Bibliology Session 16-Apocrypha

The Apocrypha Goals Tonight I. Defining & Identifying the Apocrypha II. Exploring the Benefits of the Apocrypha III. Noting the Problems of the Apocrypha Definitions The word “Apocrypha” is a Greek word that means, “hidden, or secret.” The term “Apocrypha” is generally applied to all the writings that were written near locations and times of Biblical books, or proposed to be written by Biblical authors, yet have not been recognized as inspired. Though this term is often applied to all of these writings, different groups of Apocrypha actually exist. Definitions 1. O.T. Apocrypha (mostly written between the Old & New Testament time periods, and are highly valued, a.k.a. Deuterocanonical). 2. O.T. Pseudepigrapha (“falsely ascribed writings,” largely enjoyed, yet not viewed as authoritative) 3. N.T. Apocrypha (written between the 2-4th centuries A.D., nearly all of which have been rejected by orthodox Christianity). Identity of O.T. Apocrypha 1-2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Additions to Esther, The Wisdom of Solomon, Baruch, The Epistle of Jeremiah, The Song of the Three Holy Children, The History of Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, The Prayer of Manasseh, Prayer of Azariah, 1-4 Maccabees, Psalm 151, Book of Odes, & Sirach. Identity of O.T. Pseudepigrapha Book of Ahiqar, Apocalypse of Adam, Vision of Ezra, Book of Jubilees, Apocalypse of Daniel, Apocalypse of Noah, Books of Enoch, Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, Testament of Moses, Ascension and Martyrdom of Isaiah, Sibylline Oracles, Hebrew Apocalypse of Elijah Identity of N.T. Apocrypha Gospel of the Hebrews, Gospel of the Nazarenes, Gospel of the Ebionites, Protevangelium of James, Gospel of the Infancy of the Savior in Arabic, Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, Gospel of the Birth of Mary, History of Joseph the Carpenter, Infancy Gospel of Thomas, Acts of Pilate, Book of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, Christ’s Descent into Hell, Gospel of Bartholomew, Gospel of Gamaliel, Gospel of Nicodemus, Questions of Bartholomew, Dialogue of the Savior, First Apocalypse of James, Second Apocalypse of James, Letter of the Apostles (Epistula Apostolorum) Identity of N.T. Apocrypha Book of Thomas the Contender, Gnostic Gospel of the Egyptians, Gospel of the Four Heavenly Realms, Gospel of Perfection, Gospel of Truth, Apocryphon of James, Letters of Christ and Abgar, Third Letter to the Corinthians, Discourse of John the Divine, Letter to the Laodiceans, Letter of Paul to the Alexandrians, Letter of Pseudo-Titus, Preaching of Peter, Letters of Paul and Seneca, Letter of Peter to James, Traditions of Matthias… Death of Pilate, Letter of Pontius Pilate to Tiberius Caesar, Giving Up of Pilate, Report of Pilate, Narrative by Joseph of Arimathea, Avenging of the Savior Benefits of the Apocrypha 1. Historic Information 2. Cultural Information 3. Devotional & Inspirational Material Translations of the Apocrypha The O.T. Apocrypha has a long history of being used and valued by Bible believers, though never viewed as equal to the canon of Scripture. Beginning with the Septuagint translation, including the Latin Vulgate, Luther’s German Bible, and the 1611 King James version all included the O.T. Apocrypha in the translation, though separated it from the canonical books. Historic Information The O.T. Apocrypha in particular, grants to us a great deal of historic information that occurs between the testaments. The primary example of this would be the books of Maccabees, which greatly enrich out understanding of the fascinating history between the Testaments, and helps give us an historic setting for the N.T. Historic Information The main sects of Judaism, which are prevalent in the N.T. all originated & developed during this intertestimental time. The Apocrypha is a primary source of material to understand the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots. Cultural Information Though the Apocrypha should not be a source for theology or ultimate truth, it nonetheless is a fascinating first hand source for Jewish tradition & culture. 1. Causes for Jew & Gentile Relations in the 1st century. 2. Inspirational stories of Jewish Martyrdom, which greatly aided the early church. 3. Insightful glimpse into 2nd Temple Judaism & early Christian church practices. Jew & Gentile Relations Both Jews and Gentiles looked down their noses at the other for various historic reasons, which are elaborated on by the O.T. Apocrypha (e.g. Hellenization). The enmity, mentioned by Paul in Ephesians 2, can be illustrated with this inscription stone that once stood between the court of the gentiles and the court of women in the 2nd temple time period. Jew & Gentile Relations This original inscription, written in Greek, is currently housed in the National Archeological museum in Istanbul, Turkey. The inscription says “No outsider shall enter the protective enclosure around the sanctuary. And whoever is caught will only have himself to blame for the ensuing death.” Stories of Martyrdom The martyrdom of Isaiah under the reign of Manasseh is not recorded in the Bible, but rather 1st appears in an apocryphal work known as “The Martyrdom & Ascension of Isaiah.” Many stories of courage and martyrdom also emerge from the time of the Maccabean revolt, which served as a source of great encouragement for persecuted Jews & Christians in the 1st century. Stories of Martyrdom The early church father Origin & others, frequently appealed to the Apocryphal accounts of martyrdom in order to encourage early believers to be faithful to Christ. The use of these stories to encourage and challenge Christians is similar to the way Hebrews eleven is used as the so called, “hall of faith.” Devotional Value The Apocryphal books of Sirach, or the Wisdom of Solomon, are essentially commentary and expansion on the canonical book of Proverbs. These books can be greatly valuable in putting forth Biblically consistent ethics & morals. Devotional Value Most of the O.T. Pseudepigrapha are clearly fictional in nature. The original intention behind these writings was not to record scripture, but to be a loose form of historical fiction, which serve to encourage the audience. Many of these writings have obvious exaggeration and historic inaccuracies, but the point was merely to encourage the readers. Jude Quotes O.T. Apocrypha The N.T. canonical book of Jude alludes to two Apocryphal books: 1 Enoch & the Assumption of Moses. These quotations are sometimes viewed as difficult for Protestants to swallow, but they merely illustrate how the O.T. apocrypha could be a valuable source of encouragement & insight, even though they are not inspired. Early Church Practice (Didache) (Διδαχὴ, Didachē). Also known as the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, and known more fully as “The Teaching of the Lord to the Gentiles through the Twelve Apostles.” An early Christian text dating to the first or second century ad that contains instructions about moral conduct and liturgy. Although viewed as noncanonical, the Didache did have some level of authority in the early church, and is part of a collection known as the Apostolic Fathers. Wilhite, S. J. (2016). Didache. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. Exhortations to Early Church (Shepherd of Hermas) The Shepherd of Hermas is an early work that conveys a series of visions, mandates, and parables revolving around early Christian life in Rome. It is grouped with the writings known as the Apostolic Fathers. Clement of Alexandria, Irenaeus, and Origen were especially ardent supporters of this work. Meeks, C. (2016). Shepherd of Hermas. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. Paintings like this are scattered throughout the Catacombs in Rome, which serve as evidence the early church greatly valued the image of a Shepherd. Noting the Problems with the Apocrypha 1. Lack of Internal Integrity 2. Lack of Authoritative Witnesses 3. Late Dates of Origin 4.Gnostic Connection of N.T. Apocrypha 5. Leads to False Ideas when viewed as inspired and authoritative. Internal Denials of Inspiration Most apocryphal books simply make no claim of divine origin, and at least one book specifically disclaims inspiration. Second Maccabees 15:38 reads, “If it has been well and pointedly written, that is what I wanted; but if it is poor, mediocre work, that was all I could do.” Note also the prologue to Ecclesiasticus. Material Taken from “How Firm A Foundation” BJU Press Historic Inaccuracies The O.T. Apocryphal book of Judith is a good example of how the Apocrypha may serve a devotional purpose, but ought not be held on par with Scripture. Judith recounts how a savvy Jewish woman saves her town from the invading Babylonian army. The text is so full of historic inaccuracies that is clearly fictional. Yet the point of the story is to teach how God can use anyone to accomplish His will. Internal Inconsistencies Second Esdras, for example, claims to have been written by Ezra and frequently uses the language of the prophets (“Thus says the Lord” and “The word of the Lord came to me”). Yet the book dates itself to the period just after the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. So clearly the book is Pseudepigrapha. No Authoritative Witnesses The N.T. writers quote or allude to every book of the canonical O.T., but not from the Apocrypha. Considering how the Apocrypha was readily available to Christ and the Apostles in the Septuagint, this is significant evidence against the authority of the Apocrypha in the mind of Christ & the Apostles. Late Dates of Origin Nearly all O.T. Apocrypha originated within the 400 “silent years” before the coming of John the Baptist. These dates are well after the acknowledged close of the O.T. canon as we noted earlier. Hebrew Literature experienced a revival during those years because of two main events: first, the process of Hellenization after the Conquests of Alexander, and secondly, the Maccabean Revolt and the subsequent rise of a Jewish state. Late Dates of Origin These events spawned much of the Apocrypha, because of the nationalistic desire for a distinct culture. These O.T. Apocryphal writings were a sort of revival of Jewish pride and a desire to return to the traditions of old. Yet recall the Rabbinic writings of the Talmud & Mishnah record the belief that the “Spirit had departed” from Israel after the days of Ezra (i.e. no more inspired writings were being produced). N.T. Apocrypha Most of the N.T. Apocrypha originated from the 2-4 centuries A.D., while claiming Apostolic authorship. Because they were written well after the death of the Apostles, they have no way of claiming Apostolic authority or endorsement. The late dates of these writings condemn them. Most of these N.T. apocryphal works are also known as “Gnostic writings,” which were rejected by orthodox Christianity. Gnostic Writings • “Gnosticism” (built off the Greek word for “knowledge”) was one of the first Heresies in the early church. • Gnosticism denied the humanity of Christ, the sufficiency of His death, and Apostolic authority. Orthodox Christians did not consider Gnostics to be Christians. • Colossians & 1 John seem to be written against early forms of this heresy. Gnostic Writings • The gnostic writings, were not just rejected in overarching claims that would capture many writings, but were also rejected directly by name by church fathers of the second and third centuries. Nearly all of these Gnostic writings were known forgeries, or known to have originated from heretical sects of Christianity in the early centuries of the church. III, J. K., & Barry, J. D. (2016). Apocrypha, New Testament. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. Gnostic Writings • Most of the N.T. Apocryphal books originate from the Gnostics, whose writings originate long after the N.T. time period, and are so full of historic errors that they are not reliable. • Church father Irenaeus (ca. ad 130– 200) speaks of “apocryphal and spurious writings, which they themselves [the heretical Marcionites] have forged” (Adversus Haereses 1.20.1). III, J. K., & Barry, J. D. (2016). Apocrypha, New Testament. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. Gnostic Writings Although there have been collections of so-called New Testament Apocrypha published since the 16th century, these writings were never grouped as a collection in antiquity, with the exception of the primarily gnostic Nag Hammadi texts that were discovered together in 1945 in Egypt. In addition, even among the Nag Hammadi collection, these writings are not grouped with canonical New Testament writings, but instead with other noncanonical works. III, J. K., & Barry, J. D. (2016). Apocrypha, New Testament. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. False Ideas from Apocrypha Though much of value can be found in certain writings from the Apocrypha (especially the O.T. Apocrypha), there is a danger of strange ideas or even false doctrine if one views these writings as authoritative. False Ideas from Apocrypha One day Christopher Columbus picked up a book written by a Catholic scholar named Pierre d’ Ailly. The author proposed that the earth was a sphere and that the distance from the western coast of Europe to the eastern coast of Asia could be sailed in only a few days. He based this estimate on a verse found in 2 Esdras 6:42 of the Vulgate. The verse states that God created the earth six parts land and on part water. This appeal to “the Bible” convinced Columbus. Although this misinformation led to the discovery of the Americas, it nearly cost Columbus his life. False Ideas from Apocrypha The non-biblical idea of Purgatory originates from a passage in 2 Maccabees 12:38-45. Here, Judas Maccabeus, upon finding fallen Jewish soldiers bearing tokens of idolatry, offers intercessions for the remission of their sins, and commissions an expiatory offering to be made in Jerusalem on their behalf. Abuses associated with this doctrine ultimately let to the Protestant Reformation. False Ideas from Apocrypha The non-biblical idea of a treasury of merits largely leans on the passage in Tobith 4:7-11. This doctrine, central to Roman Catholic theology, teaches that godly men and women build up an excess of good works, which can be used to help others get out of purgatory early. This doctrine led to the veneration of, and prayer toward saints. Da Vinci Code? Dan Brown’s book, and later movie, known as the Da Vinci Code has caused a large stir. The premise of the book & movie is based upon the belief that the Gnostic Gospels are the true Gospels, and the four Gospels of Matthew-John are the forgeries. So it literally reverses the truth. Da Vinci Code? This premise denies true history. The Gnostic Gospels themselves are full of historic inaccuracies, while the canonical gospels (esp. Luke) have undergone strenuous scrutiny, and have been vindicated as accurate history. Yet the erroneous “history” proposed by the Da Vinci Code has sowed many seeds of doubt against the Bible. 1. The O.T. Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha were never viewed as Scripture, yet have a long history of value historically, culturally, and devotionally. 2.Nearly all of the N.T. Apocryphal writings were rejected by the early church due to their gnostic origins, and heretical content. • N.T. exceptions would be Didache, Acts of Paul, Apocalypse of Peter, & possibly Shepherd of Hermas.