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• apocrypha
  apocrypha

  noun

  a group of 14 books, not considered canonical, included in the Septuagint and the Vulgate as part of the Old Testament, but usually omitted from Protestant editions of the Bible.
• Apocrypha
  Apocrypha

  noun

  the 14 books included as an appendix to the Old Testament in the Septuagint and the Vulgate but not included in the Hebrew canon. They are not printed in Protestant versions of the Bible

apocrypha

American  

[uh-pok-ruh-fuh] / əˈpɒk rə fə /

noun

(often used with a singular verb)

1. (initial capital letter) a group of 14 books, not considered canonical, included in the Septuagint and the Vulgate as part of the Old Testament, but usually omitted from Protestant editions of the Bible.

2. various religious writings of uncertain origin regarded by some as inspired, but rejected by most authorities.

3. writings, statements, etc., of doubtful authorship or authenticity.

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Apocrypha British  

/ əˈpɒkrɪfə /

noun

1. the 14 books included as an appendix to the Old Testament in the Septuagint and the Vulgate but not included in the Hebrew canon. They are not printed in Protestant versions of the Bible

2. RC Church another name for the Pseudepigrapha

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Apocrypha Cultural  

1. Religious writings that have been accepted as books of the Bible (see also Bible) by some groups but not by others. The Roman Catholic Church, for example, includes seven books, such as Judith, I and II Maccabees, and Ecclesiasticus, in the Old Testament that Jews (see also Jews) and Protestants do not consider part of the Bible. Some churches may read the Apocrypha for inspiration but not to establish religious doctrine.

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Discover More

By extension, an “apocryphal” story is one that is probably false but nevertheless has some value.

Etymology

Origin of apocrypha

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin < Greek, neuter plural of apókryphos hidden, unknown, spurious, equivalent to apokryph- (base of apokrýptein to hide away; see apo-, crypt) + -os adj. suffix

Example Sentences

Apocrypha like the "Acts of Thomas" and "Acts of Bartholomew" were popular in the medieval period, and even those who couldn't read or write knew these stories.

From Salon • Aug. 1, 2020

Hopefully with Apocrypha that won’t be the case.

From The Verge • Oct. 2, 2017

And like the two studio tracks, it’s part of the Apocrypha of Springsteen.

From The Guardian • Sep. 15, 2016

“Every man that writes is writing a new Bible, or a new Apocrypha; to last for a week or a thousand years,” the Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle recorded in his journal in 1832.

From The New Yorker • Feb. 9, 2015

If you include the Apocrypha, which of course he always did.”

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver