APOCRYPHA (a-pok'ri-fa), (Gr. drotcpuoa, afi ok'roo-fa, hidden, secreted, mysterious), a term in theology applied in various senses to denote cer tain books claiming a sacred character. The word occurs in Mark iv:22, Matt. x:26, Luke xii:2: 'There is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested, neither was anything kept secret (a fi-ok' roo-fon), hut that it should come abroad ;' also Luke viii:17 and Col. ii:3: ' In whom are hid (chr6tcpvcbot) all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.' It is first found, as denoting a certain class of books, in Clemens Alexandrinus, Stromata, 13, c. 4, from the unrecognized books of a certain one.
(1) Early Definition. In the early ages of the Christian church this term was frequently used to denote books of an uncertain or anony mous author, or of one who had written under an assumed name. Its application, however, in this sense is far from being distinct, as, strictly speaking, it would include canonical books whose authors were unknown or uncertain, or even pscudcpigraphal. 'Let us omit.' says St. Augus tine, 'those fabulous books of Scripture which arc called apocryphal, because their secret origin was unknown to the fathers.' This is plain, that many examples have been adduced by the apostles and evangelists, and inserted in the New Testa ment, which we do not read in the canonical Scriptures which we possess, but which are found in the il,Pociyfiha' (Origen, Prof. in (antic.). So also Jerome, referring to the words (Eph. v it4), 'Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead,' observes that the apostle cited this from hidden (reconditis) prophets, and such as seem to be apocryphal, as lie has done in several other instances.' Epiphanius thought that this term was applied to such books as were not placed in the Ark of the Covenant, but put away in some other place. (See Suicer's Thesaurus for the true reading of the passage in this father). Under the term apocryphal have been included books of a religious character which were in circulation among private Christians, but were not allowed to be read in the public assemblies, such as 3 and 4 Esdras, and 3 and 4 Maccabees.
(2) Spurious Gospels Invented by Heretics. In regard to the New Testament, the term has been usually applied to books invented by heretics to favor their views, or by Catholics under fictitious signatures. Of this description were many spurious or apocryphal gospels (which see). It is probably in reference to such that Basil, Cyril of Jerusalem and Jerome gave cau tions against the reading of apocryphal books ; al though it is possible, from the context, that the last-named father alludes to the books which were also called Ecclesiastical, and afterwards Deutcro-canonical.
In the Bibliothbque Sacre, by the Rev. Domin ican Fathers Richard and Giroud (Paris, 1822), the term is defined to signify : (i) Anonymous or pseudepigraphal books ; (2) those which are not publicly read: although they may be read with edification in private ; (3) those which do not pass for authentic and of divine authority, al though they pass for being composed by a sacred author or an apostle, as the Epistle of Barnabas; and (4) dangerous books, composed by ancient heretics to favor their opinions. They also apply the name `to books which, after having been con tested, are put into the canon by consent of the churches, as Tobit, etc.' And Jahn applies it in its most strict sense, and that which it has borne since the fourth century, to books which, from their inscription, or the author's name, or the subject, might easily be taken for inspired books, but are not so in reality. It has also been applied, by Jerome, to certain books not found in the He brew canon, but yet publicly read from time im memorial in the Christian church for edification, although not considered of authority in contro versies of faith. These were also termed Ecclesi astical books, and consisted of the books of Tobit. Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, the first two books of Maccabees, the last seven chapters (ac cording to Cardinal Hugo's division) of the book of Esther, and those (so-called) parts of the book of Daniel which are not found in Hebrew, viz., the Song of the Children, the Speech of Azariali, the History of Susannah, and the Fahle (as Jer ome calls it) of Bel and the Dragon. These have been denominated, for distinction's sake, the deutero-canonical books, inasmuch as they were not in the original or Hebrew canon. In this sense they are called by some the Antilcgomena of the Old Testament. 'The uncanonical books,' says Athanasius, or the author of the Synapsis, 'are divided into antilegomena and apocrypha.' (See DEUTERO-CANONICAL.) (3) As Distinct from Ecclesiastical. Of Spurious and Apocryphal Books, as distinct from Antilegomcna or Ecclesiastical.—Among this class are doubtless to be considered the third and fourth books of Esdras, and it is no doubt in reference to these that, in his letter to Vigilantius, Atha nasius speaks of a work of Esdras which he says that he had never even read.