"Apocrypha … books which are not regarded as equal to the holy Scriptures, and yet are profitable and good to read."
– Martin Luther.
The word apocryphal was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered too profound or too sacred to be disclosed to anyone other than the initiated. All King James Bibles published before 1666 included the Apocrypha. Many reprintings of older versions of the Bible now omit the apocrypha and many newer translations and revisions have never included them at all. This is the complete Christian Apocrypha as it appeared in pre-1666 KJ Bibles:
1 Esdras
2 Esdras
Additions to Esther
1 Macabees
2 Macabees
Tobias
Judith
Wisdom
Sirach
Baruch
Epistle of Jeremiah
Susanna
Prayer of Azariah
Prayer of Manasseh
Bel and the Dragon
Laodiceans
Included are links to free audio recordings of select books as well as an image gallery showcasing art inspired by 1 and 2 Maccabees and the Book of Judith.
