We received today back from the typesetters complete “first pages” of The Apocrypha: Lutheran Edition with Notes, and …. wow, it is really amazing. You are going to love what a rich treasure of resources this volume provides, as it restores once more to many Lutherans a part of the Lutheran Bible tradition that went “missing in action” when the Lutheran Church moved over to English. The book will be available later this Fall, but you can already place an order, by going here.

Here’s a picture, which you can supersize to your heart’s content by clicking on it and clicking again on it and clicking on it, again….

The words of encouragement, praise and endorsement keep rolling in from a broad range of scholars who have had a chance to review an unedited proof copy of The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes. It will be out by the end of October 2012.

I recommend this edition of the Apocrypha as a timely and useful addition to The Lutheran Study Bible. The Apocrypha have been considered as a part of the biblical canon for most of the church’s history, and while the Reformers may have had good reasons for thinking differently, they still had a high regard for them. This edition enables both scholars and lay readers to understand why.
Knut Alfsvåg
Professor of Systematic Theology
School of Mission and Theology
Stavanger, Norway

The books of the Apocrypha are absolutely essential for understanding the Jewish context of early Christianity. The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes is an outstanding work of scholarship that provides a welcome service to Lutherans and, indeed, to Christians of other traditions interested in reading and studying these fascinating and often entertaining writings, which the great Luther himself deemed “useful and good to read.” A thoughtfully edited and attractively produced volume, it includes many unique features and has the fullest annotations of any comparable study edition. In all, this is a monumental achievement and valuable resource for scholars, students, and lay people alike.
Daniel C. Harlow
Professor of Religion, Calvin College
Editor, The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism

Coming October 2012.

I was asked by a friend recently when the Lutheran study edition of the Apocrypha is coming out, and I thought I had posted something to my blog about it, but when I searched for it and clicked on the title, it has vanished into “404 land” – missing in action. So, here is information about The Apocrypha: Lutheran Study Edition, by the general editor of the volume, Rev. Edward Engelbrecht, who is also the General Editor of The Lutheran Study Bible. Here is the post from his blog site, which I recommend you add to your regular blog reading list. Always interesting things from Ed. The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes will be out in 2012.

I’m lifting my eyes away from the editing and writing for a few moments to share some news about a product currently in development at CPH. Our edition of the Apocrypha is based on the ESV translation prepared by the following scholars:

*David A. deSilva, Trustees’ Distinguished Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Ashland Theological Seminary

*Dan McCartney, Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Redeemer Seminary, Dallas Texas

*Bernard A. Taylor, Loma Linda University

David Aiken edited the ESV text, which is very similar to the 1971 Revised Standard Version (RSV) Apocrypha upon which it is based. The Lutheran edition will include all of the books that Luther translated for the German Bible in the order that Luther presented them. It will also include books that appeared in Lutheran editions of the Vulgate, as well as 3 Maccabees, 4 Maccabees, and Psalm 151 since these latter books are used by other Christians and are part of the ESV edition.

Introductions and Notes

Each book will have an introduction, similar to the book introductions in The Lutheran Study Bible. Books included in the Luther Bible will have study notes, similar to those in The Lutheran Study Bible:

Judith
The Wisdom of Solomon
Tobit
Ecclesiasticus [aka Sirach]
Baruch
The Letter of Jeremiah
1 Maccabees
2 Maccabees
Additions to Esther
Susanna
Bel and the Dragon
The Prayer of Azariah
The Song of the Three Holy Children
The Prayer of Manasseh

An article/chart will explain the use of the apocryphal books in various Christian denominations. The Lutheran edition will also include extensive introductory material and appendices prepared by Lutheran scholars. The release date is 2012.

Reasons for a Separate Edition

From the beginning of The Lutheran Study Bible project, we discussed and prayed about whether we should include the books of the Apocrypha in the new Study Bible. We decided against including them for the following reasons:

1. They would slow down the release of the materials on the Holy Bible,
2. They would greatly inflate the size of an already large book,
3. They would drive up costs for both CPH and customers,
4. Lutherans in America had not seen the Apocrypha in their editions of the Bible for c. 100 years.

We were concerned that suddenly reintroducing the Apocrypha would confuse and possible even offend people who did not know about their inclusion and use in the Lutheran tradition. Therefore, we decided to include more pages in The Lutheran Study Bible about “The Time between the Testaments and The Apocrypha” (pp. 1551–1567) so that English speaking Lutherans could rediscover this aspect of their heritage and its value for biblical study and devotion. Our edition will have a similar design and appearance to The Lutheran Study Bible. It will be a volume in The Essential Lutheran Library.

We believe this edition of the Apocrypha will fill an important gap in our biblical studies resources and help people better understand what Lutherans teach about the Word of God. As I noted on p. 1426 of The Lutheran Study Bible, “Sound goals that Lutherans may hope to reach during their lifetime include . . . Reading through the entire Holy Bible and the Apocrypha.” We are preparing this edition for just such a purpose. I look forward to sharing this new resource with you.

In Christ,
Rev. Edward A. Engelbrecht, STM
Senior editor for Professional and Academic Books and
Bible Resources

General editor for The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes