Those extra books ain’t extra.

Anyone who reads my articles, knows that the development of the Canon of The Bible is of interest to me.  I’ve even done an article on the actual Apocrypha (Reading the actual Apocrypha: The prayer of Manasses (Manasseh) .

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So, what do I make of those “7 books”?  I’ve heard people say that “well, the New Testament doesn’t quote the ‘Apocrypha’ (you’ll note that they never use the term Deuterocanonical, I’d actually refuse to take part in a debate that asks if the “Apocrypha” is scripture, that’s a different question).

Also, I’d note, that the New Testament alludes to both.  Jude refers to 1 Enoch, for instance. (The Mysterious Book of Enoch)

And Hebrews 11:35 alludes to 2 Maccabees 7 (Answering the Most Common Objection to the Deuterocanonical Books)

“Objection”!  You might say, “those are Catholic sources”!  Okay, let’s just forgot for a minute that those Catholics are using Protestant sources, here’s a Protestant source; The Bible Authorized King James Version With Apocrypha

One thing I’ve noticed though, is how much prophecy is CLEARLY in the Deuterocanonical books.  A good example of this, is Wisdom 2 directly alludes to THE TRINITY.  In fact, read Wisdom 2:16 from the King James Version (which, if you’re subscribed to the “Apocrypha Apocalypse” on YouTube, you can learn a lot of stuff like this, and it is nice to see that some Protestants are starting to accept these books, Apocrypha Apocalypse). 

“We are esteemed of him as counterfeits; he abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness: he pronounceth the end of the just to be blessed, and maketh his boast that God is his father”.

And make sure you read v. 17,

“Let us see if his words be true: and let us prove what shall happen to him in the end.”

Because of time, I don’t want to go through all of this, but, Wisdom 9:17, flat out mentions the Holy Spirit.  NOW, there are other places in the Old Testament that refer to “God’s spirit” (Genesis 1:2, for instance).  And even refers to God as Father (Such as Malachi 2:10). What the Book of Wisdom does, is put, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” (or, Holy Ghost, if you’re old fashioned, both are correct, and I use them interchangeably), all together. 

“And thy counsel, who hath known, except thou give wisdom, and send thy Holy Spirit from above”? 

I know that traditionally the King James Version had cross references to those books, so, something tells me the “but the New Testament doesn’t quote the Apocrypha” is a relatively new phrase. 

And, if you’re Protestant, you owe it to yourself to get familiar with these books.  They are, as matter of history, part of your Bible. 

Adam Charles Hovey is the host of "Coffee and Christianity", a weekly show on the Adam Charles Hovey Podcast; Coffee and Christianity

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