A. The word “apocryphal” means “hidden, dark, or difficult to understand”. These books which are called by this name appeared in the last part of the history of the Old Testament Church and in the early part of the history of the new. They often made the claim that they were inspired even as the other books, but were evidently an attempt on the part of the devil to confuse the mind of the church with respect to the Scriptures. These books are mentioned in this article and are accepted as Scripture by the Romish Church. But these books have always been rejected by the church because:
1. It is immediately evident upon reading them that the lofty language of the Scriptures is not present.
2. Those written before the time of Jesus had never been accepted by the church of the old dispensation, nor were later writings accepted by the church of the new. The apostles and Christ Himself never refers to them.
3. They stand in conflict with themselves and with the rest of Scripture, and contain statements which are definitely untrue, the result of fanciful imaginations.
4. The church may therefore read them for instruction inasmuch as they agree with the rest of Scripture.
5. But we may never ascribe to them such “power and efficacy, as that we may from their testimony confirm any point of faith, or of the Christian religion; much less detract from the authority of the other sacred books.”