Have you ever heard of the Apocrypha? For much of my life, the only thing I knew about it was that
there was a short section in the Doctrine and Covenants that referenced it. Today I’d like to
share with you a quick overview of the Apocrypha as well as one of my favorite stories from it.
What the Doctrine and Covenants refers to as “The Apocrypha” is a collection of fourteen books that
had traditionally been included by Christian churches as part of their scriptural canon.
These books had an unusual history in that they were part of the Septuagint, which is the Greek
version of what we today call the Old Testament, but they were not part of the Hebrew version.
This difference is one of the reasons people have debated about whether they are actually canonical.
Although they did not become part of the Jewish scriptures, for centuries
most Christians included them in their Bibles. However, by the 1500s there began to be discussion
about whether these books were really scriptural. Over time, many Protestants, while reading them
as edifying literature, rejected them as being canonical. At the same time,
the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox retained them in their scriptures. In the King James Bible
that Joseph Smith was using for his bible translation there was a separate section
from the Old and New Testaments, called the Apocrypha, that included these fourteen books.
As part of his Bible translation, when Joseph got to this section, he asked the
Lord if he should translate it. In response, Joseph received the following revelation:
“There are many things contained therein that are true, and it is mostly translated correctly;
There are many things contained therein that are not true, which are interpolations by the hands
of men. Verily, I say unto you, that it is not needful that the Apocrypha should be translated.
Therefore, whoso readeth it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth;
And whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom." So it looks like that
although it contains some errors, and Joseph Smith was told not to translate it, the Apocrypha is
“mostly translated correctly,” contains “many things…that are true” and if we’re enlightened
by the Spirit we can “obtain benefit” from it. With that in mind, let me share one of my
favorite stories from the Apocrypha. The setting is approximately 170 BC when Greek officials were
trying to enforce the living of Greek (rather than Jewish) customs in Jerusalem and its surrounding
areas. I’ll be reading from 2 Maccabees 6:18-31. “Eleazar, one of the scribes in high position,
a man now advanced in age and of noble presence, was being forced to open his mouth to eat swine’s
flesh. But he, welcoming death with honor rather than life with pollution, went up to the rack
of his own accord, spitting out the flesh, as all ought to go who have the courage to refuse
things that it is not right to taste, even for the natural love of life.” Does this make sense? It
was against Jewish law to eat pork, but Eleazar was being threatened with death if he didn’t do
it. What would you do in such a situation? At this point, some of Eleazar’s friends
pulled him aside and said, “We’ve got an idea. Why don’t you just bring some of your own meat (like
chicken) and then, instead of eating pork you can swap in the chicken. That way you won’t
break the law and you’ll save your life. Eleazar did not like this idea. He said,
“Such pretense is not worthy of our time of life…for many of the young might suppose that
Eleazar in his ninetieth year had gone over to an alien religion, and through my pretense,
for the sake of living a brief moment longer, they would be led astray because of me, while
I defile and disgrace my old age. Even if for the present I would avoid the punishment of mortals,
yet whether I live or die I will not escape the hands of the Almighty. Therefore, by bravely
giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age and leave to the young a noble
example of how to die a good death willingly and nobly for the revered and holy laws….When
he had said this, he went at once to the rack…So in this way he died,
leaving in his death an example of nobility and a memorial of courage, not only to the young
but to the great body of his nation.” Eleazar’s story inspires me, reminding me of
Abinadi, Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ—people who gave up their lives for what they knew was right.
Although the Apocrypha isn’t scripture, we can learn some important things from
studying its pages. Give it a try, and see what you find! To access an online copy
of the Apocrypha and find some helpful study resources, click the link in the description.