The term Apocrypha means “hidden” and is often used to describe the seven books of the deuterocanon (from the Greek deutero meaning “second canon”) of the Septuagint. Protestants use the word in that way as well, but Catholics and Orthodox Christians use Apocrypha exclusively for books they do not consider inspired nor found in any Bible. Protestants refer to Apocrypha as Pseudepigrapha, meaning falsely ascribed. Therefore, it matters whether the source using the term is Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox since there are two ways in which the word Apocrypha is used today.

Even though some Christian churches classify the deuterocanonical books as Apocrypha, they do not use the same term for the books never regarded as inspired. Books that they call Pseudepigrapha are never found in any Bible, yet deuterocanonical/apocryphal books can often be found at the end of the Old Testament.

Catholic Deuterocanonical Books

The Roman Catholic Old Testament has seven deuterocanonical books: Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Tobit, Judith, Ecclesiasticus (Sirach), and Wisdom, which are from the Greek Septuagint (250—150 B.C.) and the Latin Vulgate (A.D. 400). In A.D. 1546, the Council of Trent solemnly defined their status as equal to the thirty-nine canonical books of the Old Testament.

Orthodox Deuterocanonical Books

The Greek Orthodox Old Testament has the seven deuterocanonical books, as well as 1 Esdras, Psalm 151, Prayer of Manasseh, and 3 Maccabees (with 4 Maccabees in the appendix). The Russian Orthodox Old Testament has the same seven books, plus 1 and 2 Esdras (listed as 2 and 3 Esdras), Psalm 151, and 3 Maccabees.

The Syrian Orthodox Church and all connected Eastern Churches regard the Peshitta with the same authority as the Septuagint or Vulgate. In Aramaic, the name Peshitta means “straight,” as in straight from the original common Aramaic language spoken by Jesus and all Jews of his time. In 1642, the Council of Jassy (Romania) declared the deuterocanonical/apocryphal books as genuine Scripture.

Whether they are called pseudepigrapha or apocryphal, there are several books that never appeared in any Bible. Unlike the allegedly dubious seven deuterocanonical books first found in the Septuagint, the others are not listed in any canon–be it Hebrew, Greek, or Latin.