Catholic Bible: The 'Other' Books

[~Heavens_Bride~]

Has anyone ever read the books that are additional in the Catholic Bible? I am curious as to what they contain and say. Are they additional testimonies? Parallel scripture to other books? What? And if you have read them...what did you make of them?

I know a few Cathoics read here - perhaps they can tll me.

 

[Macrina]

Those books are Jewish writings of the late Old Testament period and the intertestamental period. Some are history, some are poetry, some are stories -- they represent the religious literature of the period. I have read some but not all of the apocryphal books, and have found them very interesting and even edifying in places. They are reflections of the faith of the people who wrote them, and as such can be worthwhile reading, although they are not scripture and should not be taken as such.

 

[Bulldog]

Has anyone ever read the books that are additional in the Catholic Bible? I am curious as to what they contain and say. Are they additional testimonies? Parallel scripture to other books? What? And if you have read them...what did you make of them?

I agree with Macrina. The books are sometimes allduded to and quoted in the New Testament as history, but the Jews did not view as scripture nor are they scripture.

They can be helpful as literature, but they are not theopnuestos (God-breathed).

I know a few Cathoics read here - perhaps they can tll me.

Then perhaps you should as in the Catholic forum (OBOB).

 

[rnmomof7]

I have read them all.

They are historical or wisdom literature.

These OT books were not considered canonical by the Jews and scripture says that they were the oracles of God

Rom 3:1
What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit [is there] of circumcision?
2
Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

So just as we accept that the New Testament was compiled under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we see that the Spirit also preserved the OT canon.

There is some known historical error in Maccabees, that seem to also put its inspiration at issue.

Jerome did not include these books in the cannon when he compiled it. He had it separate as suitable for spiritual meditation.

I will say our salvation does not depend on a few extra books in a Bible.
We are saved by grace through faith

Keep our eye on the prize


.

 

[Beoga]

Somethiong that should be noted. Sephardi Jews reject the Apocrypha, whicih is more correctly called the Deuterocannon. However, Mizrahi, Gruzim, Ashkenazi, and Bukharian Jews accept it. Interestingly enough, only Sephardi Jews were present at the Jewish Council that rejected the Deuterconnon. I have not come accross the other Jews mentioned and was wondering what your thoughts were or at least a good place to point me to.

someone said this to me once

 

[Bulldog]

What "Jewish council" rejected the duetercanon? This is not another attempted reference to the "council" of Jamnia is it? *roll eyes*

 

[rnmomof7]

I have an observant Jewish friend on another site.
During a discussion on the canon of scripture , she observed that there was an agreed upon canon around 200 BC, prior to the official council in 70AD


In 200 BC there was completion of the Septuagint Greek Manuscripts
which contain The 39 Old Testament Books.

The Jews of the time of Christ had a Hebrew text available to them which we now know because of Dead Sea Scrolls.

The Scrolls at Qumran proves conclusively that the Old Testament was available in Hebrew in Israel at the time of Christ.




The Jewish canon is Tanakh, acronym of the three components: Torah (Law, Instruction), Nevi’im (Prophets), Ketu-

vim (Writings). It contains 24 books (the Book of the Twelve is considered one book. The Megillot are considered five

separate books).

Law (Torah)

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

Prophets (Nevi’im)

Former Prophets:

Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings

Latter Prophets:

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel

The Book of the Twelve: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,

Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

Writings (Ketuvim) Psalms, Job, Proverbs,

Megillot/Scrolls:

Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Esther

Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, Chronicles

The canon was fixed mid-2nd century BC

http://www.pbcc.org/dc/creeds/bible.pdf.

 

[Bulldog]

official council in 70AD

What council in AD 70? Where was it held? (AD 70 was when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans)

 

[rnmomof7]

The Jewish canon (Old Testament) was formalized around 70 - 100 AD with a gathering of rabbis at a place called Jamnia (Jabneh)