Anglican practice includes Apocrypha in lectionary; but Scripture primary
The Thirty-Nine Articles (Article VI) affirm the 66 books of the Protestant canon as the foundation of doctrine while allowing that the deuterocanonical books (Apocrypha) may be 'read for example of life and instruction of manners,' but not 'to establish any doctrine.' This nuanced position allows Anglican lectionaries to include readings from Tobit, Wisdom, Sirach, and other deuterocanonical books.
AnglicanApprentice approach balances the Protestant stress on biblical canon with a more generous use of deuterocanonical wisdom texts. These books are valued for spiritual formation, but doctrine is established solely from the 66-book canon. The Book of Common Prayer's use of Wisdom and other Apocrypha in liturgy reflects this generous but bounded practice.
Key Distinctions
- Canonical status:
- Apocrypha status:
- included in liturgy and lectionary for spiritual instruction
- Historical value:
Scripture References
Sources
- Thirty-Nine Articles, Article VI (1571)
- Book of Common Prayer, Calendar and Lectionary (1979)