The Apocrypha includes various books, with differing acceptance across Christian denominations and no inclusion in the Jewish canon.
The Old Testament was compiled over a long period by multiple authors, not as a single, divinely delivered text, and many texts were not included in the final canon.
The Babylonian captivity and the subsequent return of exiles led to Persian and Mesopotamian influences on early biblical texts.
Alexander the Great's conquests introduced Hellenistic (Greek) influences, leading to the creation of the Septuagint, the first major collection and translation of Hebrew texts into Greek.
The Septuagint became the basis for the Christian Old Testament, while rabbinic Judaism later developed a smaller canon (the Tanakh) in Hebrew, rejecting many Greek-influenced texts.
Early Christians, writing in Greek, frequently quoted from the Septuagint, even when referring to Hebrew Bible texts.
Saint Jerome translated the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate), noting that some books in the Septuagint did not have Hebrew originals, leading to their placement in appendices or exclusion from some canons.
The Protestant Reformation emphasized translating the Bible into vernacular languages and returning to original Hebrew texts, leading to the exclusion of many deuterocanonical books from Protestant Bibles.
The book of Tobit is an adventure story set in the diaspora, highlighting customs of observant Jews outside Jerusalem and featuring the archangel Raphael and the demon Asmodeus.
Additions to Daniel include stories like Susanna and Bell and the Dragon, demonstrating how free-floating stories were incorporated into existing biblical texts.
First Maccabees provides a historical account of the Hasmonean revolt against Hellenistic rule, leading to a brief period of independent Jewish kingdom and the institution of Hanukkah.
Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) is a wisdom book that contrasts with the reflective wisdom of Job and Ecclesiastes, promoting prudential wisdom and potentially influencing or being reacted against by Jesus's teachings.
Second Esdras (also known by various other names) comprises multiple texts from the 1st to 3rd centuries CE, including apocalyptic visions lamenting the destruction of the Second Temple and offering a new understanding of suffering and divine justice.
The Apocrypha offers insights into the immediate context of early Christianity and rabbinic Judaism, revealing prevalent ideas about angels, demons, exorcism, healing, and the problem of suffering, which were often muted in later Jewish tradition.