I.  JEWISH BOOKS WRITTEN BETWEEN OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT TIMES.

A. THE ONES INCLUDED IN THE CATHOLIC BIBLE.
The Hebrew Bible is made up of the books which were written in Hebrew up to around 400 BC, and is exactly identical to the books that Christians call the "Old Testament."  .This paragraph introduces some books which were written written by Jewish authors starting about 250 BC.  Though they were never regarded as part of the Hebrew Old Testament, they were included in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, which was also begun around that time⁴.  Therefore they were familiar to the early Christians, and were included along with the Latin translation of the Old and New Testaments. After the reformation, Protestants have generally published only the Old Testament (the same as the Hebrew Bible) and New Testament, while the Roman Catholic Bible still includes these additional books along with the Old and New Testaments  These additional books are called the "Apocrypha" (meaning "hidden," because they are found mixed in with the Old Testament books).  The Roman Catholic Church calls them "deutero-canonical," meaning "second authorized list of books;" the first authorized (that is, "canonical") list would be the Hebrew Old Testament.)  Here are the names of the apocryphal books that are included in today's Catholic Bible, called the New American Bible:
          Tobit
          Judith
          Maccabees (2 books)
          Wisdom¹
          Sirach²
          Baruch³
             Daniel additions (in chapter 3 and added after chapter 12)
          Esther additions (5 sections interspersed within the book)
   (To see where they are mixed in among the Old Testament books, go to bottom of this page)

Footnotes: ¹Also called Wisdom of Solomon.  ²Also called Wisdom of Joshua ben Sirach, and also called by its Greek name "Ecclesiasticus."  ³Chapter six of Baruch is called "Letter of Jeremiah."  ⁴The Greek translation of the Old Testament, begun around 250 BC, is called the "septuagint.")

B.  THE ONES NO LONGER INCLUDED IN TODAY'S CATHOLIC BIBLES:
The following apocryphal books were in the Greek edition (Septuagint)  but are not included in the 1990 New American Bible.  They are still included by the Eastern Orthodox Church.
          Second Chronicles addition (called "prayer of king Mannasah"),
          First and Second Esdras
          Psalm 151
          Third Maccabees

The church of Ethiopia has yet another selection of books added to the Old and New Testaments.

II.  OTHER JEWISH BOOKS. 
There are other books written by Jews during this time period between the Old and New Testaments that were never published with the Bible.  Example (out of about 20 known today): "Jewish Sibylline Oracles."

III.  BOOKS WRITTEN AFTER CHRIST.
There were books written in the first few centuries AD that were recognized as having teachings that differed from the apostles and so were not included in the New Testament.  Many of these books called themselves by the name of a famous Bible person.  Example: (out of 28 known today) "Acts of Thomas."  Some of them promoted a teaching called "Gnosticism."  (the meaning of "Gnosis" is "wisdom").  Some Gnostics used Christian terminology but their teachings included such things as: Matter is evil because God did not create the world; it was actually created by a power that is lower than God.  Some people have a divine spark that wants to be reunited with God; the books claim to give the secret knowledge needed for the spark to go to God after death.  The Gnostics did not present Jesus as God or savior; but taught that each individual must save himself.  Examples (out of 30-some known today): "Gospel of Mary;"  "Gospel of Thomas."

 IV.  EARLY CHRISTIAN BOOKS
Already in the first century there are books that recognize and draw upon parts of the New Testament, and were recognized as being in harmony with the teachings of the apostles.  The Christian authors of the first five centuries, taken together, are called "the Church Fathers."  Examples from the first century (written around 95 AD:) Seven Letters of Ignatius (a bishop in Turkey).  Two letters by Clement (a bishop in Rome.)

Where the books called "apocrypha" are placed within the Old Testament:
(They are in italics in the list below):

BIBLE BOOKS     History     Writings     Prophecy

Footnotes:  1) Also called "Song of Solomon"
                      2) Also called "Ecclesiasticus"

How were the books of the Bible chosen?
   For Old Testament, look just above footnote 5 at Old Testament Books.
   For New Testament, see the bottom of New Testament Books.

For further detail on how the books of the Bible were chosen, look up "Canon, Biblical" in Christian Cyclopedia.

    Return to list of Bible Books