My cousin got married recently and in true bookworm fashion, I have already borrowed a book from my new cousin-in-law! Since he and my cousin are theology students/graduates, I found an introduction to the apocrypha (literally the subject and title of the book) on their shelves.
Like the title says, An Introduction to the Apocrypha does exactly that. The apocrypha covered in this book are:
- The First Book of Esdras
- The Second Book of Esdras
- Tobit
- Judith
- The Additions to the Book of Esther
- The Wisdom of Solomon
- Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach
- Baruch
- The Letter of Jeremiah
- The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men
- Susanna
- Bel and the Dragon
- The Prayer of Manasseh
- The First Book of the Maccabees
- The Second Book of the Maccabees
Each book contains an overview of the history of that particular apocryphon and a summary of its contents. Metzger writes with an affectionate but appropriately critical view. While he acknowledges the influence that the Apocrypha has had, he also doesn’t pretend that they are on the same level as the canonical books of the Bible.
The latter half of the book talks about the relationship between the Apocrypha and the New Testament, the history of the Apocrypha in the Church, and the Influence it has had. For example, the gospel accounts of the birth of Christ say nothing of when he was born, but due to a few lines in the Apocrypha, the image of him being born at night was fixed in the popular consciousness.
My main takeaway from this book was that while the Apocrypha may have no Scriptural authority, they are useful in helping us understand the various schools of thought that were developing around that time and to see how Judaism developed between the books of the Old Testament and New Testament.
If you’re somewhat interested in the apocrypha and want to learn more, I think this is a good starting point. The text is clear and easy and I finished this book with a better understanding of what the Apocrypha is and how they are related to the various books of the Bible.
There’s no one better than Metzger for explaining textual and canonical issues!
I will have to see if my cousin has any more of his books!
Most of them do tend to be on the dry side. His “The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration” is invaluable in understanding textual criticism…but also dry as dust (especially the catalog of notable extant manuscripts).
Dry is not such a big issue for – if it’s understandable and reliable, that’s far more important.
I’m with you on that! I’d rather read a dry history or theology book that covers a topic thoroughly than a “readable” one that oversimplifies a complex topic.
Well now I feel uneducated for never having heard of the Apocrypha haha
I don’t blame you! My first exposure to them was last year, at a Catholic friend’s wedding (before COVID hit).