Of the Holy Scripture, I:3

The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon of Scripture, and therefore are of no authority in the church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved, or made use of, than other human writings.

The term "Apocrypha" means "hidden" and specifically refers to seven writings belonging to the intertestimental period (roughly 4th to 1st century B.C.), specifically Tobit, Wisdom, Judith, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, and 1 and 2 Maccabees, as well as three works inserted into Daniel (History of Susannah, the Song of the Three Children, and the History of Bel and the Dragon). There is scant evidence that they were ever considered authoritative on the level of Scripture by the Jewish people. Although they were included in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament in common use in Jesus's day) they seem to have been accorded secondary status. None of the books claims for itself inspiration or authority. Neither Jesus nor any of the New Testament writers ever quote from these works. Early church councils rejected them as Scripture. Jerome, the translator of the Latin Vulgate Bible, doubted their canonicity but included them in the Vulgate. In fact, they were not officially granted canonical status by the Roman Catholic Church until the Council of Trent in the mid-16th century.

Do these books have any use at all? If read with discernment, they may be of profit--the two Maccabean histories are worthwhile records of the events they describe. Athanasius, the great 4th-century bishop of Alexandria, said of them that they are "not indeed included in the Canon, but appointed by the Fathers to be read by those who newly join us, and who wish for instruction in the word of godliness." On the other hand, the moral flavor of some of the books is unsavory.

The Confession recommends that we treat these writings just like anything else of exclusively human authorship. "Test everything; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

An excellent resource for those wanting to learn more about the Apocrypha is The Old Testament Canon of the New Testament Church and Its Background in Early Judaism by Roger Beckwith.

Tomorrow: The authority of Scripture.