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The '''Apocrypha''' refers to books of the Bible that various religious denominations do not accept as part of the Biblical Canon - precisely which books varies between denominations. The [[Samaritans]], for example, accept only the ''Samaritan Pentateuch'', the five books of [[Moses]], as canonical and inspired: Genesis through Deuteronomy. All other writings are rejected by them as the uninspired works of men. See [[Biblical Canon]].

The '''Apocrypha''' refers to books of the Bible that various religious denominations do not accept as part of the [[Biblical Canon]] - precisely which books varies between denominations. The [[Samaritans]], for example, accept only the ''Samaritan Pentateuch'', the five books of [[Moses]], as canonical and inspired: Genesis through Deuteronomy. All other writings are rejected by them as the uninspired works of men. See [[Biblical Canon]].

The Protestant canon of 66 books was originally formulated by [[Martin Luther]], who removed several books and texts from the 73 books of the Old Testament as read by the Catholic Church and separated them as "apocryphal": '''The Apocrypha''' (plural, "apocrypha", singular "apocryphon"). The [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] definitive final canon of 73 books was retained "as read by the Church" by the [[Council of Trent]]. This same canon was listed by the [[Third Council of Carthage (397)]], and was the first canon of the books of the Bible to include all 27 books of the New Testament together. [[Jerome]] (''Prologus Galeatus'') listed the books rejected by the Jews as "apocryphal" but himself quoted them as if they were scripture.<ref>Edmon Gallagher on Jerome's ''Prologus'' and the Council of Hippo regarding the Canon (2013)</ref> The Catholic Bible includes the 27 books of the New Testament and 46 Old Testament books "with all their parts" from the ancient [[Septuagint]] as used by the apostles and the early Christian church and included in [[Jerome]]'s [[Vulgate]] translation as part of the [[Old Testament]], and accepts those books as scripture. Protestant doctrine constantly affirms that the apocryphal books were ''added'' to the Bible in the 4th century by the Catholic Church because they contain texts which support Catholic teaching and practice, such as the intercession of saints and prayers for the dead, and the performance of good works and almsgiving as a means of deliverance from death and purging of every sin. Since the Apocrypha were already in the Septuagint Old Testament from before the time of the apostles, and have been an integral part of the Greek Bible as read in the ancient Church and preserved by Eastern Orthodoxy from the 1st century to this day, it is difficult to see how they had been "added". Eastern Church leaders rejected the proposed Protestant canon of 66 books in the Bible. For some time the [[King James Bible]] contained those books which [[Protestant Reformation|Protestant Reformers]] deemed apocryphal in a separate section, "Apocrypha", between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The [[Episcopal Church]] includes the books of the Apocrypha in the cycle of scripture readings in its services, but holds that the apocryphal books are useful for study and [[edification]], but not for doctrine.  Most Protestant churches do not use the Apocrypha as scripture at all. Most Protestant Christians are unaware that numerous quotations from the Apocrypha are in the New Testament.<ref>See the following four sources:

The Protestant canon of 66 books was originally formulated by [[Martin Luther]], who removed several books and texts from the 73 books of the Old Testament as read by the Catholic Church and separated them as "apocryphal": '''The Apocrypha''' (plural, "apocrypha", singular "apocryphon"). The [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] definitive final canon of 73 books was retained "as read by the Church" by the [[Council of Trent]]. This same canon was listed by the [[Third Council of Carthage (397)]], and was the first canon of the books of the Bible to include all 27 books of the New Testament together. [[Jerome]] (''Prologus Galeatus'') listed the books rejected by the Jews as "apocryphal" but himself quoted them as if they were scripture.<ref>Edmon Gallagher on Jerome's ''Prologus'' and the Council of Hippo regarding the Canon (2013)</ref> The Catholic Bible includes the 27 books of the New Testament and 46 Old Testament books "with all their parts" from the ancient [[Septuagint]] as used by the apostles and the early Christian church and included in [[Jerome]]'s [[Vulgate]] translation as part of the [[Old Testament]], and accepts those books as scripture. Protestant doctrine constantly affirms that the apocryphal books were ''added'' to the Bible in the 4th century by the Catholic Church because they contain texts which support Catholic teaching and practice, such as the intercession of saints and prayers for the dead, and the performance of good works and almsgiving as a means of deliverance from death and purging of every sin. Since the Apocrypha were already in the Septuagint Old Testament from before the time of the apostles, and have been an integral part of the Greek Bible as read in the ancient Church and preserved by Eastern Orthodoxy from the 1st century to this day, it is difficult to see how they had been "added". Eastern Church leaders rejected the proposed Protestant canon of 66 books in the Bible. For some time the [[King James Bible]] contained those books which [[Protestant Reformation|Protestant Reformers]] deemed apocryphal in a separate section, "Apocrypha", between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The [[Episcopal Church]] includes the books of the Apocrypha in the cycle of scripture readings in its services, but holds that the apocryphal books are useful for study and [[edification]], but not for doctrine.  Most Protestant churches do not use the Apocrypha as scripture at all. Most Protestant Christians are unaware that numerous quotations from the Apocrypha are in the New Testament.<ref>See the following four sources: