The Real Reason Martin Luther Separated the Apocrypha 📜 #divinelife #divinewonders

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]In the early 1500s, the Protestant Reformation forced a decision on the status of these texts. A debate that had remained an academic disagreement for centuries became a central point of institutional conflict. Reformers, including Martin Luther and John Calvin, noted that doctrines like praying for the dead could not be found anywhere within the undisputed 66 books. They argued the papacy was relying heavily on the disputed apocryphal texts to justify extra-biblical traditions. In response, the reformers adopted the ancient Jewish position. They affirmed the strict 39-book Old Testament, maintaining that the extra texts were historically useful to read but entirely uninspired.