I was recently asked why I did not include the 7 books of the Apocrypha in the study of Hebrew Letters as they relate to the books in the Bible.
Here's my answer:
Those 7 books, generally called the Apocrypha, were added by the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent
(1545–1563). The fact that they were added at such a relatively recent date when
Scripture clearly says not to add to it (Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32, Proverbs 30:
5,6, Revelation 22:18) is troubling. But now including the 7 books has become a
tradition in the Catholic Church—a tradition of men, to which Jesus
said in Mark 7: “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to
the traditions of men. …Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that
you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” (New International
Version)
