THE APOCRYPHAL BOOKS

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=145 BGCOLOR="#3366CC" TEXT="#080000" background="083ff483.gif"> <div> <A HREF="mailto: heislord@teacher.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto: heislord@teacher.com"><U><IMG SRC="04b85640.gif" border=0 width="133" height="100" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> Any Questions?  Just E-Mail Me.</div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="084ff483.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#6666FF" FACE="Arial" ><B>HE IS LORD Ministries</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#663399" FACE="Times New Roman" >    </FONT> |    <B> </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HE IS LORD Ministries"><U><B>home</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BIBLE STUDIES AVAILABLE"><U>BIBLE STUDIES AVAILABLE</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id73.htm" 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Apocryphal books are not accepted by Protestants is because they <I><B>are not mentioned</B></I> in any of the earliest catalogues of the sacred writings.  The Jewish users of the Septuagint, such as Philo of Alexandria (20 B.C. to A.D. 50), do not quote from the Apocryphal books even though they do from the canonical books.  Neither are they quoted in that of  Melito, bishop of Sardis, in the second century;  nor in those of Origen,  in the third century (see Eusebius's Eccl. His., lib. 4, c., 28 and c. 25, p. 399;  also Lardner Vol. IV., pp. 282,305,299,312,407; Vol. V., p. 16);  nor by Athanasius, Hilary, Cyril of Jerusalem, Epiphanius, Amphilockius, Jerome, Rafinus, nor others of the fourth century;  nor in the catalogue of canonical books recognized by the Council of Ladicea held in the fourth century, whose canons were received by the Catholic Church.  (Cr. Lardner, Vol. IV., pp. 308-309; Vol. II., pp. 414-415.).  </div> <bR> <div> Protestants also do not accept the Apocryphal books because of the lack of evidence (NO EVIDENCE) that they were a part of the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Jewish Bible).  All copies of the Septuagint that exist today are of Christian, rather than Jewish origin.  The earliest one on record is dated at A.D. 350, which is about five hundred years after the Septuagint was completed.  Thus it is interesting to note that the authors of the New Testament quote from 19 of the 22 books of the Jewish Bible, but <I><B>never</B></I> <I><B>once</B></I> quote from the Apocryphal books.</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="mailto: heislord@teacher.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto: heislord@teacher.com"><U><IMG SRC="2caf4080.gif" border=0 width="500" height="8" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <div> The issue came to a head when certain teachings (mentioned later) of the Apocryphal books were rejected by Reformers within the Roman Catholic Church itself (such as Luther), and could not be proven by either the Septuagint nor the New Testament.  In order to protect such teachings, in April of 1546, the fourth sitting of the Council of Trent decreed that the Apocryphal books were of canonical value and equal in authority to the other books of sacred Scripture.  And to make the decree effective, they added:  "If anyone does not accept as sacred and canonical the aforesaid books in their entirety and with all their parts, as they have been accustomed to be read in the Catholic Church and as they are contained in the old Latin Vulgate Edition... let him be anathema."  "Canon and Decrees of the Council of Trent," H.J. Schroeder, trans. (Rockford, Ill.; Tan Books, 1978), p.18.  However, even the Roman Catholic Church cannot agree as to the inspiration of these books.  Before the Council of Trent, the book of Baruch was not received as canonical in the additional materials placed within the Latin Vulgate, while 1&2 Esdras and The Prayer of Manasseh books were.  By contrast, after the Council of Trent, Baruch was canonized, while 1&2 Esdras and The Prayer of Manasseh were not.  Just to clarify, the books found in the Latin Vulgate today, 1&2 Esdras, are really Ezra and Nehemiah.  For the Latin Vulgate versions that have 3&4 Esdras (or [4] Apocalyptic Esdras), these books are really 1&2 Esdras.  How confusing must we get to hide something?</div> <bR> <div> Now, to those teachings.  They teach, and so do papists, that a man can justify himself and make atonement for his sins by his own works (Tobit 12:8-9; Ecclus. 3:3,30; 35:3).  Maccabees teaches praying for the dead (purgatory), 2 Macc. 12:43-44.  The Bible condemns and forbids magical incantations (Lev. 19:26; Deu. 18:10-14), while the Apocrypha teaches that an angel of God gave directions for such incantations, Tobit 6:1-8.  The same angel lied by saying he was a kinsman to Tobit (Tobit 5:12).  In The Prayer of Manasseh, the view is expressed that certain sinless men need no repentance (see Rom. 3:23).  In The Wisdom of Solomon, the book falsely teaches that God used pre-existent matter during the creation of the world;  and it teaches the pre-existence of souls.  In the book Ecclesiastious, sometimes called The Wisdom of Jesus ben Sira, Biblical Soteriology (salvation) is compromised in that almsgiving makes atonement for sin.  In The Second Book of the Maccabees, is found the inculcating doctrinal error of praying for the dead.  <B>NONE</B> of these teachings are to be found in the original (Hebrew) Jewish writings, nor in the original Greek New Testament, or in the Septuagint!!!</div> <bR> <div> "To the law and to the testimony:  if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."  Isa. 8:20.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="mailto: heislord@teacher.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto: heislord@teacher.com"><U><IMG SRC="04caf600.gif" border=0 width="175" height="96" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>