Errors in the Apocrypha

[Chad]

Errors in the Apocrypha

by Matt Slick

The apocrypha (απόκρυφα means "hidden") is a set of books written between approximately 400 B.C. and the time of Christ that is rejected by the Protestants and officially accepted by the Roman Catholic Church in 1546 as being inspired. These books are Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (also known as Ecclesiasticus), and Baruch.

But if the Apocrypha is a Scripture, then it should not have any errors. But since it does have errors, as will be demonstrated below, this puts into question whether or not the Roman Catholic Church has properly used its self-proclaimed position as the teaching authority of the Christian Church. If it can error in such an important manner as what is Scripture, can it be trusted to properly teach the Christian Church? The following references can be verified at NEW ADVENT BIBLE: The Best Online Bible in the World.

Problems in the Apocrypha

When we look into the apocrypha itself, we find numerous problems. For example, we see it advocating magic where the smoke of a fish heart on a fire drives away devils.

Condones the use of magic

Tobit 6:5-7, "Then the angel said to him: Take out the entrails of this fish, and lay up his heart, and his gall, and his liver for thee: for these are necessary for useful medicines. 6 And when he had done so, he roasted the flesh thereof, and they took it with them in the way: the rest they salted as much as might serve them, till they came to Rages the city of the Medes. 7 Then Tobias asked the angel, and said to him: I beseech thee, brother Azarias, tell me what remedies are these things good for, which thou hast bid me keep of the fish? 8 And the angel, answering, said to him: If thou put a little piece of its heart upon coals, the smoke thereof driveth away all kind of devils, either from man or from woman, so that they come no more to them."
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Is it true that the smoke from a fish's heart, when burned, drives away evil spirits? Of course not. Such a superstitious teaching has no place in the word of God.

Teaches that forgiveness of sins is by human effort.

Salvation by works:
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• Tobit 4:11, "For alms deliver from all sin, and from death, and will not suffer the soul to go into darkness."
• Tobit 12:9, "For alms delivereth from death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting."

We know from Scripture that alms (money or food, given to the poor or needy as charity) does not purge our sins. The blood of Christ is what cleanses us, not money or food given to poor people. "but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin," (1 John 1:7).

Money as an offering for the sins of the dead:
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2 Maccabbees 12:43, "And making a gathering, he sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection."
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Can anyone truly accept that money isn't offering for the sins of dead people? Such a superstitious and unbiblical concept has no place in Scripture.

Historical Errors

Wrong historical facts:
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• Judith 1:5, "Now in the twelfth year of his reign, Nabuchodonosor, king of the Assyrians, who reigned in Ninive the great city, fought against Arphaxad and overcame him."
• Baruch 6:2, "And when you are come into Babylon, you shall be there many years, and for a long time, even to seven generations: and after that I will bring you away from thence with peace."

The book of Judith incorrectly says that Nebuchadnezzar was the king of the Assyrians when he was the king of the Babylonians.1

Baruch 6:2 says the Jews would serve in Babylon for seven generations where Jer. 25:11 says it was for 70 years. "And this whole land shall be a desolation and a horror, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years."

Conclusion

Obviously the apocrypha has serious problems. From magic, to salvation by works, to money as an offering for the sins of the dead, and blatant incorrect historical facts, it is full of false and unbiblical teachings. It isn't inspired of God. Likewise, neither is the Roman Catholic Church, which has stated the Apocrypha is inspired. This shows the Roman Catholic Church is not the means by which God is communicating his truth to his people, that the Magisterium has erred greatly, and that it is infested with man's false tradition, rather than God's absolute truth.

 

[dannibear]

This is the second time I have seen any mentioning in my life of this 'Apocrypha'. Quite an eye opener in this thread. Any idea of who wrote it, or is it a mystery?

 

[David777]

Hello all.

"Can anyone truly accept that money isn't offering for the sins of dead people? Such a superstitious and unbiblical concept has no place in Scripture."
Not difficult to see the origin of this concept.

Prosperity Gospel in another form.

 

[Brad Huber]

This is the second time I have seen any mentioning in my life of this 'Apocrypha'. Quite an eye opener in this thread. Any idea of who wrote it, or is it a mystery?

In case no one knew, it was actually included in the King James bible when it first came out. But afterwords, scholars decided it was unworthy to be included. I have a copy of the King James with it still in there.

 

[james1523]

Slow down a minute Mr Matt Slick.

What makes something Scripture or not is not whether it has errors or not according to your assessment, but whether Jesus and authoritative early church fathers used it or held it in high regard.

Where the Catholic church erred was to canonize the Apocrypha , to justify their heretical doctrines and practices. But this does not mean the Apocrypha is from the devil.

Martin Luther referred to the Apocrypha as ""Apocrypha, that are books which are not considered equal to the Holy Scriptures, but are useful and good to read".

Jesus quoted from Apocrypha or the Apocrypha parallels the Canon a number of occasions:

Matt. 6:19-20 - Sirach 29:11 - lay up your treasure.
Matt.. 7:12 - Tobit 4:15 - what you hate, do not do to others.
Matt. 7:16,20 - Sirach 27:6 - the fruit discloses the cultivation.
Matt. 9:36 - Judith 11:19 - sheep without a shepherd.
Matt. 11:25 - Tobit 7:18 - Lord of heaven and earth.
Matt. 12:42 - Jesus refers to the wisdom of Solomon
Matt. 16:18 - references Wisdom 16:13.
Matt. 22:25; Mark 12:20; Luke 20:29 refer to Tobit 3:8 and 7:11
Matt. 24:15 - the "desolating sacrilege" Jesus refers to is also taken from 1 Macc. 1:54 and 2 Macc. 8:17.
Matt. 24:16 - let those "flee to the mountains" is taken from 1 Macc. 2:28.
Matt. 27:43 - if He is God's Son, let God deliver him from His adversaries follows Wisdom 2:18.
Mark 4:5,16-17 - Jesus' description of seeds falling on rocky ground and having no root follows Sirach 40:15.
Mark 9:48 - description of hell where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched references Judith 16:17.

Also the book of Enoch was quoted by Jude and James the brother of Jesus.

So the Apocrypha is not just "full of unbiblical practices and teachings", it contains Canonical truth as well, and probably more than your average prosperity TV preacher!

 

[Ophel]

"Can anyone truly accept that money isn't offering for the sins of dead people? Such a superstitious and unbiblical concept has no place in Scripture."
Not difficult to see the origin of this concept.

Prosperity Gospel in another form.

That isn't so. It is the result of church leaders robbing from the poor, and creating dogma to do so.

 

[New Legacy]

This is the second time I have seen any mentioning in my life of this 'Apocrypha'. Quite an eye opener in this thread. Any idea of who wrote it, or is it a mystery?

The Jews. The Apocrypha was considered canon at the time of Christ as was included in Jewish Greek canon, but was eventually rejected by the schools of the Pharisees after the destruction of the temple in 70AD because the texts were written in Aramaic.

The Reformation eventually rejected the Apocrypha as well, despite the fact it was considered scripture by Christians for the first 1500 years (among Coptics, Orthodox, and Catholics).

 

[New Legacy]

"Can anyone truly accept that money isn't offering for the sins of dead people? Such a superstitious and unbiblical concept has no place in Scripture."
Not difficult to see the origin of this concept.

Prosperity Gospel in another form.

I am not sure what you mean. The prosperity Gospel teaches that the more you have faith and do for God, the more money you will receive.

The Aramaic texts of the OT are only questioned on a single passage about praying for the dead. The early Christian Church prayed for the dead. In subsequent centuries, prayers were also viewed in the form of penance for a person. That is, one could not only pray for the dead, but take on penances for the dead. These included acts of denial (fasting, etc) as well as sacrifice through giving money. Eventually, the system was corrupted to suggest that one could 'buy' a loved one out of purgatory.

 

[New Legacy]

Slow down a minute Mr Matt Slick.

What makes something Scripture or not is not whether it has errors or not according to your assessment, but whether Jesus and authoritative early church fathers used it or held it in high regard.

Where the Catholic church erred was to canonize the Apocrypha , to justify their heretical doctrines and practices. But this does not mean the Apocrypha is from the devil.

Martin Luther referred to the Apocrypha as ""Apocrypha, that are books which are not considered equal to the Holy Scriptures, but are useful and good to read".

Jesus quoted from Apocrypha or the Apocrypha parallels the Canon a number of occasions:

Matt. 6:19-20 - Sirach 29:11 - lay up your treasure.
Matt.. 7:12 - Tobit 4:15 - what you hate, do not do to others.
Matt. 7:16,20 - Sirach 27:6 - the fruit discloses the cultivation.
Matt. 9:36 - Judith 11:19 - sheep without a shepherd.
Matt. 11:25 - Tobit 7:18 - Lord of heaven and earth.
Matt. 12:42 - Jesus refers to the wisdom of Solomon
Matt. 16:18 - references Wisdom 16:13.
Matt. 22:25; Mark 12:20; Luke 20:29 refer to Tobit 3:8 and 7:11
Matt. 24:15 - the "desolating sacrilege" Jesus refers to is also taken from 1 Macc. 1:54 and 2 Macc. 8:17.
Matt. 24:16 - let those "flee to the mountains" is taken from 1 Macc. 2:28.
Matt. 27:43 - if He is God's Son, let God deliver him from His adversaries follows Wisdom 2:18.
Mark 4:5,16-17 - Jesus' description of seeds falling on rocky ground and having no root follows Sirach 40:15.
Mark 9:48 - description of hell where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched references Judith 16:17.

Also the book of Enoch was quoted by Jude and James the brother of Jesus.

So the Apocrypha is not just "full of unbiblical practices and teachings", it contains Canonical truth as well, and probably more than your average prosperity TV preacher!

Luther wanted to remove other books of the bible as well. The only argument against these books is that they are written in Aramaic, rather than Hebrew. This is not a good stance to take as Christians, since some of the NT was originally written in Aramaic before taking on their current Greek form.

I believe the early Church considered it canon because at the time of Christ it was considered canon. Only after the destruction of the temple when the pharisees emerged as the ultimate leaders of the Jewish faith were non-Hebrew texts disregarded.