What Is the Deuterocanon or Apocrypha?

Key takeaways

The Deuterocanon and Apocrypha include valuable Jewish literature that enriches understanding of biblical history.
The history of Bible formation demonstrates differing views among Christian traditions about what constitutes scripture.
Jesus and the Apostles valued the Deuterocanonical writings, engaging with them as part of spiritual life.
Debates surrounding biblical texts highlight the evolving nature of scripture through history.
Future episodes will delve deeper into the making of the Bible and its historical context.

Summary

Understanding the Deuterocanon and Apocrypha

This section introduces the difference between the Protestant and Catholic Bibles, including the additional books found in the Catholic canon known as the Deuterocanon, which are called the Apocrypha by Protestants. Key texts such as Tobit, Judith, and 1 and 2 Maccabees are highlighted, along with their historical context: the time of the Jewish return from exile and their struggles under foreign rule. The discussion emphasizes the value of these texts in understanding the biblical narrative.

The Historical Context and Formation of the Bible

Jon and Tim dive into the historical backdrop of how the Bible was formed, proposing that the Bible has not always existed in its current form and that different Christian traditions shape its contents. They discuss the rise of Protestantism, beginning with Martin Luther, and how this movement led to the marginalization of the Deuterocanonical books, which were initially included in earlier Protestant Bibles.

Jesus, the Apostles, and the Value of Deuterocanonical Literature

This section explores how Jesus and the Apostles engaged with the text of the Deuterocanon, suggesting that they found these works valuable, enriching their understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures. The conversation emphasizes that these texts were significant in the Second Temple period, intended for communities aiming to understand God and faith in the socioeconomic challenges of their time.

Debates on the Canon and its Implications

The episode uncovers the historical debates regarding what literature constitutes the Bible, looking at how early church figures viewed these texts either as valuable scripture or secondary readings for more mature audiences. Jon and Tim discuss the ramifications of these debates on the present-day accessibility and perception of biblical texts.

Future Discussions on the Making of the Bible

Wrapping up the episode, Jon outlines plans for upcoming discussions that will reverse engineer the Bible's formation, starting with the earliest mentions of writing in the biblical narrative. This segment connects the importance of preserving memories of identity-forming events to the overall theme of the podcast.

Show notes

How the Bible Was Formed E1 — If you’ve ever compared a Protestant Bible to a Catholic Bible, you may notice some additional books in the Catholic Bible, such as Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, etc. These books, called the Deuterocanon by Catholics and the Apocrypha by Protestants, are Jewish Literature from the period after the Babylonian exile but before the time of Jesus. The Jewish people were back in the land, being ruled by Syria and other empires descended from Alexander the Great. As they read the Hebrew Bible, they created many new literary works, reflecting on stories in Scripture and what was happening in their own day. So how do we understand the status and value of these books when compared to the Hebrew Bible and New Testament? In this episode, Jon and Tim explore the background, history, and content of this Second-Temple Jewish literature.

CHAPTERS

Multiple Bibles on the Shelf (00:00-21:10)
History of the Protestant Apocrypha (21:10-34:35)
How Jesus and the Apostles Engaged With These Books (34:35-43:05)
Why We’re Talking About the Deuterocanon/Apocrypha (43:05-57:36)

OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

View this episode’s official transcript.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

The Old Testament Pseudepigraphaby James H. Charlesworth
Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: More Noncanonical Scriptures, edited by Richard Bauckham, James Davila, Alex Panayotov
You can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.
Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

“Pure Joy ft. John Lee” by Lofi Sunday
“Chillbop ft. Me & The Boys” by Lofi Sunday
“Answered Prayers ft. PAINT WITH SOUND” by Lofi Sunday
BibleProject theme song by TENTS

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who edited today’s episode and also provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie.

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