Out of curiosity more than anything else, I recently read the King James Version of the Apocrypha published in 1611 by the Church of England. Yes, you read it right, the Apocryphal books were published alongside the normal books of the Bible in the revered King James version.
There are those who believe Apocrypha is bad word to describe heretic books. Nothing could be further from the truth. These books missed the cut by a hair. Many are thought to be 100% historically accurate just, for one reason or another, not sanction by God as he worked through individuals to write them.
They read like many Old Testament books. In other words, they are a bit dry in places. Some of the stories are quiet good although lacking character generation that we take for granted today. "The Idol Bel and the Dragon" is the only suspect one in my view and would be more at home in a collection of fantasy short stories. It's a little far out there, but then isn't the story of Noah's Ark, the parting of the Red Sea, David and Goliath, etc?
Many more books have been uncovered than those found in the original King James Version of the Bible. Those can be found in other compilations.
What would really make these books shine is background information about the author, when they were discovered, why they were excluded from the normal Biblical books, annotations, etc. Still, if you are curious, it is worth your time to sit down and read the books of the Apocrypha.
#ApocryphaReview #KingJamesApocrypha
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