translated and were included in it almost without exception until 1827. In other words, the procedure was this: First the Apocrypha got into the LXX, then into the Old Latin, then into the Latin Vulgate, then into the early English Editions, then into the King James and then the Catholic Douai-Rheims (1582-1610) Versions. G e t t in g t h e A p o c r y p h a O u t How, then, is it that the Apocrypha is not in the Authorized Version to day? Jerome had labeled the Apocrypha, suggested its uninspired nature, and then advised that it be put together as a separate unit. In 1534, Martin Luther issued a Bible in the prepara tion of which he took Jerome’s ad vice, and arranged the Apocrypha books at the end of the Old Testa ment. “So it was Luther who finally acted upon the suggestion Jerome had made eleven hundred years be fore and grouped the Apocrypha by themselves.” 12 This innovation was adopted by Coverdale and became the tradition in the English Bibles (Matthew Bible, Taverner Bible, Great Bible, Geneva Bible, Bishop’s Bible, and the King James).13 Charles comments upon this: “A l ready Wycliffe had declared that ‘whatever book is in the Old Testa ment besides these twenty-five (He brew) shall be set among the Apoc rypha,’ that is, without authority or belief."14 Now that the Apocrypha were set o ff by themselves and considered un inspired, they were ready for the third stage—persecution. This was led by the Puritans in which all evangelicals joined till finally in 1827, the Apocrypha were omitted from editions of the King James by the British and American Bible So cieties.15 It is now very difficult to locate a copy of the Apocrypha. A re t h e A p o c r y p h a l B o o k s C a n o n ic a l ? As has been stated, these books are part of the Latin Vulgate, the official Catholic Bible. The Protes tant answer to the question of their being canonical is a definite “No.” (1) The Jewish canon never con tained it. Dr. Salmon asserts: “Jew ish tradition on the subject has never wavered down to the present day.” 16 Wherever the Jews have been scat tered over the face of the earth, they have had the same books in their Old Testament which are included in the Authorized edition of today. The canon of Josephus and the canon of the Council of Jamnia are the “ Protestant” Old Testament canon as well. (2) The New Testament uses the LXX, but never quotes the Apoc rypha as the Word of God. “It is plain from the New Testament that PAGE SIXTEEN
in moral, spiritual, and scientific tone. Miller lists twenty reasons for rejecting the Apocrypha.1* The writ ers do not claim to be inspired. Some of their stories are definitely im moral, and others are absurd. T h e C a t h o lic s a n d t h e A p o c r y p h a The Apocrypha got into the Latin Vulgate via the Old Latin via the LXX. The Roman Catholic Church ignored the advice of Jerome and kept the Apocrypha in the Latin Vul gate. Since that day, it has adopted the Latin Vulgate as its officially in spired Bible, whereas Protestants in sist that the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts are the inspired writ ings. The absurd position of the Cath olic Church on this matter is evi denced by the following words of a Jesuit: “The Greek and Hebrew texts are of the greatest value, as a means in order to arrive at the gen uine sense and full force of many passages in the Latin Vulgate.”26 | In 1534, Luther placed the Apocry pha at the end of the Old Testa ment, and thus challenged the Cath olic claims. In the Counter Reforma tion movement, specifically, the Council of Trent, which convened from 1545-63 A.D., the Catholics de fended the Apocrypha. Up to this time, learned scholarship had always recognized the secondary and In ferior nature of the Apocrypha even though such men may still consider them canonical. But let us look closely at this Council of Trent. (1) It was supposed to be a world-wide, ecumenical council in which all branches and geographical parts of the Catholic Church were to be rep resented. In reality, it was an Italian council. There was not one German jn the entire body.31 (2) There were present only four archbishops and twenty-eight regular bishops. Of these twenty-eight, some were titu lar, that is, pensioners, having no real connection with the dioceses. (3) Only thirty persons sat in on the first discussions, and only fifty-three were there for the final vote on the status of the Apocrypha. (4) Of this council not one knew Hebrew, only a few knew Greek, and some were yery poor Latin students. There was not one learned divine. Wescott as serts: “There was not one scholar distinguished by historical learning, hot one who was fitted by special Study for the examination of a sub ject in which the truth could only be determined by the voice of antiq uity.”21 (5) Four different views about the Apocrypha were set forth. The fourth party "Consisting of but a feeble minority among the divines . . . proposed to put an end to the matter by declaring them (Apocry phal books) canonical.” 23 It was the voice of this “ feeble minority” that T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
our Lord and His apostles had no difference with the Jews on this sub ject of the canon.” 11 (3) The case of the LXX was a historical misfor tune. C. C. Torrey is quite vigorous in his denial of the Alexandrian canon, that is, the regular Jewish canon plus the Apocryphal books. “The Jewish doctrine of Holy Writ,” he writes, “admitting to ‘canonic- ity’ only such books as were believed to have been composed in either He brew or Aramaic before the end of the Persian period, was well known. There was no ‘Alexandrian canon’ ; the use of the term is a mistake; the Jews had but one standard, ac knowledged everywhere.” 13 (4) Phi lo, the greatest of the Alexandrian Jews, does not quote the Apocrypha MeCometh @ urely He cometh, and a thou- sand voices * * Shout to the saints and to the deaf and dumb; Surely He cometh, and the earth rejoices, Glad in His coming who hath sworn, *'l come.” his hath He done, and shall C , we not adore H im ? ^ T h i s shall He do, and can we still despair? Come, let us auicklv flinq ourselves before Him, Cast at His feet the burden of our care. lash from our eyes the glow j of our thanksgiving, ^ Glad and rejoicing, confident and calm, Then through- all life and what is after living Thrill to the tireless music of a psalm. F. W. H. Myers as the Word of God. (5) It is the province of the Jewish church to declare what books belong to its Old Testament. The great official coun cil of the Jews which put an end to all disputation and doubt was held at the seacoast town of Jamnia from 90-110 A.D., and at that time they settled permanently what their canon should be. That canon is the “Pro testant” canon of the Old Testa ment. Not one Apocryphal book was admitted. The Christian church has no right to go beyond the uniform belief of the Jews, and add to the Old Testament the Apocrypha, even though it was a Jewish mistake at Alexandria that put them in the Old Testament in the beginning. (6) F i nally, the Apocryphal books are far below the other Old Testament books
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