“One of the great rewards of biblical study is an increased awareness of the historical and cultural setting in which the Scriptures were written.  In The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes, Editor Engelbrecht and his team of contributors have provided an attractive and accessible overview of one of the most interesting periods in the Bible’s history, namely, the Intertestamental or Second Temple Period.  It was during this time that the Old Testament was completed and the New Testament was on the threshold of emerging.  Succinct introductions with helpful maps and diagrams enrich the presentation.  A distinctive strength is the churchly and confessional assessment from a Lutheran perspective that provides a framework for the historical material—a significant contribution that lifts the reader beyond the merely academic.”