The Bible contains a number of books that have been removed. All of the texts that were removed from the Bible are collectively referred to as apocrypha, which means “those that are concealed” in English.
The books were removed from the Bible by Martin Luther.
Luther eliminated seven whole volumes and parts of three more from it because they didn’t fit his idea of “what God genuinely wanted,” and for no other reason.
Which biblical books did he remove?
They include the Deuterocanonical Books. These consist of the Maccabees, Judith, and Tobit (1 and 2). Ecclesiasticus, commonly known as wisdom of Solomon and Sirach.
Why did Luther behave in that manner?
He asserted that he had removed them in an effort to challenge the authority of the Catholic Church because they were celebrating Judaism.
Luther aimed to have the Bible back up his theological claims. Because they conflicted with his belief that redemption is by grace alone via faith, he made the decision to omit the books of Hebrews James and Jude from the New Testament, even if it meant omitting entire volumes.
