The Significance Of The Apocrypha

By John R. Mabry

Although Roman Catholics take them for granted, few protestants are even aware of the existance of the books known as the Apocrypha, let alone having read, enjoyed and studied them. And most would be shocked at the wealth of knowledge that lies quietly within this slim volume.

"Apocrypha" comes from the greek word apocryphos which means "hidden." It refers to a collection of ancient Jewish writings which were penned between 250 BC and the early Christian era. Although the Roman Catholic Church accepted them as inspired at the Council of Trent in 1546 AD, even the Hebrew canon does not recognize them; nor did the early Church Fathers- although they knew them well and valued them. The confusion of the Apocrypha with the canon begins with the Alexandrian translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, the Septuagint. This translation was extremely popular and was the f1common" Bible of the New Testament world. It is within the Septuagint that the Apocryphal books were nestled.

As we shall see, there is good reason to believe that the Apocryphabearing Septuagint was known to Christ and the New Testament writers, and is often quoted and alluded to. As far as the worth of Apocrypha study today, David Gregg argues passionately that

We should know the Apocrypha because it is part of the literature of the Covenant People of God through whom God in an especial [sic] way has revealed Himself to mankind. It contains the Interbiblical History of the Jews. It gives us the period between the Testaments. It tells of the clash between Hellenism and Hebraism during the post exilic centuries, and how Hebraism grandly held its own until the coming of Christ .... The Apocrypha is decidedly the most famous part of the literature belonging to the centuries between Malachi and Matthew. Without it these centuries would be a great blank .... We would know nothing of the great sacrifices made by the martyrs, who sent down the truths of the O.T. to posterity, written in their own blood. The ... Apocrypha has a world of its own to narrate and make immortal. 1 (italics his.)

The first thing we notice upon peering into this esteemed volume is itts superficial similarity to various canonical writings. In fact, all of the major middle-eastern literary genres are represented, with onevery enteresting exception. Like the books of Joshua and Kings, I Maccabees presents a straightforward historical account, documenting the years before the Maccabean revolt until the death of Simon. 2

Legend Literature is found in II Maccabees, demonstrating the human imagination's eagerness for the fantastic, and how quickly myth may be constructed around fact, since II Maccabees was written about 50 BC, just 120 years after the portrayed events. 3

Whereas some may hold legend material to be true, or partly true, pure Fictional Literature also has its place in Hebrew writings, as the story of the three youths (in I Esdras), Judith and Tobit attest. Tobit, especially, is colorful and a delight to peruse. Also very enjoyable are the original detective stories of Suzanna and Bel and the Dragon.

Hebrew Poetry we find in abundance here as well. Of psalms (or hymns) we have but a few scattered within the books themselves: The Song of the Three Holy Children is one good example. But of Wisdom Poetry we have no shortage. Much like the canonical Proverbs, they are short, pithy sayings offering advice on every imaginable aspect of life. Ecclesiasticus, especially, is dense with valuable suggestions. The Wisdom of Solomon, though, may ultimately prove to be the most important book in this genre for its incongruous blend of Hebrew religion and Greek philosophy. If that comment reminds you of a singular New Testament writer, it should, as we shall see.

One of the most popular of the late Hebrew writings is Apocalyptic Literature. The Pseudepigrapha (another assortment of ancient, mostly Hebrew writings) contains as many as at least a score of Apocalypses, so it isn't suprising to find one included here. Perhaps, in face, it should suprise us that there is so little Apocalyptic literature in the Apocrypha. II Esdras is the single representative of this best-selling catagory, providing a hopeful vision of the coming age of the Messias. It is ironic, though, that most scholars date this work around 90 AD, after most of the New Testament writings were completed. 4

The most unusual book, though, is easily overlooked, being one of the shortest: The Epistle of Jeremaiah. As most Bible students know, 21 out of the 27 New Testament books are in the form of letters, but not one of the Old Testament books are. The Epistle of Jeremiah, probably written soon after the Babylonian exile, allows us a glimpse of the developement of a literary genre which will reach full bloom in the first Christian century. It was during the exile that letters began to be used regularly, keeping the Jews in Babylon, Judea and Alexandria in contact encourage one another in their mutual resistance to the faith of their fathers. 5 Letters tions: the simple, personal letter and in order to strengthen and to paganism and in loyalty eventually developed in two directhe more complex public document which was usually an flopen letter" to a group of people which we will call an "Tepistle". 6 The Epistle of Jeremiah (and other infrequent epistles scattered within the Apocryphal books) is therefore of emmense importance as a developemental witness to this great, ancient literary genre.

Undoubtedly the single most important reason to study the Apocryphal writings is to see the profound theological developement unfolding in the crucial intertestamental centuries. The doctrines of Messianic hope is an excellent example: The Old Testament is actually pretty scarce on messianic belief. Many passages (such as Isaiah's "a maiden shall concieve...") are only messianic in the light of hindsight and were probably not originally written with that in mind at all, But during and after the Babylonian exile, when so many doctrines fell firmly into place, t,".e seed of Messianic hope flowers in the fertile imagination of man into wild and glorious expectations of a conquoring, liberating warrior-king who would defeat the children of darkness and establish the Throne of God on the earth. Countless apocalypses in the pseudepigraphal books express this urgent desire and gave birth to such familiar titles as "The Annointed One" and "The Son of Man". 7 In the apocryphal apocalypse of 11 Esdras we see the increasing interest amung certain groups of Jews (with various opinions, as we see in the Gospels) in the fulfillment of Messianic expectations.

The concepts of afterlife and monotheism also went through tremendous evolution during this time. Until the Babylonian exile, the Jews were monolatrous; that is, while the existance of other gods was admitted, Jehovah was the God of Israel. 8 Other deities outside of Israel were acknowledged, however. Each nation had its own god, whose jurisdiction was limited to its own country and people. Thus, Naaman in I Kings 5:17 asks Elisha to let him take two mule's loads of Judean dirt back to Aram.

Since Jehovah's dominion did not extend beyond Palestine, the Hebrews had no hope of being cared for by Jehovah after death, since Sheol was not within Jehovah's alloted territory. Therefore, "...before the eighth century B.C. no conflict between Hebrew theology and eschatology of the individual was possible, since their provinces were mutually exclusive." 9 These profoundly Old Testament ideas are mirrored in the Apocryphal writings of I Maccabees, Tobit and Ecclesiasticus. But The Wisdom of Solomon and a host of pseudepigraphal literature provide stepping stones across the great divide between the Old Testament and New Testament visions of afterlife and personal eschatology. One such stone is found in Il Maccabees where belief in a resurrection for the righteous, but not for the wicked is expressed:

When he too had died, they maltreated and tortured the fourth [brother] in the same way. And when he was near death, he said, "One cannot but choose to die at the hands of men and to cherish the hope that God gives of being raised again by him. But for you there will be no resurrection to life!"

From there it is a short hop to the New Testament concept of the general resurrection.

More quickly found and easily interpreted is the notion of angelic and demonic heirarchy. Most valuable for this study are the Pseudepigraphal writings such as I Enoch, Jubilees and the various apocalypses 10 although the Apocryphal books are richer with angel-related references than those of the canon. For instance, in the Apocalyptic II Esdras, we meet a dire pedant in the angel Uriel (4:1 and following), and in the legend material of Tobit we find an angel named Raphael as one of the main charactors. He is Tobias' gaurdian and friend. The personality of Raphael makes him quite different from angels encountered in the canonical books. Those we view at a distance, as things holy and as unapproachable as God himself, until we come to the New Testament where the personal angel notion is taken for granted, as seen in the Nativity narratives.

Also being developed were the various approaches to the Law. Most prominent in the Apocrypha is the pharisaic doctrine of works. In Tobit, for example, Tobit lectures Tobias on money and almsgiving, saying "Charity delivers from death and keeps you from entereing the darkness." Also in II Esdras 8:33 we read "For the righteous, who have many works laid up with thee, shall receive their reward in consequence of their own deeds." Ecclesiasticus, also, in more passages than I have room to name, we find the doctrine of righteousness by means of works.

Righteousness or damnation by heritage is another Pharisaic concept delt with in both the Apocrypha and the New Testament, and in fact, by Christ himself in the Gospels. For the salvation appeal to the Pseudepigrapha, "Cause not thy mercy to depart from us, for the sake of Isaac thy servant, and Israel thy holy one." (Prayer of Asarias, 12) Christ counters this directly in his rebuke of the Pharisees in Luke 3:8, "Bear fruits that befit repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham." Conversely, the age-old connection between sins of the fathers being visited upon succeeding generations is well represented in the Apocrypha. Baruch 3:4 reads "0 Lord Almighty, God of Israel, hear now the prayer of the dead of Israel and of the sons of those who sinned before thee, who did not heed the voice Lord their God, so that calamities have clung to usn(This also is dealt with by Christ in John 9:2,3). But more important, probably, is the faint beginnings of the abstract interpretations of the Law which we see dimly, yet genuinely represented in the Apocrypha, a forshadowing of the nearly complete spiritualization of Law made by Christ. Again turning to II Esdras we find the law represented as inadequate to save from sin (II Esdras 3:22, 9:36). Ecclesiasticus, paradoxically, contains both the abstract approach to the Law and the doctrine of works. 12

We may here be asking ourselves whether Jesus and the other New Testament writers were influenced at all by the Apocryphal writings. In the case immediately above, I think not, as Christ was simply responding to common Pharisaic teachings which were reflected by, not founded upon, the Apocrypha. There are a number of parrallels to be noted in the Gospels themselves, but, as Metzger points out, it is difficult to determine whether Christ himself was mirroring certain Apocryphal passages, or if his chroniclers, the Gospel writers, were responsible for fashioning his words and concepts into familiar strains drawn from the Apocrypha. 13 Keeping this in mind, let us realize that although "no passage from the Apocrypha is ever expressly quoted by a New Testament author as proceeding from a sacred authority". 14 There are far too many parrallel passages to record in this paper, so hopefully a few selected samples will suffice.

The familiar Johannine creation account echoes a number of Apocryphal passages which may provide some background for the Evangelist's mystic imagery:"'O God of our fathers, and Lord of mercy, who hast made all things by thy word, and by thy wisdom didst for man...' (Wisdom 9:1,2); 'word' and 'wisdom' must be regarded as synonymous. In II Esdras 6:38 it is said: '0 Lord, of a truth thou spakest at the beginning of the creation, upon the first day, and saidst thus: Let heaven and earth be made; and thy word perfected the earth. ,,15 Continuing in John, we find that Christ may have been consciously answering the character Wisdom, "Those that eat me will be hungry for more, and those that drink me will be thirsty for more" (Ecclesiasticus 24:21) with his "He who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). Wisdom, which admittedly leaves one hungry for more, is the mere shadow of Christ, who is all- satisfying.

By far the most semblences are found in Matthew, which only stands to reason in that these are Jewish books and would be familiar to his intended audiance. Jesus' comforting invitation "Come to me all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30) is similar, aot only in theme, but also in structure, to verses found close together in Ecclesiasticus:

Draw near to me you who are untaught,

and lodge in the house of instruction...

Put your neck under the yoke,

and let your souls recieve instruction ...

See with your eyes that I have labored little

and found for myself much rest (Ecclesiasticus 51:23-27). 16

Another time, Jesus may well have adapted an Ecclesiasticus passage into a parable:

There is a man who is rich through his diligence and self-denial,

And this is the reward allotted to him:

When he says, 'I have found rest,

And now I shall enjoy my goods!'

He dows not know when his time will come;

He will leave them to others and die (Ecclesisticus 11:18-19).

This sounds very familiar to Christ's story of the rich man who stored up an abundance of goods and as he settles down to enjoy his fortune, his soul is required of him by God, who calls him a fool.1-7 There are others in Matthew, and one of the best is also reminiscent of.Ecclesiasticus: "Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray"(28:2) sounds very like Jesus' affirmation at the close of the Lord's Prayer, "If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6:14-15). Also, there is the "negative Golden Rule" found in Tobit, that is so well known as not to be worthwhile quoting.

Though there are many parrallels in the Gospels, by far the most occur in the writings of Paul, who seems to have been particularly familiar with one lipocryphal book, The Wisdom of Solomon. One passage I will quote at length, since it is possibly the most important of the Pauline parrallels (pretty peachy alliteration, huh?): ROMANS Ever since the creation of the world his [God's] invisable nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly percieved in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (1:20)

For although they knew God did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened. (21)

Claiming to be wise they became fools (22). and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for imaRes resemblinR mortal man or birds or animals or rentiles. (23)

WISDOM From the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponing perception of their creator. (13:5) Yet again, even they cannot be excused; for if they had the power to know so much that they could investigate the world, how did they fail to find sooner the Lord of these things. (8)

For all men who were ignorant of God were foolish by nature; and thev were unable from the good things that are seen to know him who exists, nor did thev recoRnize the craftsman while paying heed to his works. (1)

WISDOM heed to his works. For they went very far astray on the paths of error, accepting as gods those animals which even their enemies despised; they are decieved like foolish babes. (12:24) 18

The armour illustration in Ephesians six is also worth noting in relation to Wisdom. chapter five. Both of these echo the much older passage in Isaiah: "He [the Lord] put of righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head." Wisdom elaborates upon this theme, and in Ephesians, Paul has picked up the elaborations and has added some of his own, with striking similarities in the wording of the Greek texts. 19

Further in II Corinthians, Paul likens the body to a tent which, while we inhabit it "we sigh with anxiety"(5:1.4). Compare this to Wisdom 9:15: "For a perishable body weighs down the soul, and this earthly tent burdens the thoughful mind."

Surely these (and other) parrallels cannot be ignored, but must lead us to the conclusion that the New Testament writers were at least familiar with some of these books if not (as is most likely in Paul's case) having actually studied them. It is my personal opinion, that it is not unlikely that

Christ as he grew and as his hunger for knowledge was fed, was surely well read in all of the available pius Judean Literature (and not unlikely

that he may have read some Greek teachers as well). But his public usage of such parrallel passages were, in scholar Bruce Metzger's view, "no more than an everyday expression which was either commonplace or proverbial among Palestinian peasantry. ,20

So. in the face of such stunning evidence, what are we to make of the Apocrypha? In what measure of esteem should we regard it? Would the general population of Protestant Christianity be nourished o r poisened at it's in troduction? The answer to this, I think, lies in our discernment between a good book and THE Good Book. No one with a sane diposition (sorry, Rome) is touting them as Scripture, only as good books by godly men. They should be approached as we approach any popular Christian book. No one balks at buyin and studying a book by Chuck Swindall.But few, I would hope, swallow it in hook, line and sinker without the temperence of their own conscience and intellect; so with this ancient treasure. I can think of no greater appeal to the modern Christian than this passage by Reverend David Gregg, which, although a bit lengthy, is worthy of quotation, every syllable:

If it were announced that "a box of writings had just been discovered by the archeolopists of Oriental lands, containing narratives, and stories, and poems. and visions, and apocalypses, and ethical treatises, giving voices to the Interbiblical period of silences between the Testaments," what a rush there would be toward these valuable relics; and what an amount of study would be given them; and what books and magazine articles would issue from the press setting them before an interested public! Such a literature we have in these fourteen Greek books known as the Old Testament Apocrypha. Let justice be done to this literature! Let it be treated as though it were new-found! It is, as Doctor Stalker of Glasgow says, "the background of the Life of Christ." 21

I Between the Testaments, or Interbiblical History Rev. David Gregg. 190-7, Funk and Wagnalls Company. pps. 96,7.

2 Between the Testaments D.S. Russel. 1960, Fortress Press. p.W8.

3 Ibid. pps. -78-9.

4 Ibid. p. 81.

5 An Introduction to the Apocrypha Bruce M. Metzger. 1957 Oxford University

Press. p.154.

6 Ibid. p. 153

-7 Ibid. p. 155.

8 Religious Developement Between the Old and New Testaments R.H. Charles Williams and Norgate, London (no date available). p. 98.

Ibid. P. 101.

10 See Charlesworth's Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Vol II, p. 925 for Index of Angelic texts.

11 An Introduction to the Books of the Apocrypha W. 0. E. Oesterley. 1953 London S.P.C.K. P.

12 Ibid. 112-113.

13 Metzger, p.167.

14 Ibid. p. 171.

15 Oesterley, p. 116.

16 Metzger, p. 16q, 168.

1-7 Ibid. 168.

18 Ibid. p. 159.

19 Ibid. p. 161.

20 Ibid. p. 169.

21 Gregg, p. 94, 98.

All quotations from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible and the Revised Standard Version Apocrypha.