Reintroducing the "Bad Books" of the Bible
Exploring the Deuterocanonical texts from an Orthodox Christian perspective—and seeing what we can learn from them today
“Bad” Books is Back! (Soon)
Simply Orthodox is proud to announce that “Bad” Books of the Bible is coming back to Ancient Faith Radio! After a long hiatus, we’re thrilled to be back to the so-called Apocrypha, diving into the fascinating world of the Old Testament texts embraced by Orthodox and Catholic Christians.
Life has been a whirlwind since our last episode. I’ve been immersed in the joys and challenges of raising a toddler transitioning to preschool age, navigating a job change within the insurance industry, and pouring my heart into a three-part music project with my hip-hop group, Royal Ruckus. On top of that, as most readers have figured out, I’ve taken on an expanded role as a catechist at Saint Mark Greek Orthodox Church in Boca Raton, Florida, teaching and sharing the faith…even more than before. I also serve on several boards, travel a good bit for work; so in short, I’ve been busy.
While these adventures are ongoing, I’m excited to return to the podcast, ready to explore these overlooked texts with fresh energy and perspective. But first I want to re-introduce you to what we’ve been doing.
The Holy Book(s)
The Bible isn’t a single book but a vibrant collection, its name rooted in the Greek Biblia, meaning "books." Throughout history, fierce debates have shaped which texts belong in this sacred library, leaving some cherished works dismissed, marginalized, or forgotten. Often called Apocrypha—implying doubt or illegitimacy—these “Deuterocanonical” texts are anything but irrelevant. In “Bad” Books of the Bible, we argue that these writings are not only captivating but also enrich spiritual growth and give us theological insight through their compelling stories and teachings.
Are These Books Really Missing?
Open your Bible, and you might find these texts absent. For those familiar with the Old Testament but new to these so-called “bad” books, we’re here to change that. Written in the era between the Jewish return from exile and the rise of early Christianity, these works—often tucked between the Old and New Testaments in Bibles—include gripping narratives like Tobit, Judith, the Maccabees, the Wisdom of Solomon, and Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus). Spanning history, romance, and even detective-like tales, they rival the New Testament in scope and intrigue.
A Diverse Landscape of Perspectives?
The history of these texts is fascinating. Originally penned by Jews, early Christians found them through the Greek Septuagint, the early Christian Old Testament. Church fathers held varied opinions: Gregory of Nazianzus called them "strange books" yet drew from them in his teachings, while Athanasius of Alexandria, despite deeming them not in the canonical main, recommended reading them for their spiritual and ethical wisdom. In the final analysis, the textual traditions of early Christianity embraced these books.
Orthodox Christians follow this Tradition and embrace them as part of our canon, valuing them for their insights into faith and virtue, as well as the history of salvation. Your view of these texts likely hinges on your religious tradition:
Catholics affirm their significance, though the included texts vary slightly from ours—and they’re the ones who typically call the books “Deuterocanonical.”
Anglicans adopt a more nuanced approach, with their use depending on context, and sometimes calling them “Apocrypha”—they are called “the other Books” in the 39 Articles of Religion where it is stipulated that “the Church doth read for example of life and instruction of manners; but yet doth it not apply them to establish any doctrine.”
Luther placed these books of in a separate section of his German Bible, but he obviously considered them important since he translated them and published them in his Bible! He called them “books which are not held to equal the sacred Scriptures” but “nevertheless useful and good to read.”
Most modern evangelicals follow more of a Presbyterian view, seeing them as non-scriptural altogether, and are often very skeptical of the books. The Westminster Confession of Faith sums up this perspective: “The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the Canon of Scripture; and therefore are of no authority in the church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved, or made use of, than other human writings.”
Outside of Christianity, many of these books have influenced Jewish thought and found themselves part of the broader Jewish tradition, even if not incorporated as “canon.” The Jewish Annotated Apocrypha, published in 2020, is strong evidence of the value and interest these books can hold even for Jews.
This podcast is taught from an Orthodox Christian perspective, but we invite others along for the ride and seek to bring interesting insights from multiple Christian traditions. Heck, we’ve even brought Sherlock Holmes along for the ride when we explored Tobit.
A Call to Rediscover and Engage
Despite the stigma surrounding the so-called Apocrypha, these texts offer great value to open-minded readers of all Christian and Jewish traditions. What is more, the challenges faced by ancient Jews in their historical context may remind modern believes of struggles in a society hostile to their beliefs.
In “Bad” Books of the Bible, we explore these texts one at a time, uncovering their narrative richness, historical significance, and relevance to today’s faithful. Join us on this journey, share your thoughts or experiences with these “bad” books in the comments and connect with others intrigued by these stories.
Head to Ancient Faith to listen now, subscribe to the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts (and to this Substack, if you haven’t already!)—and help us spread the word about these overlooked treasures. These so-called “bad” books might just deepen your understanding of the Christian faith in unexpected ways.
Here are some introductory materials that may help you get started:
What Are the “Bad” Books of the Bible? (Pilot Episode)
More Bible? Discovering the Apocrypha with Traci Rhoades
Bonusode on Books: A look inside some of our favorite books for studying the so-called Apocrypha.
Our original introductory post: The above post is based in part on this past article.
Prefer to listen on YouTube? Most of our episodes are available there!
Rather than being stories to be interpreted as literal, the Biblical books' content are revelatory of the writers' perceptions of (their) God's nature.
Also, whether or not such concepts are Biblically supported, maybe ‘houses of worship’ were/are actually divinely meant for the parishioners — intended to be for the soul/spirit what health clinics/spas, even hospitals, are for the body and mind. And maybe the Ten Commandments were not meant to ‘obey’ in order to appease/please God but rather intended for humans’ benefit, to directly or indirectly keep people safe and healthy.
I also don't perceive God as being in singular humanoid form, let alone with gender. Nor does God need or desire to be worshipped (or perhaps even thanked) — which, at least to me, are much more traits of frail, shallow human nature.
As for Jesus, he was/is largely meant to show to people that there really was/is hope for the many — especially for young people living in today’s physical, mental and spiritual turmoil — seeing hopelessness in a fire-and-brimstone angry-God-condemnation creator requiring literal pain-filled penance/payment for sinful human behavior.
Followers of Islam and Judaism generally believe that Jesus did exist but was not a divine being (albeit Islam teaches that Jesus was a prophet). After all, how could any divine being place himself/itself down to the level of humans (and even lower, by some other standards)? How could any divine being not be a physical conqueror — far less allow himself to be publicly stripped naked, severely beaten and murdered in such a belittling manner?!
Yet, for many of us, all of that makes Jesus (ergo the Divine) even greater, not less so. Godly greatness need not be defined as the ability to destroy and harshly punish, as opposed to the willingness and compacity for compassionate forgiveness, non-violence and humility.