Apocrypha

Tobit is an apocryphal book that is included in various early Septuagint editions of the Greek Old Testament. It is canonical in the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Ethiopian Orthodox traditions. However, it is certain the earliest Christians, who used various editions of the Septuagint, were familiar with Tobit. It is set during the Assyrian exile, and written sometime between 400 and 175 B.C. The book is fascinating because it presents a beautiful portrait of a faithful Jewish man living in the second-temple period, after the Book of Malachi.

The book of 2 Esdras is usually grouped with the Old Testament Apocrypha, even though that really isn’t accurate. It’s actually a composite book containing three documents. The largest is a Jewish apocalypse from the late first-century (also known as 4 Esdras), likely written just after the destruction of the temple in the aftermath of the Jewish Wars. It’s book-ended by two, shorter Christians works: the first from the second century and the other from the third century.

Many Christians don’t send time reading the so-called Old Testament “apocryphal books.” These are a series of works (the number varies, depending on the source) which appeared in versions of the Greek Old Testament in the 400 years or so before Christ’s advent. Protestants have not traditionally considered these as canonical, but they’re an invaluable historical bridge to help us better understand the intertestamental period.