What is the Apocrypha and why were the books in it not included in the Bible?

Jews did not stop writing during the centuries between the Old and New Testaments. The Intertestamental Period was a time of much literary production. We designate these writings as Apocrypha. They did not attain canonical status, but some of them were cited by early Christians almost on a level with the Old Testament writings, and a few were copied in biblical manuscripts. Some New Testament authors were familiar with various non-canonical works, and the Epistle of Jude made specific reference to at least one of these books. They were ultimately preserved by the Christians rather than by the Jews.

Many of you have a Bible whose cover indicates the translation, i.e. “The New English Bible” and then adds “With Apocrypha.” That’s because the apocrypha is an important aid for Bible study in that it sheds light on the history, culture, context, and understanding of how people perceived the work of God going on in their world. For Protestants, the Apocrypha is not considered ‘inspired’ or ‘sacred’ in the same way as the official ‘canon’ of the Bible.

Meaning “things that are hidden,” apocrypha is applied to a collection of fifteen books written between about 200 B.C. and A.D. 100. These are not a part of the Old Testament but are valued for their historical information, and by some for private study.

All fifteen apocryphal books except 2 Esdras appear in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint. They were made a part of the official Latin Bible, the Vulgate.

All except 1 and 2 Esdras and the Prayer of Mannasseh are considered canonical (in the Bible) and authoritative by the Roman Catholic Church.

From the time of the Reformation, the apocryphal books have been omitted from the canon of the Protestant churches.

The Apocrypha represent various types of literature: historical, historical romance, wisdom, devotional, and apocalyptic.

The most important historical writing in the Apocrypha is 1 Maccabees. It is the primary source for writing the history of the period it covers, 180 to 134 B.C. The emphasis is that God worked through Mattathias and his sons to bring deliverance. He did not intervene in divine, supernatural ways. He worked through people to accomplish His purposes. The writer was a staunch patriot. For him nationalism and religious zeal were one and the same. After introductory verses dealing with Alexander the Great, the book gives the causes for the revolt against the Seleucids. Much detail is given about the careers of Judas and Jonathan. Less attention is given to Simon, although emphasis is placed upon his being acclaimed leader and high priest forever. Brief reference to John Hyrcanus at the close suggests that the book was written either late in his life or after his death, probably shortly after 100 B.C.

When Jerome translated the Latin Vulgate bible for protestants, he felt that although the apocryphal books were of great value, they were did pass the ‘canonical test’ (see preceding question) and therefore did not include them in what came to be the Protestant Bible.