Apocrypha-NRSV

The Apocrypha contains numerous pre-New Testament Jewish religious writings that have been adopted by some churches but not others. I had read some about a number of these books but hadn't read any in their entirety until I was given this book. I am glad I took the time to read through the stories that range from a rather humorous addition to the story of Daniel to the story of Tobbit to the wildly historically inaccurate Judith to the blood-soaked pages of the Maccabees. True, I don't consider any of these books cannon and I find some rather questionable in certain respects, but its a good learning experience never the less as well as a glimpse into some segments of ancient Jewish thought. Overall, I recommend it to all those interested in the subject.

OK if all you want is the text. If you want any sort of details on authorship, time period written, notes on why these may have been excluded from the protestant canon you'll need to look elsewhere. Nicely bound.

The Bible I use-King James Version, by the way--doesn't have an Apocrypha in it, so I decided to pick up this copy, partly because this edition was the KJV version, and partly because it matched the size of my Bible. I'm in to the Bible so I am curious about anything and everything associated with the Book of Books. I find the canonization process to absolutely fascinating. Moreover, Thomas Aquinas, my favorite philosopher, frequently cites Apocryphal books in his writings, so it followed as a matter of course that I would want to get this book.This is a "top of the line" version of the Apocrypha. It has an introductory essay and table of contents. The footnotes are for alternate readings on the text, but do not cross-reference the text with the Apocrypha, or the Bible proper. The printing is wonderful-I haven't found any typos, or faded text. The versification is kept in the left margin, so the text is kept eye friendly, and the poetic portions are set apart as in the NIV. I am surprised at the number of books included in the Apocrypha. It is the "fattest" version I have seen that isn't a musty scholar's book. It has the standard books, plus 3 and 4 Maccabees, Psalm 151, the prayer of Manassah, and two more books of Esdras. I think this is all anyone could want in an Apocrypha.For a more user-friendly version of the Apocrypha, would recommend the Godspeed Translation, which has a modern English style, along the lines of the J. B. Phillips translation. Plush, this edition has great headnotes for each chapter, and the numbering is kept in the margins, so it doesn't break up the text..The Apocrypha is a fun book. Yes, theology is fun, since it is a form of learning. You a given a better perspective on how things went between Malachi and Matthew, and are exposed to profound wisdom literature. If you like proverbs, read "The Wisdom of Solomon," or "Eccelsiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach." My favorite book is Tobit, which has a wonderful Orphic love story.