Though not part of the original project but published in 1895 the Apocrypha (Greek for "hidden") is the term used to denote the fifteen books included in the Septuagint (the first Greek translation of the Bible) and the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin translation of the Bible), which were incorporated in the Catholic and Greek Orthodox canons, but not in the Hebrew or Protestant Bibles.    These books are believed to have been composed from about 300 BC. to AD 70.    Most were written in either Hebrew or Aramaic and contain Intertestamental historical works, additions to various canonical books, devotions, and apocalypses.    They came under attack by the Protestants during the Reformation in the 16th century.    Martin Luther, a leading figure of the Protestant Reformation, and other reformers decided the Christian Bible should include only those books of the Old Testament that were in the Hebrew Cannon.    They kept the basic order of the Septuagint, but ended their book with the Prophets.    The books not found in the Hebrew Bible were placed in another category as an appendix to the Old Testament.    Catholic scholars refer to this group of works as the deuterocanonical books of Scripture (those books and portions which came later to be recognized as authoritative in the church).    The Catholic church declared these books to be authoritative at the Council of Trent (1546) and included them in their Bible.
    As early as 1599 some English copies of the Bible omitted the apocryphal books altogether.    The King James Version of 1611, however, contained them.    These were:

• Esther (from about the second century B.C.) are popular expansions (six passages) to the biblical story, designed to introduce an underlying religious theme to the Book of Esther, which does not mention the name of God.
• Baruch (from about the second to first century B.C.) contains a prayer of confession, a poem in praise of wisdom, and songs of comfort.    The book is attributed to Baruch, who was the scribe of the prophet Jeremiah.    The book's theme is the Babylonian exile for punishment of Israel's sins, and foretells the return to Zion.
• Book of Daniel has three additions (from about 165 to 100 B.C.), which are partly legends about Daniel the Sage and Godfearer and partly liturgical text.
  
  • Bel and the Dragon (which contains two stories in which Daniel proves the fraudulence of the idols worshipped by the Babylonians as a god.).
  • The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Young Men (recounts the prayers of Shadrach, Meschah, and Azariah, and center on the misfortunes encountered by Jews despite God's covenant with them.).
  • Susannah and the Elders (an attempt to explain the high regard given Daniel by the Babylonians.    The book tells the story of how Daniel saved Susannah from a false charge of adultery, prompted by her rejection of the advances of two elders.    Daniel's interrogation of the elders proved that they were not telling the true story.).
• 1 Esdras (the Greek form of the name Ezra) (150 to 100 B.C.) is an addition to the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.    The book contains historical material which formed the basis of Josephus' description of the exiles' return to Zion from Babylonia.    Its major addition to the biblical account is the "debate of the three young men" which explains how Zerubbabel, depicted as a bodyguard to Darius I, gained permission from the Persian king for the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem.
• 2 Esdras (from about A.D. 70) is an apocalyptic work attributed to Ezra, describing the destruction of Jerusalem because of the sins of Israel.    The visions of the future tell that after a period of time Israel will be cleansed of its sinfulness and Jerusalem will be rebuilt.
• Judith (about 150 B.C.) contains a tale of a heroine, Judith, who used her charm to lure the invading Assyrian general Holofernes to his death by decapitation.    She, thereby, lifted the siege of her city.    The book is important for its description of Judith's meticulous observance of various religious laws.
• The letter of Jeremiah (from about 300 B.C.) is a short work attributed to Jeremiah in which the prophet condemns the worship of idols.    In the Vulgate, the book also contains the letter of Jeremiah as the sixth chapter.
• 1 Macabees (from about 110 B.C.) is the chief source for a history of the events of the Hasmonean revolt from the conquest of Alexander the Great and is the primary source for information on the events celebrated on the festival of Hanukkah.
• 2 Macabees (from 110 to 70 B.C.) is essentially the same recounting of events as 1 Macabees but, with a stronger emphasis of the religious aspects of the revolt rather than serving as an historical account.    Among the prominent religious themes in the book is the concept of martyrdom.
• The Prayer of Manasseh
• Ecclesiasticus (Wisdom of Jesus ben Sira, or Sirach) (from about 180 B.C.) is an apocryphal book of the Wisdom of Literature containing poems and proverbs offering advise on practical and godly living similar to the book of Proverbs.
• Tobit (500 to 400 B.C.) is a tale of domestic piety.    It is the story of Tobit, from the tribe of Naphtali, who is exiled to Assyria where, despite his righteousness, misfortune befalls him.    The book ends with Tobias, his son, rectifying the wrong done to his father.
• The Wisdom of Solomon (from the first century B.C.) pays homage to the traditional founder of Wisdom Literature without claiming to be written by Solomon.    The book consists of three parts: an eschatology, depicting the ultimate fate of the righteous and the wicked; a "wisdom" section, containing the message that God is close to the Jews when they adhere to the values created by wisdom; and a homily on the Book of Exodus.