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Old
Testament books that are included in the
Bibles used by Roman Catholic and Orthodox
Christians, but not in the Bibles used
by most Protestant Christians and Jews.
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All
Christians and Jews include the 39 books commonly
known as the Old
Testament in their Bibles. In addition,
Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians accept
the authority of writings that are commonly known
as the "apocrypha." The word "apocrypha,"
which means "hidden," was applied to
these books to show that their authoritative status
was disputed. Another term for these writings
is "deutero-canonical." Some
Bibles include these books at various points in
the Old Testament, while others print the apocryphal
books as a separate section or omit them altogether.
The
books in the apocrypha are of Jewish origin
but are not considered authoritative by Jewish
readers. Many Christians in the centuries
after Christ valued these books and came to
consider them authoritative for Christian faith
and life. During the Reformation in the
sixteenth century, Protestants challenged the
authority of the apocryphal books and eventually
ceased including them in their Bibles.
The
books of the Apocrypha include 1
Esdras, 2 Esdras,
Tobit, Judith,
Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus or Sirach, Baruch and the Letter of Jeremiah, the Prayer of Manasseh, 1
Maccabees, and 2 Maccabees.
There are Greek additions
to Esther and several additional sections
of Daniel, including the Prayer
of Azariah, the Song of the Three Young Men,
Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon. Orthodox
Christians also include 3
Maccabees, 4 Maccabees, and Psalm
151.
Matt 2:1-12 - Birth
of Christ
Matt 5:1-20 - Sermon on the mount
Matt 27:32-54 - Death of Christ
Matt 28:1-20 - Resurrection
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