An Introduction to the Apocrypha [Paperback]

Bruce M. Metzger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 1977 | ISBN-10: 0195023404 | ISBN-13: 978-0195023404

Veteran guide Bruce Metzger provides a succinct, readable yet thorough introduction to those books included in the Roman Catholic canon but deemed heretical by Protestants.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Professor Metzger's Introduction to the Apocrypha is a classic. The style of the author makes the book not only highly informative but also eminently readable. Students of the Bible will find in this book a truly enjoyable introduction to an important body of religious literature which had an amazing impact upon culture."--Gunther Wagner, University of New Mexico

"For several decades this has been a classic text for the study of Jewish literature between the Old and New Testament periods. It still stands as a classic and vital text for the study of this literature."--Donald D. Williford, Hardin Simmons University

"An excellent piece of work...by a sound Biblical and historical scholar."--Luther A. Weigle

"An excellent summary of the literature and a good guide to the passages demanding closer scrutiny. [It] also reveals the pervasive influence of the Apocrypha in art, religion, and literature."--James B. Shelton, Oral Roberts University

About the Author

Bruce M. Metzger is at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Product Details

• Paperback: 274 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (November 17, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195023404
• ISBN-13: 978-0195023404
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #839,596 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Apocrypha Very Well Introduced, February 4, 2006

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Didaskalex "Eusebius Alexandrinus" (Kellia on Calvary, Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: An Introduction to the Apocrypha (Paperback)

"To many people the word 'Apocrypha' has a mysterious and intriguing sound. They vaguely remember having heard the word applied to what were alleged to be 'the lost books of the Bible'!" Bruce Metzger, Preface



The Mutilated Bible:
When the British and Foreign Bible Society undertook to provide the copy of the bible for presentation to King Edward VII at his coronation in 1902, the Archbishop of Canterbury (Frederick Temple) ruled that a 'mutilated bible' (one lacking the Apocrypha) was unacceptable for the purpose, and as the Society was prevented by its constitution from providing a 'non mutilated' edition, a suitable copy has to be procured at short notice from another source.
A controversy broke out in Germany later in the nineteenth century over suggestions that the apocryphal books, because of their theological 'defects', should no longer be printed as part of the Bible. The case for retaining them was persuasively argued by some of the leading conservatives among Protestant theologians,-" F.F. Bruce, The canon of Scripture, p. 113

Apocrypha & Deuterocanonicals:
Apocrypha means 'hidden things' in Greek. The Apocryphal books of the Bible fall into two categories: texts which were included in some canonical version of the Bible at some point, and other texts of a Biblical nature which have never been canonical. those compositions which profess to have been written either by Biblical personages or men in intimate relations with them.
Deutero means behind, or further from, these books called 'Deuterocanonical,' mean 'books added to the canon.' Deutrocanonical books of the Bible are those of or constituting a second or subsequent canon, books which are included in some version of the canonical Bible, but which have been excluded at one time or another, for textual or doctrinal issues.
Such well known works as the Shepherd of Hermas, the Epistle of Barnabas, and Didache:Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, though formerly considered apocryphal, do really belong to patristic literature, and are thus classified independently.

Apocryphal addition to OT:
During the extended period of the writing of the TanaKh, or the Old Testament, other books written by pious Jewish authors were added, of wcich few are mentioned in the Canon of Scripture, not finally setteled by the rabbis until the Synod of Jamnia, when they discussed which books 'defiled the hands.'
The inter-testamental period (200 BC-200 CE) witnessed the formation of those early centuries Jewish literature that developed out of the traditions of the Hebrew Bible, the Apocrypha, Pseudoepigrapha, and other genres. Reading and interpretation of primary texts, will reflect the competing ideas and responses to the particular historical background proposed by different sects, their messianic expectations and hopes for salvation as key concepts of the historical and theological developments in Judaic traditions during this Greco-Roman period.

NT Apocryphal Citations:
Christianity, and impact of these developments upon Christian tradition, followed from adopting the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, as the text from which the New Testament writers quoted the Old Testament. Most of Old Testament Apocrypha are part of the wider Alexandrian canon of Hebrew Bible in Greek, known as the Septuaguint (Seventy). OT manuscripts found within the Dead Sea Scrolls has confirmed the authentic contents of fourth century uncials like codex Sinaiticus. The Harper Collins NRSV, 1989 edition, has included Psalm 151 only after its confirmation in Hebrew Psalter, by Qumran's cave 11 discovery. Kurt & Barbara Aland give more than 200 New Testament citations and allusions* to Apocryphal and Pseudoepigraphal writings in their reference book, "The text of the New testament", Eerdmans, G. Rapids, 1979, pp 769- 75 (*in: Synoptic Gospels, Acts, James, Hebrews, Romans, Galatians, etc. & Revelations.)

The Apocrypha Introduced:
Professor Metzger introduction of the Apocryphal literature closes the inter-testamental gap between the OT and NT, a vital epoch of Jewish history that explains the prevailing theological climate and Apocalyptic expectations. He begins his informative study with the term itself wrt the Hebrew TaNaKh, and the wider Alexandrine canon of the Septuagint, probing parallels and allusions to the Apocryphal books, that grants them a status within the Ancient Churches. He surveys their history and status through the writings of the early church fathers and the views of the Reformation leaders. His concluding 18th chapter, 'The Pervasive Influence of the Apocrypha' that inspired homilies, meditations, and liturgies is a landmark of this devoted Bible scholar.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Book, January 11, 2011

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Moses Mikheyev - See all my reviews
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This review is from: An Introduction to the Apocrypha (Paperback)

Metzger is one of those authors that is both readable and sober. I recommend this book for students who are interested in an "introduction" to the Apocrypha. Metzger shows how the Apocrypha can be considered "inspired." He writes beautifully, once again!

3 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Apocrypha, January 15, 2007

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Earl Pond III "Steel Water" (Murfreesboro, TN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: An Introduction to the Apocrypha (Paperback)

The book covers the many books of that Apocrypha and discusses why it is thought they were not included and the significance of them to the world at that time.