Why was the Apocrypha included in the early Bible?
The Apocrypha was included in the Septuagint which was the Greek Bible of the early church. There were two canons in the early church. One was the Palestinian Canon. This is the Hebrew Canon which originated in Palestine with the same O.T. books as our English Bible. This was the canon of the Jews. There other was the Alexandrian Canon. This was the Greek Canon with an additional 14 or 15 books which originated in Alexandria, Egypt and where the Septuagint was written in 250 B.C. Athanasius, bishop of Alexander, in A.D. 367 wrote concerning the Apocrypha, that these are “not indeed included in the Canon, but appointed by the Father to be read by those who newly join us, and who wish for instruction in the words of godliness.” Martin Luther in his German translation wrote: “The Apocryphal Books, which are not to be held equal to Holy Scripture, but are useful and good to read.” For example, I Maccabees is one of the best written historical accounts of the Maccabean revolt in the 2nd cen
