STOP calling these "Holy Books"!

Did God inspire the books of the Apocrypha, or are they simply historical writings? My name is Lex, and welcome to Unlearn. The Intertestamental period refers to the 400 years between Malachi and Matthew. This time is referred to as the silent years because there were no prophets and no one hearing from the Lord. During this time, books were written, but those books did not contain the inspiration of God that we find in the scriptures because there were no prophets to give the words of God. The book of First Maccabees even testifies that there were no prophets at that time. After the altar was defiled and they cleaned the temple, they tore down the old altar, but they didn't know what to do with the stones. So, they decided to set them aside and store the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until a prophet should come and tell them what to do with them. First Maccabees 4:46. So, there was great distress in Israel such as had not been since the time that the prophets ceased to appear among them. First Maccabees 9:27. This is a lament that there had been no prophets for a noticeable duration of time. And the lack of guidance from God had created a time of distress. The people had no guidance from the Lord, which left them with a sense of uncertainty about the events that were taking place. Antiochus was persecuting them and trying to destroy their faith and culture, and they had no direction from the Lord through the prophets to guide them. Even after they defeated the Greeks, regained control of the temple, and appointed new leadership in Israel, they acknowledged that no prophets had yet appeared among them. The Jews and the priests have resolved that Simon should be their leader and high priest forever until a trustworthy prophet should arise. First Maccabees 14:41. The Apocrypha was never included in the Jewish canon, and it is generally rejected by most Christians. The Roman Catholic Church decided to include them in their Bible at the Council of Trent in 1546 in response to the Protestant Reformation. But before that, they were not even included as scripture among the Catholics. There were no prophets during the Intertestamental period, so we can safely conclude that nothing written between Malachi and Matthew was inspired scripture. However, today, there is a growing number of people asking why these books are not included in the Bible. So, we have a need to address these questions in appropriate ways to help explain and understand why these books are not inspired scripture. The books of the Apocrypha were written between 400 BC and 1 AD during a time when there were no known prophets in Israel. Many of these books are additions to books of the Old Testament, but they're not considered accurate or authoritative because they were written down long after the originals were complete. The Jewish historian Josephus explained that the books of the Old Testament were considered inspired by God, but the intertestamental books of the Apocrypha were not held in the same regard among the Jewish people. Josephus explained that the books which were written after Xerxes, the Apocrypha, were not considered to be of divine authorship among the Jewish people. We know they did value many of these books for historical reasons, but they did not believe them to be inspired by God. The books that Josephus mentions are the same books we have in the Old Testament. He mentioned the five books of Moses, the Torah, the 13 books of the prophets, and four books containing hymns and precepts of conduct, the Psalms and the books of wisdom. These are also the same collections Yeshua mentions when referring to the Old Testament scriptures. And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:27. Then he said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning me." Luke 24:44. Yeshua called the books of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms scripture, but he never referred to the books of the Apocrypha as scripture. The Apocrypha has historical value and can be read for context, but we understand that these books are not the inspired word of God. The lack of divine inspiration in these books should be obvious to anyone who reads them. However, the direct testimony of the people who lived during that time and claimed there were no prophets and no one hearing from the Lord should be a clear and obvious reason for understanding why these books cannot be regarded as scripture because they were not written by divine inspiration. Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this video, I think you'll really like this next one. Also, think about someone else who might like this video and share it with them. And remember, the truth will set you free. We'll see you next time.