How have modern Lutheran churches treated the books Luther placed in the Apocrypha since the Reformation?
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Executive summary
Since the Reformation Martin Luther and most Lutheran bodies have treated the Old Testament deuterocanonical books as non‑canonical but “useful and good to read,” often printed in a separate Apocrypha section of Lutheran Bibles and used for study and lectionary/contextual reading rather than as sources of doctrine [1] [2]. Modern Lutheran publishers and synods continue that practice: Concordia Publishing House released a Lutheran English edition of the Apocrypha in 2012 with Lutheran notes, and CPH and other Lutheran agencies present the Apocrypha as valuable historical and devotional literature outside the canonical Scriptures [2] [3] [4].
1. Luther’s practical compromise: “not equal to Scripture, but useful”
Martin Luther translated and included the deuterocanonical books in his German Bible but explicitly relocated and labeled them as Apocrypha — “books which are not considered equal to the Holy Scriptures, but are useful and good to read” — establishing a practice that treated these writings as respected background material rather than authoritative doctrine [1]. That formulation set the tone for Lutheran usage after the Reformation and guided how Lutheran editors and theologians presented the books in printed Bibles and teaching [1].
2. Confessions, theologians and ambivalence: official silence, practical guidance
Lutheran confessional documents did not produce a sharp new canon; instead, they left room for differentiation between canonical Scripture and other useful writings. Later Lutheran theologians such as Chemnitz and leaders in the North American Lutheran tradition treated the Apocrypha as “biblical but not canonical,” using them in teaching and devotional life while excluding them from doctrinal foundations [5] [1]. This produced institutional ambivalence: the Apocrypha were neither condemned nor elevated to the status of Scripture in Lutheran confessions [5].
3. Printing practice: included, separated, annotated
Historically Luther’s Bible and many German Lutheran editions printed the Apocrypha, often placed between the Old and New Testaments or after the Old Testament; that printing practice continued among German‑language Lutherans into the modern era [1] [5]. In English‑language Lutheran contexts the books became less commonly printed until Concordia Publishing House revived a Lutheran English edition with notes in 2012, explicitly marketed as the first such English Lutheran edition and framed for study rather than canonical reading [2] [3].
4. Contemporary Lutheran publishers: study aids, not doctrinal substitutes
Concordia Publishing House’s Apocrypha edition — the Lutheran Edition with Notes and the first ESV Apocrypha annotated by Lutherans — presents the books as “a key resource for understanding the New Testament’s background” and offers introductions, notes and articles to guide study; promotional language stresses literary, historical and devotional value while echoing Luther’s “useful” characterization [3] [6]. CPH’s framing signals a clear editorial agenda: restore awareness of Lutheran historical practice and provide study tools, not change doctrinal commitments [2] [3].
5. Synods and teaching: continued caution against doctrinal use
Official responses from smaller Lutheran bodies reiterate the historic Lutheran posture that the Apocrypha are not part of the canonical Scripture and should not be used as authoritative for doctrine; the Evangelical Lutheran Synod’s materials explain the Apocrypha’s historical status and caution about Catholic doctrinal uses tied to those books [7]. This reflects a wider Lutheran pattern of permitting reading and liturgical/educational use while maintaining a doctrinal boundary [7] [5].
6. Competing perspectives and hidden agendas
Sources show two competing impulses within Lutheranism: a scholarly and devotional interest in the Apocrypha’s historical utility (as promoted by CPH and Lutheran editors) versus a confessional caution that resists treating these books as equal to canonical Scripture [3] [2] [7]. Concordia Publishing House’s revival of the Apocrypha in English carries an implicit agenda to reconnect modern Lutherans with historical practice and to counter the absence of these books in many English Lutheran Bibles [2]. Conversely, synodical statements emphasizing the Apocrypha’s non‑canonical status reflect an agenda to protect doctrinal clarity and to distance Lutheran teaching from Roman Catholic uses of the same books [7].
7. Limitations and what the sources do not say
Available sources do not mention precise current practices across every major Lutheran body (for example, whether ELCA, LCMS, NALC lectionaries routinely include Apocryphal readings), nor do they provide systematic data on how many modern Lutheran congregations print or preach from the Apocrypha in worship (not found in current reporting). The supplied material focuses on publishing (CPH), historical practice (Luther/Chemnitz) and synodical guidance rather than comprehensive empirical church practice [2] [1] [5].
Conclusion: The consistent modern Lutheran stance derived from Luther is to treat the Apocrypha as non‑canonical yet valuable background reading. Recent Lutheran publishing efforts, led by Concordia Publishing House, deliberately recover these books for study and devotion while official Lutheran bodies continue to limit their doctrinal authority [1] [2] [3].