The fourth Article of the Belgic Confession continues the topic of canonical Scripture. It addresses the “apocryphal” or “hidden away” books of the Old Testament.
What are the apocryphal books? To begin, we must know about the Septuagint. The Septuagint refers to the Greek translation of the Jewish Scriptures between 300 and 200 BC. During this period in Jewish history, Hebrew was spoken less and a Greek translation of the Jewish canon was necessary for stability.
Besides the traditional OT books written in Hebrew, the Septuagint also contained books written in Greek after the last prophet Malachi. These books are referred to as the Apocryphal or “hidden away” books. This doesn’t mean that they have any secret teachings; rather, it refers to their secondary status of authority. These books are listed in the sixth Article. The Roman Catholic Church maintains the canonicity of the books.
The Reformers, on the other hand, objected to these books as canonical for several reasons:
1. The early Jews never received them as canonical;
2. They were never quoted by the Lord or apostles;
3. The early church did not receive them as canonical;
4. They contain historical errors; and,
5. They contain teachings in conflict with biblical faith;
What does this mean for us now? For some of you, this might mean very little. You will most likely encounter them only in a Roman Catholic version of the Holy Bible. This may not be a habit for many of you. For some of the more curious of you, the apocryphal books are not forbidden. You may read them, as the Article states. But something allowed does not mean that it is fruitful. Parents might allow their teenagers to see a movie, but that does not mean that the movie will produce godly fruit.
One of my favorite poems as a child was written by Shel Silverstein. The poem is about a young boy who is given $1 by his father. He trades it for two quarters because two is more than one. And then he trades the two quarters for three dimes because three is more than two. At the end, he shows his father five shiny pennies. He is proud of himself because he thinks he has more money now than before. The child was suckered, but he didn’t know it.
The point is that we can be easily suckered. A line has been drawn and we want to cross it because we think the other side has greener pastures. We hear “hidden” books and think that we’re the last to know about a giant secret suppressed by thousands of years. For many of us, there is a giant secret to be uncovered: it is the dusty Bible in our home.
Know the worth of the canonical books. Know their content. Enjoy their riches. You won’t want to trade any of them for two apocryphal books as you begin to know their worth.
What are the apocryphal books? To begin, we must know about the Septuagint. The Septuagint refers to the Greek translation of the Jewish Scriptures between 300 and 200 BC. During this period in Jewish history, Hebrew was spoken less and a Greek translation of the Jewish canon was necessary for stability.
Besides the traditional OT books written in Hebrew, the Septuagint also contained books written in Greek after the last prophet Malachi. These books are referred to as the Apocryphal or “hidden away” books. This doesn’t mean that they have any secret teachings; rather, it refers to their secondary status of authority. These books are listed in the sixth Article. The Roman Catholic Church maintains the canonicity of the books.
The Reformers, on the other hand, objected to these books as canonical for several reasons:
1. The early Jews never received them as canonical;
2. They were never quoted by the Lord or apostles;
3. The early church did not receive them as canonical;
4. They contain historical errors; and,
5. They contain teachings in conflict with biblical faith;
What does this mean for us now? For some of you, this might mean very little. You will most likely encounter them only in a Roman Catholic version of the Holy Bible. This may not be a habit for many of you. For some of the more curious of you, the apocryphal books are not forbidden. You may read them, as the Article states. But something allowed does not mean that it is fruitful. Parents might allow their teenagers to see a movie, but that does not mean that the movie will produce godly fruit.
One of my favorite poems as a child was written by Shel Silverstein. The poem is about a young boy who is given $1 by his father. He trades it for two quarters because two is more than one. And then he trades the two quarters for three dimes because three is more than two. At the end, he shows his father five shiny pennies. He is proud of himself because he thinks he has more money now than before. The child was suckered, but he didn’t know it.
The point is that we can be easily suckered. A line has been drawn and we want to cross it because we think the other side has greener pastures. We hear “hidden” books and think that we’re the last to know about a giant secret suppressed by thousands of years. For many of us, there is a giant secret to be uncovered: it is the dusty Bible in our home.
Know the worth of the canonical books. Know their content. Enjoy their riches. You won’t want to trade any of them for two apocryphal books as you begin to know their worth.
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