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The '''Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical Books''' are books of the [[Old Testament]] that are accepted by the Orthodox Christian Church but are not accepted by Protestants.
The word Deuterocanonical comes from the Greek words ''Deutero'' and ''canona'' meaning "second [[Canon (Bible)|canon]]." The word ''apocrypha'' comes from the Greek word ἀπόκρυφα, meaning "hidden." According to Orthodox teaching they may be read for personal edification but are not authoritative for [[doctrine]]. They are included in the Orthodox [[Bible]] because they were included in the [[Septuagint]] which was in use at the time of [[Jesus]].
===The Books of the Apocrypha===
==New Testament==
Books of the apostolic times that were not included in the [[scripture|canon of scripture]], but may have reputed apostolic or prophetic authorship, are also called Apocrypha. These writings of the early Christian church give accounts of the teachings of Jesus, aspects of the life of Jesus, accounts of the nature of God, or the teachings of his apostles and of their lives. These writings often have links with those books which are regarded as [[canonical]]. According to Orthodox teaching they may be read for personal edification but are not authoritative for [[doctrine]].
At the turn from the first century, many false writings about Christ were produced. These were the so-called apocryphal writings (not to be confused with the Old Testament apocrypha), also called ''pseudoepigrapha''. These false writings carried the names of the apostles and introduced into Christian circles many fanciful and legendary stories about the childhood of Christ, the life of the Virgin Mary and the activities of the apostles.
