Apocrypha | Biblical Literature, Jewish & Christian Texts

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<div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/apocrypha">apocrypha</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <span class="toc-extra-link selected link-gray-900 mt-15"> Introduction </span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/apocrypha/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/apocrypha">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-student-links"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> For Students </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/summary/apocrypha"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/images/shared/default3.png?v=3.130.14" class="default " height="200" width="200"/> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/summary/apocrypha" >Apocrypha summary</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-related-quizzes"> <div 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.worldhistory.org/Apocrypha_and_Pseudepigrapha/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">World History Encyclopedia - Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1644-apocrypha" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">JewishEncyclopedia.com - Apocrypha</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://faculty.wts.edu/posts/a-brief-history-of-the-apocrypha/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Westminster Theological Seminary - A Brief History of the Apocrypha</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://carm.org/roman-catholicism/the-apocrypha-is-it-scripture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">CARM - The Apocrypha: Is it scripture?</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/A/apocrypha.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia - Apocrypha</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-apocrypha-and-pseudepigrapha" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Jewish Virtual Library - The Apocypha and Pseudepigrapha</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bd/apocrypha?lang=eng" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Apocrypha</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: Old Testament Apocrypha, deuterocanonical book</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written and fact-checked by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-11-19T00:00:00CST" >Nov 19, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/apocrypha/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/biblical-literature" topicid="64496">biblical literature</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/scripture" topicid="530020">scripture</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Hebrew-Bible" topicid="259039">Hebrew Bible</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Old-Testament" topicid="427211">Old Testament</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/Song-of-the-Three-Young-Men" topicid="593962">Song of the Three Young Men</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>On the Web: </dt> <dd><a href="https://carm.org/roman-catholicism/the-apocrypha-is-it-scripture/" target="_blank">CARM - The Apocrypha: Is it scripture?</a> (Nov. 19, 2024)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/apocrypha"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref40381"></span>apocrypha</strong>, (from Greek <em>apokryptein</em>, “to hide away”), in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/biblical-literature" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">biblical literature</a>, works outside an accepted canon of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/scripture" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">scripture</a>. The history of the term’s usage indicates that it referred to a body of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="esoteric" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/esoteric" data-type="MW">esoteric</a> writings that were at first prized, later tolerated, and finally excluded. In its broadest sense <em>apocrypha</em> has come to mean any writings of dubious authority. A brief treatment of apocrypha follows. For full treatment, <em>see</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/biblical-literature/Persian-and-Hellenistic-influences#ref73333" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">biblical literature: Apocryphal writings</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">There are several levels of dubiety within the general concept of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="apocryphal" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apocryphal" data-type="MW">apocryphal</a> works in Judeo-Christian biblical writings. Apocrypha per se are outside the canon, not considered divinely inspired but regarded as worthy of study by the faithful. <span id="ref40382"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/pseudepigrapha" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Pseudepigrapha</a> are spurious works ostensibly written by a biblical figure. Deuterocanonical works are those that are accepted in one canon but not in all.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">At the time when Greek was the common <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/speech-language" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">spoken language</a> in the Mediterranean region, the Old Testament—the Hebrew Bible—was incomprehensible to most of the population. For this reason, Jewish scholars produced the <span id="ref40383"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Septuagint" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Septuagint</a>, a translation of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Old-Testament" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Old Testament</a> books from various Hebrew texts, along with fragments in Aramaic, into Greek. That version incorporated a number of works that later, non-Hellenistic Jewish scholarship at the Council of Jamnia (<span class="text-smallcaps">ad</span> 90) identified as being outside the authentic <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hebrew-Bible" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Hebrew canon</a>. The Talmud separates these works as <em>Sefarim Hizonim</em> (Extraneous Books).</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/christianity-quiz" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/67/160167-131-98582C51/Easter-Valladolid-Procession-cross-Nazarenos-Spain-Semana.jpg" alt="Holy week. Easter. Valladolid. Procession of Nazarenos carry a cross during the Semana Santa (Holy week before Easter) in Valladolid, Spain. Good Friday" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Christianity Quiz</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The Septuagint was an important basis for St. <span id="ref983942"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Jerome" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Jerome</a>’s translation of the Old <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="Testament" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/Testament" data-type="EB">Testament</a> into Latin for the <span id="ref983948"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Vulgate" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Vulgate Bible</a>; and, although he had doubts about the authenticity of some of the apocryphal works that it contained (he was the first to employ the word <em>apocrypha</em> in the sense of “noncanonical”), he was overruled, and most of them were included in the Vulgate. On April 8, 1546, the <span id="ref983949"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Council-of-Trent" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Council of Trent</a> declared the canonicity of nearly the entire Vulgate, excluding only the Third and Fourth Books of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Maccabees" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Maccabees</a>, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Prayer-of-Manasseh" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Prayer of Manasseh</a>, Psalm 151, and the First and Second Books of Esdras. Eastern Christendom, meanwhile, had accepted some of the Old Testament apocrypha—Tobit, Judith, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wisdom-of-Solomon" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Wisdom of Solomon</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ecclesiasticus" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Ecclesiasticus</a> (Wisdom of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jesus" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Jesus</a> the Son of Sirach)—but rejected the rest.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The other apocryphal writings, <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="canonical" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canonical" data-type="MW">canonical</a> only to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Roman-Catholicism" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Roman Catholicism</a>, with an exception or two, include the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Book-of-Baruch" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Book of Baruch</a> (a prophet) and the Letter of Jeremiah (often the sixth chapter of Baruch); the First and Second Books of Maccabees; several stories from Daniel, namely, the Song of the Three, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-History-of-Susanna" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Susanna</a>, and Bel and the Dragon; and extensive portions of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Book-of-Esther" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Book of Esther</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Old Testament pseudepigrapha are extremely numerous and offer accounts of patriarchs and events, attributed to various biblical personages from Adam to Zechariah. Some of the most significant of these works are the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ascension-of-Isaiah-pseudepigraphal-work" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Ascension of Isaiah</a>, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Assumption-of-Moses" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Assumption of Moses</a>, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Life-of-Adam-and-Eve" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Life of Adam and Eve</a>, the First and Second Books of Enoch, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Book-of-Jubilees" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Book of Jubilees</a>, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Letter-of-Aristeas" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Letter of Aristeas</a>, and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Testaments-of-the-Twelve-Patriarchs" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">All the <span id="ref40384"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/New-Testament-Apocrypha" class="md-crosslink ">New Testament apocrypha</a> are pseudepigraphal, and most of them fall into the categories of acts, gospels, and epistles, though there are a number of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="apocalypses" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apocalypses" data-type="MW">apocalypses</a> and some can be characterized as wisdom books. The apocryphal acts purport to relate the lives or careers of various biblical figures, including most of the apostles; the epistles, gospels, and others are ascribed to such figures. Some relate encounters and events in mystical language and describe <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="arcane" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arcane" data-type="MW">arcane</a> rituals. Most of these works arose from sects that had been or would be declared heretical, such as, importantly, the Gnostics. Some of them argued against various heresies, and a few appear to have been neutral efforts to popularize the life of some saint or other early leader of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/church-architecture" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">church</a>, including a number of women. In the early decades of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Christianity</a> no orthodoxy had been established, and various parties or factions were vying for ascendancy and regularity in the young church. All sought through their writings, as through their preaching and missions, to win believers. In this setting virtually all works advocating beliefs that later became heretical were destined to denunciation and destruction.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=black-friday-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In addition to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="apocryphal" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/apocryphal" data-type="EB">apocryphal</a> works per se, the New Testament includes a number of works and fragments that are described by a second meaning of the term deuterocanonical: “added later.” The <span id="ref983954"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Letter-to-the-Hebrews" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Letter to the Hebrews</a> attributed to Paul, who died before it was written, is one of these; others are the letters of James, Peter (II), John (II and III), and Jude, and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Revelation-to-John" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Revelation to John</a>. Fragments include Mark 16:9–20, Luke 22:43–44, and John 7:53 and 8:1–11. All are included in the Roman canon and are accepted by the Eastern Church and most Protestant churches.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Heretical movements such as Gnosticism and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Montanism" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Montanism</a> spawned a great body of New Testament pseudepigrapha. The existence of such purported scriptures lent great <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="impetus" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impetus" data-type="MW">impetus</a> to the process of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/canonization" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">canonization</a> in the young and orthodox Christian Church. <em>See also</em> various apocryphal works cited above.</p><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":29773,"pageLength":808,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"D","adLeg":"D","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Apocrypha | Biblical Literature, Jewish & Christian Texts | Britannica