What Scripture says
Several of these books retell or expand canonical stories:
- The Prayer of Manasseh imagines the prayer of King Manasseh when he repented in exile, which 2 Chronicles 33:12–13 mentions but doesn’t record: “when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly” (ESV).
- 1 Esdras retells material from 2 Chronicles 35–36, Ezra and Nehemiah 8.
- Psalm 151 tells of David’s victory over Goliath (1 Samuel 17).
None of these books is quoted in the New Testament.
What the evidence says
History
Orthodox churches include some books beyond the Catholic Apocrypha, though which ones varies between churches, and some appear only in appendices. Here they are:
1 Esdras
A Greek retelling of the end of the kingdom of Judah and the return from exile. Its one original section is a story of three young guards of King Darius who debate what is strongest: wine, the king or women. The third, Zerubbabel, adds that truth is strongest of all (1 Esdras 3–4), and wins permission to rebuild Jerusalem. The Latin phrase “great is truth, and it prevails” comes from here.
3 Maccabees
Despite its name, it isn’t about the Maccabees. It tells of the Egyptian king Ptolemy IV Philopator (late 3rd century BC) trying to enter the temple in Jerusalem, then persecuting the Jews of Egypt; drunken elephants sent to trample them turn on his own troops. Probably written in the 1st century BC.
4 Maccabees
A philosophical sermon arguing that “devout reason is sovereign over the emotions”, using the martyrs of 2 Maccabees 7 as examples. Written in Greek, probably in the 1st century AD. It is usually placed in an appendix even in Orthodox Bibles. It influenced early Christian writing about martyrdom.
The Prayer of Manasseh
A short, beautiful prayer of repentance, 15 verses long, confessing great sin and appealing to God’s mercy: “You, O Lord, according to your great goodness, have promised repentance and forgiveness to those who have sinned against you.” It appears in some Greek manuscripts and was printed in the appendix of the Latin Vulgate.
Psalm 151
A short psalm about David, the youngest son, chosen and anointed by God, who defeated Goliath. The Greek version calls it a psalm “outside the number” of the 150.
2 Esdras (4 Ezra)
An apocalypse written around AD 100, after the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. In seven visions, Ezra wrestles with God over why he allowed Israel to suffer, and is given visions of the end. Chapters 1–2 and 15–16 are later Christian additions. It is included in Slavonic Bibles and in the appendix of the Latin Vulgate.
Textual Criticism
Psalm 151 has an interesting history. A longer Hebrew version was found in the great Psalms Scroll from Qumran (11QPsa), dated to the 1st century AD. So it was known in Hebrew. But it was never part of the Hebrew Book of Psalms that became standard, and the Qumran Psalms Scroll also contains other non-canonical psalms in a different order.
| Book | Likely date | Included by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Esdras | 2nd century BC | Orthodox |
| 3 Maccabees | 1st century BC | Orthodox |
| 4 Maccabees | 1st century AD | Orthodox appendix |
| Prayer of Manasseh | 2nd–1st century BC | Orthodox; Vulgate appendix |
| Psalm 151 | Uncertain; Hebrew form known at Qumran | Orthodox |
| 2 Esdras | c. AD 100 | Slavonic Bibles; Vulgate appendix |
Where they meet
These books show the breadth of Jewish writing around the time of Christ, and the Prayer of Manasseh in particular has been loved in Christian devotion. Orthodox churches value them in worship. Most other Christians, Catholic and Protestant, don’t treat them as Scripture.
What’s still open
Their precise status within Orthodoxy, which has never issued one binding list for all its churches.
Bottom line
These books are found in some Orthodox Bibles or appendices. They are mostly rewrites or later Jewish works; Psalm 151 appears in the Dead Sea Scrolls but was never in the Hebrew Psalter. They are rated Debated because Orthodox tradition still includes them.