The Apocryphal books were excluded from the Bible, yet consist of writings that were considered to be sacred scriptures by certain religious sects. These books had their origins in early Judaism and were later adopted by early Christianity. This volume is sometimes referred to as The Apocrypha Proper, or the Apocrypha of the Old Testament as used by English speaking Protestants. Some of these works overshadowed the canonical scriptures in both Judaism and early Christianity, despite their canonical exclusion. This is why it is important to preserve and study them.