Bible Word of the Day

Apocrypha (Non-Biblical Books)

Meaning
The Apocrypha refers to a collection of books written during the Intertestamental period. This is a period of time between the close of the Old Testament with the book of Malachi and the beginning of the New Testament. It was during this time period that God was preparing the world for the spread of the Gospel message. Some of these books can be found in what we call the Catholic Bible, however, we must remember this collection of books is not considered divinely inspired. In other words, we do not believe God through the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of these books to record God’s word. The word Apocrypha means, “Secret book or non-canonical book.” The Greek word Apocrypha actually means “hidden” or “secret.” This word is used because many of the Apocryphal books have unauthenticated authorship.

Moreover, many of the books are named after people who had died long before they were written. Therefore We are not sure who really wrote them, and in many cases, they do not always align with Biblical teachings. In some cases, they have fanciful or imaginary story lines. In addition, they were written during the Intertestamental period which is referred to as the “silent years.” During this period of time, God’s work with the nation of Israel had ceased, there were no more prophets and God from man’s perspective had appeared to be silent. This period lasted approximately four-hundred years. However, despite these facts the Apocrypha is still recommended reading. Not because they are considered the word of God, but because they shed light on the culture and customs of the times from which the New Testament arose. Therefore, they help to give us insight and understanding into the culture of the Bible.