hebrew Bible but found both in Sepuagint and Vulgate.

Book of Tobit is not found in Hebrew Bible but found both in Septuagint and Vulgate. Therefore this book is canonised in Catholic and Orthodox Churches. This book was probably written in 2 century BC. But the contents were about 8 century BC.

Book of Judith is dominant in historical anachronism. This book is considered as a religious novel. Therefore excluded from Protestant canon.

Wisdom of Solomon was written in 2nd century BC. No Hebrew texts are found. Platonism & Stoicism can be read and we can find allusions to Gospel of Matthew. Found in Septuagint.

Prayer of Manasseh is apocryphal by all denominations. Found in Septuagint.

Esdras was written 1st century BC to 1st century AD. Canonised only in Eastern Orthodox Church.

Typical characters Apocrypha have are Not found in Hebrew canon. Written between 2nd to 1st century BC. Found in Septuagint, Vulgate. Reformation was a restoration to Jewish tradition. There was a reason for it.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Why Apocrypha was Apocrypha?

Apocrypha refers to the collection of books written between the end of Old Testament around 500 BC and the beginning of the New Testament around 50 AD. Basically the Old Testament is a record between 1300 BC to 500 BC and the New Testament between 50 AD to 100 AD. Apocrypha covers those missing links between two testaments.

During that period, Jewish cultures were on the verge of extinction. Overall Hellenisation was on the process in those Levant area. Antiochus (reigned 175 -163) was probably sarcastically called Epiphanes and went too far to proceed this movement. But many important books were written, those include

1 Esdras (Vulgate 3 Esdras)
2 Esdras (Vulgate 4 Esdras)
Tobit
Judith
Rest of Esther (Vulgate Esther 10:4-16:24)
Wisdom
Ecclesiasticus (also known as Sirach)
Baruch and the Epistle of Jeremy (all part of Vulgate Baruch)
Song of the Three Children (Vulgate Daniel 3:24-90)
Story of Susanna (Vulgate Daniel 13)
The Idol Bel and the Dragon (Vulgate Daniel 14)
Prayer of Manasses
1 Maccabees
2 Maccabees - From Wikipaedia

Those Apocrypha books were included in Catholic Canon but excluded from Protestant Bible in the Reformation in 16c.

My assumption why Apocrypha was excluded is probably because Protestant needed to establish authority against Roman Catholic and Greed Orthodox Churches. Jewish states were reigned by Ptolemaic (323 to 198) and Selucid (198 to 166). Jewish state enjoyed its independence from 142 to 63 after the Maccabean revolt in 167 and following struggle that lasted till 142. Protestant didn't like to follow Roman and Greek authority in Church, so they went too far to hide those scriptures written during that period.

Apocrypha is just hidden, God reveals as Epiphanes.