Books Jesus Read
Afterword If Books Jesus Read is your first encounter with the Apocrypha, then reading Sacred Roots Spiritual Classic 5 may seem like exploring the sacred writings of a strange religion! This is a common experience for Christians living over two thousand years after their composition. However, as noted in the Introduction, these writings were read as sacred Scripture by many in the ancient church. Not until the fourth century AD did a church father—Jerome—label a portion of the Greek Bible Apocrypha —literally, hidden scriptures . Even then, Augustine, the great fourth century bishop, continually referenced Apocryphal writings, especially the wisdom books, in his teaching. Centuries later, the reformer Martin Luther excluded Apocryphal books from his list of “those texts which preach Christ,” while Anabaptist leaders freely quoted the Apocrypha in their teachings. 1 1 The books of Esdras and Enoch are examples of such works. “Canonization” is the process whereby leaders have drawn up lists of authoritative scriptures at various times in the history of the church. For more on the Anabaptist use of Apocrypha see the article by Jonathan R. Seiling, “Solae (Quae?) Scripturae: Anabaptists and the Apocrypha” cited in For Further Reading.
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