Apocrypha [Hardcover]

Baker Publishing Group (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 10, 1983

The KJV Apocrypha in a single volume. The Apocrypha (‘hidden things’) are contemporaneous with the Old Testament, but were not officially accepted as part of the Bible when the Hebrew 'canon' was set. They did, however, form part of the Greek Scriptures and came into English Bibles by that route. The writings of the Apocrypha run the whole gamut of literary genres: histories, romances, devotional works, proverbs and sermons. Many complement parts of the Old Testament and readers will recognise some familiar Biblical characters in the narratives, such as Daniel and Esther.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

The hidden texts of the Old Testament world - the Apocrypha are the books written at the same time, but not officially accepted. They include histories, romances and proverbs – plus extra writings about familiar Biblical characters such as Daniel and Esther.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 157 pages
• Publisher: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge (September 10, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521506743
• ISBN-13: 978-0521506748
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Bottom of the line Apocrypha., February 13, 2002

By 

Kendal B. Hunter (Provo, UT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Apocrypha (Hardcover)

The Bible I use-King James Version, by the way--doesn't have an Apocrypha in it, so I decided to pick up this copy, partly because this edition was the KJV version, and partly because it matched the size of my Bible. I'm in to the Bible so I am curious about anything and everything associated with the Book of Books. I find the canonization process to absolutely fascinating. Moreover, Thomas Aquinas, my favorite philosopher, frequently cites Apocryphal books in his writings, so it followed as a matter of course that I would want to get this book.

This is a "bottom of the line" version of the Apocrypha. So it just has a table of contents, the text, and nothing else. There is no introductory essay or background material to help understand why the Apocrypha was left in or left out various editions of the Bible. There aren't any footnotes or an index, either.

On the nicer side, the cover is a nice fire engine red, and the printing is wonderful-I haven't found any typos, or faded text. So this review isn't a complete slam. Moreover, since I relish Shakespeare, I also have an affinity for the King James Translation. It just seems authoritative, like when you read the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution!

For more user-friendly version of the Apocrypha, I would recommend the Godspeed Translation, which has a modern English style, along the lines of the J. B. Phillips translation. The Cambridge NRSV Apocrypha has almost every conceivable Apocryphal book, such as Psalm 151, 3 and 4 Maccabees, and it is done in modern English style.

The Apocrypha is a fun book. Yes, theology is fun, since it is a form of learning. You a given a better perspective on how things went between Malachi and Matthew, and are exposed to profound wisdom literature. If you like proverbs, read "The Wisdom of Solomon," or "Eccelsiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach." My favorite book is Tobit, which has a wonderful Orphic love story.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Apocrypha A-Go-Go, April 26, 2008

By 

Aufreizen (Long Island, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apocrypha (Hardcover)

I've passed up this little red book on a number of occasions in favor of the NRSV Cambridge Annotated Study Apocrypha but I'm glad that I finally purchased a copy of this KJV translation.

A straight forward, bare-bones text, that gets right to the scriptures of the Apocrypha without a whole bunch of hoopla and boring translator notes that take up space and deplete my wallet.

This version contains the seven books of the Catholic Canon: Tobit, Judith (what a woman), 1 and 2 Maccabees, Baruch, Wisdom and Sirach, as well as the additions to Esther and Daniel. It also contains 1 and 2 Esdras and The Prayer of Mannessah from the Orthodox Canon as well.

I recommend this version highly as it is untainted with liberal word games like the NRSV version. Enjoy and be "manful" (read chapter 14 of 2 Maccabees if that went over your head).

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About this version of the KJV Apocrypha..., August 5, 2004

By 

Tommy Yeargin (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Apocrypha (Hardcover)

Easy to read typeset...two-column pages...very nicely bound.

This is an interesting addition to your religious reference library.