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The Bible:
Apocrypha


Apocrypha in Greek means "hidden." There are the Old Testament Apocrypha books and the New Testament Apocrypha books. Usually Apocrypha refers to the 15 books that were not part of the Hebrew cannon of scripture. During the Reformation Christian Bibles collected these 15 books after the Old Testament under the title Apocrypha (Old Testament). For the Catholics these 15 books were added to the Old Testament canon at the Counsel of Rome, 382 AD. Catholics refer to the Pseudepigrapha as the Apocrypha. 

Old Testament (15)

New Testament Apocrypha

A number of new apocrypha books have come to light since the discovery of 12 books at Nag Hammadi in 1945. They are called The Nag Hammadi Library. The most famous of these is Gospel of Thomas (see below). Sometimes these books along with some Pseudepigrapha books are called the "Lost Books of the Bible." Most of these were not lost, they were just never considered canonical. The New Testament Apocrypha books can be divided up according to genres as the New Testament is; gospels, Acts, letters or epistles, and prophesy or apocalypse. 

Apocryphal Gospels

There were a number of gospels written in the second century AD. or later called the Apocryphal Gospels. There are 22, of which 10 are written in Greek and 12 in Latin. These can be divided into three categories: those relating to the history of Mary and Joseph, the infancy of Christ, and the history of Pilate. Most of these are based on the Protevangelium of James, the Gospel of Thomas, and the Acts of Pilate. Collection of Apocryphal Gospels.

Apocryphal Acts

Scholars usually divide the apocrypha Acts into two groups; the five books attributed to Leucius Charinus, and the others.

The Leucius Acts
The Other Acts

Apocryphal Epistles

Apocryphal Apocalypses