What are the Old Testament Apocrypha?
Probably the best way to state this answer is to quote a well-known scholar in this area, David deSilva. He writes, “Far from being a threat to faith, the Old Testament Apocrypha are a vital witness to faith, specifically the faith of Jewish people living in the period between the third century B.C.E. and the first century C.E. The different writings come from Palestine, Alexandria (Egypt), Antioch (Syria), and possibly even Persia . . . Some were written originally in Greek, the common language of the Mediterranean world from the third century B.C.E. on, others in Hebrew or Aramaic” (Introducing the Apocrypha, 16). To list the books of the Apocrypha is no easy task. Basically the range is from ‘7 to 18’ books. This is usually a difficult determination for the student who is learning the Apocrypha. The student needs to answer the following question: Is the Apocrypha the books (generally 15) included in the Septuagint or is it the books that the Catholic religion holds to (generally 7)?
Probably the best way to state this answer is to quote a well-known scholar in this area, David deSilva. He writes, Far from being a threat to faith, the Old Testament Apocrypha are a vital witness to faith, specifically the faith of Jewish people living in the period between the third century B.C.E. and the first century C.E. The different writings come from Palestine, Alexandria (Egypt), Antioch (Syria), and possibly even Persia . . . Some were written originally in Greek, the common language of the Mediterranean world from the third century B.C.E. on, others in Hebrew or Aramaic (Introducing the Apocrypha, 16). To list the books of the Apocrypha is no easy task. Basically the range is from 7 to 18 books. This is usually a difficult determination for the student who is learning the Apocrypha. The student needs to answer the following question: Is the Apocrypha the books (generally 15) included in the Septuagint or is it the books that the Catholic religion holds to (generally 7)? The
