The Apocrypha

"Apocrypha … books which are not regarded as equal to the holy Scriptures, and yet are profitable and good to read." 

– Martin Luther. 


The word apocryphal was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered too profound or too sacred to be disclosed to anyone other than the initiated. All King James Bibles published before 1666 included the Apocrypha. Many reprintings of older versions of the Bible now omit the apocrypha and many newer translations and revisions have never included them at all. This is the complete Christian Apocrypha as it appeared in pre-1666 KJ Bibles: 


1 Esdras 

2 Esdras 

Additions to Esther 

1 Macabees 

2 Macabees 

Tobias 

Judith 

Wisdom 

Sirach 

Baruch 

Epistle of Jeremiah 

Susanna 

Prayer of Azariah 

Prayer of Manasseh 

Bel and the Dragon 

Laodiceans 


Included are links to free audio recordings of select books as well as an image gallery showcasing art inspired by 1 and 2 Maccabees and the Book of Judith.