apocrypha

/ə'pɔkrifə/

Thân thiện

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A collection of religious writings: The "Apocrypha" refers to a specific set of ancient Jewish religious texts. These writings are included in some versions of the Christian Old Testament but are considered non-canonical or of secondary authority by other traditions.
   • Writings of doubtful authenticity: More broadly, "apocrypha" (often lowercase) can describe any writings or stories of questionable authorship or authenticity, not necessarily religious.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The Apocrypha includes books like Tobit and the Wisdom of Solomon.
  • Some Bibles print the Apocrypha in a separate section between the Old and New Testaments.
  • The historian dismissed the document as mere apocrypha, lacking credible sources.

Advanced Usage

• "the Apocrypha" (capitalized): Specifically denotes the collection of 14 books (or 11 books, depending on the canon) found in the Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate but not in the Hebrew Bible.
  • Scholars study the Apocrypha to understand Jewish thought during the Intertestamental Period.
• Used attributively: Describing something as being of dubious authenticity, like the texts.
  • He told an apocryphal story about the founding of the town.

Variants and Related Words

• Apocryphal (adj): Of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true. This is the most common derivative.
  • The apocryphal tale of George Washington and the cherry tree.
• Apocryphally (adv): In an apocryphal manner.

Synonyms

• Deuterocanonical: (Specifically for the biblical books) Meaning "of the second canon," a term used primarily in Catholic and Orthodox traditions for these writings.
• Spurious writings: For the general sense of doubtful authenticity.
• Pseudepigrapha: A related but distinct category of ancient Jewish religious writings attributed to figures who did not actually author them.

Notes on Meaning

• Religious Context: In Protestant Christianity, "the Apocrypha" typically refers to the books not considered part of the canonical Old Testament. In Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, most of these books are considered deuterocanonical (part of the canon).
• General Context: In secular use, "apocrypha" (lowercase) refers to anecdotes or accounts that are plausible but unverified, often shared as folklore or myth.

Học thuật

Noun

1. 14 books of the Old Testament included in the Vulgate (except for II Esdras) but omitted in Jewish and Protestant versions of the Bible; eastern Christian churches (except the Coptic Church) accept all these books as canonical; the Russian Orthodox Church accepts these texts as divinely inspired but does not grant them the same status

Từ đồng nghĩa

• apocrypha