Paul, the Apocryphal Books were not included in the Canon of Scripture (i.e. what the learned men over the centuries, & particularly in the 16th Century during the Protestant Reformation, deemed were the authoritative books to make up our Bible today). They used various criteria to arrive at their decision. Some of these: were the authors genuine, known, & confirmed by other writings; were the texts given in harmony with other Scriptures; did the texts have any errors that were in conflict with accepted Scriptures; what was the background & influences that the authors faced in initiating those books; & probably many more.
If you do an examination of the Apocryphal Books, as listed here in KJB Online, you will see some differences, a few quite glaring. But if you can't spend the time, I'm sure others have done it & have posted online for you to check out the Scriptures. In relation to 1 & 2 Esdras, I did a quick search & Compelling Truth dot org have given a short write-up.
In some other Bibles, particularly the Roman Catholic edition, you will find the Apocryphal Books alongside 'our Bible', as much of their beliefs & practises stem from those books which are not found in the Canon of Scripture, e.g. purgatory. Personally, I don't refer to those 'spurious' books as one has to be very astute & knowledgeable to pick up on some errors contained there & I have enough of a struggle coping with the Bible & its vital messages, let alone adding more to challenge me or lead me astray. I don't say that those books are rife with errors, but be careful as you read them & always come back to the Word of God.
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thank you for your answer paul liverpool england.
If you do an examination of the Apocryphal Books, as listed here in KJB Online, you will see some differences, a few quite glaring. But if you can't spend the time, I'm sure others have done it & have posted online for you to check out the Scriptures. In relation to 1 & 2 Esdras, I did a quick search & Compelling Truth dot org have given a short write-up.
In some other Bibles, particularly the Roman Catholic edition, you will find the Apocryphal Books alongside 'our Bible', as much of their beliefs & practises stem from those books which are not found in the Canon of Scripture, e.g. purgatory. Personally, I don't refer to those 'spurious' books as one has to be very astute & knowledgeable to pick up on some errors contained there & I have enough of a struggle coping with the Bible & its vital messages, let alone adding more to challenge me or lead me astray. I don't say that those books are rife with errors, but be careful as you read them & always come back to the Word of God.
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