Apocrypha

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Apocrypha \A*poc"ry*pha\, n. pl., but often used as sing. with
     pl. {Apocryphas}. [L. apocryphus apocryphal, Gr. ? hidden,
     spurious, fr. ? to hide; ? from + ? to hide.]
     1. Something, as a writing, that is of doubtful authorship or
        authority; -- formerly used also adjectively. [Obs.]
        --Locke.


        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Specif.: Certain writings which are received by some
        Christians as an authentic part of the Holy Scriptures,
        but are rejected by others.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: Fourteen such writings, or books, formed part of the
           Septuagint, but not of the Hebrew canon recognized by
           the Jews of Palestine. The Council of Trent included
           all but three of these in the canon of inspired books
           having equal authority. The German and English
           Reformers grouped them in their Bibles under the title
           Apocrypha, as not having dogmatic authority, but being
           profitable for instruction. The Apocrypha is now
           commonly ?mitted from the King James's Bible.
           [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Apocrypha
       n : 14 books of the Old Testament included in the Vulgate
           (except for II Esdras) but omitted in Jewish and
           Protestant versions of the Bible; eastern Christian
           churches (except the Coptic church) accept all these
           books as canonical; the Russian Orthodox church accepts
           these texts as divinely inspired but does not grant them
           the same status

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Apocrypha
     hidden, spurious, the name given to certain ancient books which
     found a place in the LXX. and Latin Vulgate versions of the Old
     Testament, and were appended to all the great translations made
     from them in the sixteenth century, but which have no claim to
     be regarded as in any sense parts of the inspired Word.
     
       (1.) They are not once quoted by the New Testament writers,
     who frequently quote from the LXX. Our Lord and his apostles
     confirmed by their authority the ordinary Jewish canon, which
     was the same in all respects as we now have it.
     
       (2.) These books were written not in Hebrew but in Greek, and
     during the "period of silence," from the time of Malachi, after
     which oracles and direct revelations from God ceased till the
     Christian era.
     
       (3.) The contents of the books themselves show that they were
     no part of Scripture. The Old Testament Apocrypha consists of
     fourteen books, the chief of which are the Books of the
     Maccabees (q.v.), the Books of Esdras, the Book of Wisdom, the
     Book of Baruch, the Book of Esther, Ecclesiasticus, Tobit,
     Judith, etc.
     
       The New Testament Apocrypha consists of a very extensive
     literature, which bears distinct evidences of its non-apostolic
     origin, and is utterly unworthy of regard.
     

From Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (late 1800's) [hitchcock]:

  Apocrypha, hidden