Scripture, Apocryphal

Scripture, Apocryphal. The books which we now call Apocryphal were read in some of the early churches, but not in all. They were utterly forbidden in the Church of Jerusalem, as appears from Cyril (Catech. 4, n. 22, p. 66, 67), where he directs the catechumens to read no Apocryphal books, but only the canonical, which he names as they are now found in the Bible, with the exception of Revelation. The like determination was made for some other churches by the Council of Laodicea (Conc. Laodic. can. 59). In some churches they were allowed to be read with a mark of distinction, as books of piety and moral instruction, to edify the people; but they were never named as inspired books, nor made use of to confirm articles of faith. They were sometimes spoken of as canonical, taking that word in a large sense for such books as were in the rule, or canon, or catalogue of books authorized to be read in the Church. See Bingham, Christian Antiq. bk. 14:ch. iii, § 15. See APOCRYPHA.