Yeoman's in the Fork Blog

The Apocrypha is a term used to refer to texts that were left out of the official canon of The Bible. The actual term means “hidden,” which suggests some sort of secret, esoteric writings. However, despite the name given the texts, the texts themselves were never really hidden and not considered secret. Many Catholic Bibles included The Apocrypha and some still do today. The use of The Apocrypha in the Protestant world has, almost entirely, if not fully, faded away. When someone uses the term Apocrypha to refer to these texts the following books are usually meant:

1 Esdras
2 Esdras
Additions to Esther
1 Macabees
2 Macabees
Tobias
Judith
Wisdom
Sirach
Baruch
Epistle of Jeremiah
Susanna
Prayer of Azariah
Prayer of Manasseh
Bel and the Dragon
Laodice

There are, however, other texts that weren’t a part of The Apocrypha. One example of this is the so called “Forgotten Books of Eden.” This selection of books include a First and Second Book Of Adam and Eve, “The Book of the Secrets of Enoch,” and many others, including several testaments of various Patriarchs. And even this selection isn’t exhaustive of the various texts that have been found and were not included in The Holy Bible as we know it today. The history of the Bible and how it came to be is beyond the scope of this essay. That there are a vast amount of texts that date to that time period, yet were not deemed to be worthy of inclusion into what became The Holy Bible, is the focus here. For this fact begs the question, “Is the Apocrypha something collectors desire?” My answer would be, “Certainly!” The Apocrypha is a very important part of the history of The Bible.

The Bible is the most sold, if not most read, book in the history of man. That the Apocrypha is a part of many Bibles out there demonstrates its importance. For all of the reasons collectors collect, the Apocrypha fits quite easily into that same framework. Literature, history, nostalgia…..are wonderful parts of the history of The Bible and The Apocrypha. It is somewhat unusual to see The Apocrypha separate from the rest of Biblical scripture. Yes, it can be purchased at Amazon, but older versions are not seen that often. We actually came across one from the late 1500’s just recently. Here are some photos of our find. If you have any questions about it, let us know!