Apocrypha in early English Bibles

Like the KJV1611, the Geneva1560 and Bishops1568 segregate the Esther and Daniel "extras" in an Apocrypha section. The Geneva and KJV begin Additions to Esther from 10:4; Bishops begins with 11:1. Geneva and Bishops numbers the verses of the Song of the Three Children as 24-90/91, while the KJV has it as 1-67, but none leaves a gap in Daniel 3's verse numbering. None have Psalm 151 anywhere. However, Geneva does put the Prayer of Manasseh after 2 Chronicles, albeit with a marginal note of its absence in the Hebrew and identified as apocryphal in the index. Bishops and KJV put it in the Apocrypha section.

All end Daniel at 12:13. Susanna and Bel and the Dragon are presented separately in the Apocrypha; their disputed classification as further chapters of Daniel is noted.

 

The facsimile reprint of the 1560 Geneva Bible by Hendrickson does include the Prayer of Manasseh. It does not include Psalm 151. It is presented on one half of a page at the end of 2 Chronicles. Perhaps it was printed there because it fit the half of the page left after the end of 2 Chronicles. It is listed on the page of "The names and order of all the books of the Old and New Testament" in the books of the Old Testament after 2 Chronicles as "The prayer of Manasseh, apocrypha."

The rest of the Apocrpha books are listed separately under the heading "The Books called Apocrypha." "The rest of Esther" is listed there. It is printed in the Apocrypha books with the heading "Apocrypha Esther. Certain portions of the story of Esther, which are found in some Greek and Latin translations." "The song of the three children" is listed there. It is printed in the Apocrypha books with the heading "The Song of the three holy children, which followeth in the third chapter of Daniel after this place, They fell down bound into the middes of the hot firy furnace." "The story of Susanna" is listed there. It is printed in the Apocrypha books, and there it has the title "The History of Susanna, which some join to the end of Daniel, and make it the 13 chap." "The idol Bel and the dragon" is listed under "the Books called Apocrypha." It is printed in the Apocrypha with the heading "The History of Bel and of the dragon, which is the fourteenth chapter of Daniel after the Latin."

The facsimile of the 1599 edition of the Geneva Bible printed by the Geneva Publishing Company also includes the Prayer of Manasseh at the end of 2 Chronicles, and it is still listed the same in the page of the name of the books of the Old and New Testament. The rest of the Apocrypha books are not printed in this facsimile edition although they were listed separately on the page of the books of the Old and New Testament as "The books called Apocrypha."

 

The first edition of the 1535 Coverdale's Bible is said to have the book of Baruch located between Lamentations and Ezekiel (Bruce, The
English Bible, p. 60). In a reprint of the 1535 edition of the Coverdale's Bible that I saw at a library, the book of Baruch was printed as noted above.

 

A facsimile reprint of the 1549 edition of the 1537 Matthew's Bible has the Apocrypha books with this separate title page before them:

On that page, the following is stated:
"The volume of the books called Apocrypha: Contained in the common translation in Latin, which are not found in the Hebrew nor in the Chaldee."

After that statement, a list of these books is given.

The Prayer of Manasseh is included in them.

After the title page, there is a page "To the reader."

It begins with this statement with the spelling updated by me: "A consideration that the books before are found in the Hebrew tongue, received of all men: and that the other following, which are called Apocrypha (because they were wot to be read, not openly and in common, but as it were in secret and a part) are neither found in the Hebrew nor in the Chaldee: in which tongue they have not of long been written ( ), whereupon it were never very hard to repair and amend them. And that also they are not received nor reckoned as legitimate and _____ as well of the Hebrews as of the whole Church, as S. Hierome [Jerome] sheweth: we have separate them and set them aside"

 

Coverdale1535's Baruch colophon reads: "The ende of the prophet Baruch which is not in the Canon of the hebrue."

 

1. unless then it were haply the boke of Sapience=Book of Wisdom
2. leafull=permissible, lawful

 

I have no idea why E-Sword formats its files that way.
The KJV1611 E-Sword module does insert apocryphal verses also.

Early English Books Online has the real thing (the actual Bibles microfilmed).

 

Correct, it is placed after Lamentations. The only indications of its apocryphal status are the aforementioned colophon and a mention on the Apocrypha title page that explains its placement in the Prophets:



"APOCRIPHA The bokes and treatises which amonge the fathers of olde are not rekened to be of like authorite with the other bokes of the byble, nether are they founde in the Canon of the Hebrue.


The thirde boke of Eszdras.
The fourth boke of Eszdras.
The boke of Tobias.
The boke of Iudith.
Certayne chapters of Hester.
The boke of Wyszdome.
Ecclesiasticus.
The Storye of Susanna.
The Storye of Bell.
The first boke of the Machabees.
The seconde boke of the Machabees.

Vnto these also belongeth Baruc, whom we haue set amonge the prophetes next vnto Ieremy, because he was his scrybe, and in his tyme."