The Complete Apocrypha

Here is the complete apocrypha pdf, 75 books removed from the bible pdf download and complete bible with all books pdf. in this book you will find more than 60 some stories that are not in the bible but are also about Jesus Christ, about his aunt Mary, about his disciples theologians, and about many others, who have been part of the history of Christianity.

This is a complete Digital Book about  Apocrypha, written for the purpose of assisting and helping readers with acquiring additional information as well as understanding about keywords that are found within this book and all related digital books.

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The Apocrypha, a collection of Jewish and Christian sacred literature, was first published in 1488 at Mainz by John of Cologne as “Biblia” (Bible). The Greek text of the Septuagint (LXX) is used together with some parts translated directly from the Hebrew Bible into Latin by Jerome. It includes books not accepted by the Jews or Protestants but only by Roman Catholics: Baruch and addenda to Daniel and Esther in the Old Testament, plus Tobias and Judith in the New Testament.

List of The Complete‍ Apocrypha

List of The Complete Apocrypha

1. The Book of Enoch

• 1 Enoch


• 2 Enoch


• 3 Enoch

2. The Book of Jubilees

3. The Book of Tobit

4. The Book of Judith

5. The Wisdom of Solomon

6. The Wisdom of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)

7. The Letter of Jeremiah

8. The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children

9. Susanna

10. Bel and the Dragon

11. Additions to Esther

12. 1 Maccabees

13. 2 Maccabees

14. 3 Maccabees

15. 4 Maccabees

16. Psalms of Solomon

17. Odes of Solomon

18. The Book of Baruch

19. The Prayer of Manasseh

20. The Letter of Baruch

21. The Epistle of Jeremiah

22. The Martyrdom of Isaiah

23. The Apocalypse of Daniel

24. The Prayer of Joseph

25. The Book of Jubilees

26. The Ascension of Isaiah

27. The Apocalypse of Moses

28. The Testament of Abraham

29. The Testament of Solomon

30. The Testament of Moses

31. The Assumption of Moses

32. The History of the Rechabites

33. The Letter of Aristeas

34. The Protevangelium of James

35. The Gospel of Peter

36. The Infancy Gospel of Thomas

37. The Acts of John

38. The Acts of Paul

39. The Acts of Peter

40. The Acts of Andrew

41. The Acts of Thomas

42. The Acts of Philip

43. The Acts of Matthew

44. The Acts of Bartholomew

45. The Acts of Thaddeus

46. The Letter to Corinth

47. The Apocalypse of Peter

48. The Apocalypse of Paul

49. The Apocalypse of Thomas

50. The Apocalypse of Stephen

The Complete Apocrypha pdf

To purchase the accompanying PowerPoint and Instructor’s Guide ($20), or to or- der printed booklets:

http://www.sundayschoolcourses.com/apocrypha/apocrypha.htm

To access this .pdf file on the Web (free):

http://www.sundayschoolcourses.com/apocrypha/apocrypha.pdf

The Apocrypha

and Christianity

Written by Robert Jones Acworth, Georgia

 1999 Robert C. Jones

Christian Theology and History Adult Sunday School Courses Robert Jones www.sundayschoolcourses.co

I’ve always been a strong believer in adult Sunday School classes and Bible studies in our churches. And many churches have quality, Biblically-based adult-focused programs. Unfortunately, just as many churches tend to downplay adult education, focusing on children’s education (not a bad thing in itself), or focusing on the needs of the “unchurched”, where topics such as church history and theology are often purposely ignored.

Yet there is a strong need for adult education focused on both the Bible and the basic tenets and history of the Faith. Among the reasons:

•   Not all adults come from a strong childhood background in the church – adult Sunday School classes/Bible studies may be their first serious introduction to what Christianity is all about
•   Christianity (and especially Evangelical Christianity) is under constant attack from the media and popular culture (movies, music, etc.). We need to give fellow Christians the tools to defend the Faith against at- tack (or to provide a “ready defense” as Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15)
•   Even adult Christians that have a strong Biblical background often know little about the origins and history of their FaithTo better meet the needs of adult Christians (both those mature in their Faith, and those just starting out in the “School of Christ”), I’ve written a series of courses that focus on the history of the Christian Church (including the Jewish roots), as well as the development of doctrine in the Church. The topics represented in these courses are intended to both further the participant’s walk in the Faith, as well as serve as a starting point for Christian apolo- getics.While the primary purpose of these courses is for use in churches, they also may be useful for High School and Col- lege projects, especially the courses focused primarily on historical aspects.One note: these courses are primarily written from an Evangelical Protestant viewpoint (I come from a Reformed Church background), but I hope I’ve given ample time to other points of view throughout the various courses.

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The Apocrypha and Christianity

Written by Robert Jones Acworth, Georgia
© 1999

To purchase the accompanying PowerPoint and Instructor’s Guide ($20), or to or- der printed booklets:

http://www.sundayschoolcourses.com/apocrypha/apocrypha.htm

To access this .pdf file on the Web (free):

http://www.sundayschoolcourses.com/apocrypha/apocrypha.pdf

Unless otherwise noted, scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New Revised Standard Version (Copyright 1989, 1993, Zondervan Publishing House

robertcjones@mindspring.com www.sundayschoolcourses.com

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Table of Contents
CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY AND HISTORY ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL COURSES…………………………………………………….. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4

INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5

Nomenclature …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………6

APOCRYPHA QUIZ ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 7 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………7

Timeline …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………7 Alexander the Great ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..8 The Septuagint………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..9 The Maccabean Revolt …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..11

THE GREAT DEBATE – AUTHORITATIVE OR NOT? ……………………………………………………………………………………. 13

Timeline ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….13

BOOKS OF THE APOCRYPHA ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 15

Tobit…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….16 Judith …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..17 Esther (Greek version) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………19 Wisdom of Solomon ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………19 Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus) …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………20 Baruch………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….20 Letter of Jeremiah………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….21 Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews ……………………………………………………………………………………..21 Susanna (Chapter 13 of the Greek Daniel) ………………………………………………………………………………………………..22 Bel & the Dragon (Chapter 14 of the Greek Daniel) ……………………………………………………………………………………22 1 Maccabees …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………23 2 Maccabees …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………23 1 Esdras (Greek for Ezra) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..25 Prayer of Manasseh ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….25 Psalm 151 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….26 3 Maccabees …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………26 2 Esdras………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..26 4 Maccabees …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………29 1 Enoch ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..29

SUMMARY ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 32 SOURCES………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 32 NOTES……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 34

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Introduction

I’ve taught the Methodist “Disciples” Bible study three times (and have started on #4). One of the things that has been evident in all of my Disciples sessions is the somewhat jarring note presented by the sud- den end of the Old Testament (around 430 B.C), and the beginning of the New Testament (around 4 B.C.) After spending many months studying the history and theology of the Jews before Christ, suddenly the students are expected to make a 400-year jump, with no context. Some examples of the perplexity that this can cause might include:

•   There is nothing about the Maccabean Revolt in the Old or New Testament. As such, it would be difficult (for example) for Jews to explain the meaning of Hanukkah to their Christian brethren
•   There is nothing about Alexander the Great (356 – 323 B.C.) and his impact on Palestine in the Old or New Testaments
•   The Old Testament mentions very little about Satan, demons, or hell. Yet, those topics are common in the New Testament – what changed in those 400 years?
•   The Old Testament doesn’t really discuss the concept of the resurrection of the dead, yet the Phari- sees believe in this doctrine in the New Testament. Where did this doctrine come from?However, there is a set of Jewish documents that add to our understanding of the historical and theo- logical background of the Inter-Testamental period – the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha is, in general terms, the set of books that appear in the Greek Septuagint, but not in the Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament. Most of these books were written in the aforementioned Inter-Testamental period (al- though some claim to have been written earlier.) While many of these books appear in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles (referred to by the Roman Catholics as “deuterocanonical”), many Protestants (especially those from a Reformed Church background) are not even aware that these books exist, and may be a bit shocked when they attend a Catholic service, and hear readings from the Book of Sirach, or Tobit!There have been arguments for 2,000 years as to whether the Apocryphal books should be considered “authoritative” – i.e. of the same authority as the Old and New Testament. Some have argued for their equal authority (Saint Augustine), some have argued for their inclusion in the Bible, but in an appendix (Martin Luther), and some have argued vehemently against their inclusion in the Bible in any form (the views of 17th century English Calvinists that still impact most Protestant Bible today.) However, whether one accepts these books as authoritative or not, the Apocrypha (along with the Dead Sea Scrolls) pro- vides valuable historical and theological background to our understanding of the First Century A.D. Christian movement.This primary focus of this booklet will be to examine the Apocrypha from the point of view of its help in illuminating the Jewish roots of Christianity. Three areas of special interest will be considered:

1. The valuable historical background provided in the Apocrypha for the Inter-Testamental period, es- pecially the Maccabean Revolt
2. The development of certain theological viewpoints in the Inter-Testamental period that would later flourish under Christianity, such as resurrection of the dead, belief in the devil, demons, and hell, a focus on the end times, belief in a divine Messiah, and a highly developed “angel-ology”
3. The great debate over the years in Christian circles as to whether the Apocrypha should be consi- dered authoritative

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Nomenclature

The term “apocrypha” comes from a Greek word meaning “hidden”, or “things hidden away”. In mod- ern parlance, the word is often used to describe things that are spurious, or of questionable authority. The term “Apocrypha” (capital “A”) refers to a collection of books written in the Inter-Testamental pe- riod (and into the 1st century). In general, these books (2 Esdras and Prayer of Manasseh are exceptions) appeared in the Greek translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint, but not in Hebrew versions of the Old Testament. For the sake of this study, I’ll be using the list of books included in the NRSV Apocrypha, which include:

•   Tobit
•   Judith
•   Esther (Greek version)
•   Wisdom of Solomon
•   Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus)
•   Baruch
•   Letter of Jeremiah
•   Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews
•   Susanna (Chapter 13 of the Greek Daniel)
•   Bel & the Dragon (Chapter 14 of the Greek Daniel)
•   1 Maccabees
•   2 Maccabees
•   1 Esdras
•   Prayer of Manasseh
•   Psalm 151
•   3 Maccabees
•   2 Esdras
•   4 MaccabeesI am also including (perhaps somewhat arbitrarily) one other book in this study – 1 Enoch. I’m including this book because 1) it is the only Apocryphal book quoted in the New Testament (Jude 14/15) and 2) some 20 copies of 1 Enoch have been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, perhaps arguing for the idea that at least one Jewish sect (Essenes) viewed the work as authoritative.There are other apocryphal Jewish writings from the same period, often referred to collectively as the Pseudepigrapha, meaning that these works were often written under assumed names (the word means “with false subscriptions”). Some of the works (which will not be studied in this course) in this category include:

•   Assumption of Moses (see Jude 9)
•   Life of Adam and Eve
•   Book of Jubilees
•   Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs
•   and many others…

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Of course, some books in the Apocrypha are also written with “false subscriptions” – Baruch, Letter of Jeremiah, 2 Esdras, Wisdom of Solomon, etc., adding to some of the confusion surrounding what books are considered to be part of the Apocrypha, and what books are part of the Pseudepigrapha.

Apocrypha Quiz

1. There are no references to Jewish apocryphal works in the New Testament T/F
2. The reason for the Maccabean Revolt in the 2nd Century B.C. was to kick the Romans out of Palestine T/F
3. The reason it was called the Maccabean Revolt is because a family named Maccabeus led the fighting T/F
4. There was no concept of the resurrection of the dead in pre-Christian Jewish theology T/F
5. Martin Luther felt that the books of the Jewish apocrypha were heretical, and should not be read under anycircumstances T/F
6. Out of the major Christian denominations in the world, only the Roman Catholic Church includes books fromthe Apocrypha in their Bibles T/F
7. One of the reasons that some people feel that the Apocryph is not authoritative is because there are geo-graphical and historical errors in some of its books T/F
8. Most of the books of the Apocrypha were included in the Greek translation of the Old Testament known asthe Septuagint T/F
9. Saint Augustine believed that the Septuagint translation was inspired by God, and is therefore of equal author-ity with the original Hebrew T/F
10. Possible Hebrew sources for the Septuagint have been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls T/F