The Apocrypha and the King James Bible
Some have thought that the translators of the King James Bible considered the Apocrypha as a part of Holy Scriptures because they included it with the original publication in 1611. However, it is far more likely that they included it for historical reference. Consider the following:
(1) The original publication of the King James Bible had a fancy title page at the beginning of the Bible. It reads, "THE HOLY BIBLE, Conteyning the Old Testament, AND THE NEW:" Notice that there is no mention of the "Apocrypha".
(2) There was also a fancy title page before the New Testament which reads, "THE NEWE TESTAMENT OF our Lord and Sauiour IESVS CHRIST." Again, there is no mention of the Apocrypha, though in this case the title page occurs immediately after the Apocrypha in the King James Bible.
(3) The Apocrypha contained no such fancy title page but simply a header which states "APOCRYPHA".
(4) The Apocrypha was stuck between the two testaments which were considered to be the Holy Bible.
(5) While the Holy Bible is explicitly stated to contain the Old and New Testaments, there is no such statement about it containing the Apocrypha.
It should also be noted that English Bibles prior to the King James Bible also included the Apocrypha, including: Coverdale, Matthew's, Great, Geneva, and Bishops'.
This page was last updated: 2/3/2017
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