Guide · Medium · 8 min
What is the difference between apocrypha, deuterocanonical, and pseudepigrapha?
A direct guide to three terms often confused in discussions about biblical books and ancient texts.
# What is the difference between apocrypha, deuterocanonical, and pseudepigrapha?
Quick summary
Apocrypha, deuterocanonical, and pseudepigrapha are related terms, but they do not mean the same thing. The meaning also changes depending on religious tradition and academic context.
Apocrypha
In many Protestant contexts, “Apocrypha” refers to books printed between the Old and New Testaments or excluded from the Protestant canon. In other contexts, the word can mean hidden, noncanonical, or simply outside a given community’s canon.
Deuterocanonical
“Deuterocanonical” is common in Catholic usage for books received in the Catholic Old Testament but not in the Jewish or most Protestant canons. The term does not mean “less inspired”; it means their canonical reception was discussed in a different way.
Pseudepigrapha
“Pseudepigrapha” usually refers to ancient works written under the name of a biblical figure or associated with a famous ancient name. Examples often include Enochic, patriarchal, or apocalyptic texts. The term is more academic than liturgical.
Why confusion happens
The same book can be called differently depending on the speaker. A Protestant may call a text apocryphal; a Catholic may call it deuterocanonical; a scholar may classify another text as pseudepigraphal. Always ask which tradition or context is being used.
Read also
- What are biblical apocrypha?
- What are the deuterocanonical books?
- What is the biblical canon?
- Were books really removed from the Bible?
Sources and recommended reading
Editorial note: this article is written in an informational, non-confessional tone. Where traditions disagree, the page should describe differences of reception, use, and canon without presenting one tradition as the universal default.