In An Introduction to the Apocrypha, Bruce M. Metzger begins by clarifying the term 'Apocrypha,' and proceeds to discuss the development of the Hebrew canon to the exclusion of the Apocryphal books. He then offers a scholarly analysis of the individual books of the Apocrypha, and probes the significance of New Testament parallels and allusions to the Apopcrypha. Metzger surveys the status accorded the Apocryphal books by the early church fathers, the theologians of the Eastern churches, the leaders of the Reformation and subsequent Protestant theologians, and the Roman Catholic Church. He concludes with a discussion of the pervasive influence of the Apocrypha on the arts. Bibliography and index.
