Questions tagged [apocrypha]

Books not considered to be biblical by at least some churches.

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What is the origin of the Catholic apocrypha?

In the Catholic tradition, several "apocryphal" books are used in addition to the same Old Testament canon used by Protestants. What is the origin of these books and how do they differ from from the ...
Caleb's user avatar
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21 votes
2 answers
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Where did angels get their wings?

The Bible does not record angels having wings at any point, but this is a popular depiction of angels. Do any Christian groups teach that angels do have wings, in extra-biblical materials? Where does ...
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35 votes
6 answers
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Is there any Biblical Basis for 400 years of silence between Old and New Testament? [closed]

When I was researching about the deuterocanon (or the apocrypha, as most Protestants call them) I stumbled upon the notion that God was silent during a period of 400 years between the end of the Old ...
David Woitkowski's user avatar
6 votes
5 answers
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Did the 1st Century Church Accept the Deuterocanonical books?

I understand that both the Eastern Orthodoxy and the Catholic Church accept the Deuterocanonical books as scripture. However, since their founding (I understand that they would both claim to begin ...
Luke Hill's user avatar
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1 answer
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Why is the Gospel of Thomas considered heretical by Nicene Christians?

I've seen in a few places the Gospel of Thomas described as Gnostic and thus heretical. I've seen people dismiss it as heretical but never going into the details of why that is the case. Why is the ...
Reluctant_Linux_User's user avatar
17 votes
4 answers
8k views

Should a Protestant read the apocryphal books of the Bible? [closed]

The Protestant Bible has 66 books. Should we read apocryphal books (e.g. 1&2 Maccabees and Gospel of Thomas)?
Benny's user avatar
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3 answers
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Which canon did the Early Church recognize?

I’m trying to compile the History of the Bible, at least the Christian recognition of what was inspired and what wasn’t in the Old Testament. I‘ll neglect the question of who had the authority to ...
BigRob's user avatar
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Are there any Messianic references in the OT apocrypha? [closed]

Are there any references to Jesus / the Messiah in the OT apocrypha? (See example of book list here.)
Reinstate Monica - Goodbye SE's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
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Do any Protestant denominations organize a canon starting from a collection of books other than the Roman Catholic Church's canon?

It is my understanding that most Protestant groups recognise a 66 book canon which is entirely a subset of the Roman Catholic canon and which was developed by removing the so-called apocrypha from the ...
Please stop being evil's user avatar