Over the two millennia that followed the existence of the Christian Church, different leaders and sects often argued over giving canonical status to extra-books. biblical works known as the Apocrypha. The books in question are as follows: 1st 2nd Ezra, Tobit, Judith, the Book of Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, the Song of the 3 Children, Susannah, Bel and the Dragon, the Prayer of Manasseh, 1st and 2nd Maccabees , and additions to Esther. These books range in literary character from historical to apocalyptic and contain many stories and wisdom. The Apocrypha was not considered canon by either Palestinian Jews or Alexandrian Jews of Jesus' time. They are now considered canonical neither by Jews nor by Protestants. However, at the Council of Trent in 1546, Catholics declared 11 of the apocryphal books canonical. Catholics do not accept as canon 1st and 2nd Esdras, nor the prayer of Manasseh. Saint Augustine of Hippo was a leading proponent of the Apocrypha among the early Church fathers, and he listed forty-four canonical books. Roman Catholics have offered many reasons to support a canonical Apocryphon, but I will focus on just four. First, the Council of Trent declared the Apocrypha canonical. Second, some Church fathers accepted them as canonical and cited them in their teachings. Third, the New Testament cites the Septuagint, which contained the Apocrypha. Finally, the councils of Rome, Hippo and Carthage accepted their canonicity. These are just a few of the many reasons given by Catholics to support the apocryphal books as canonical. Claims of canonicity put forward by the Roman Catholic Church are thoroughly disputed using historical and biblical facts. The Council of Trent was... middle of article ...... entirely unverified, historically unfounded, and the decision of the Catholics of Trent to include it in the canon was an overreaction to the reform Protestant. Every example given by the Roman Catholic Church for accepting the Apocrypha as canonical is easily challenged using known historical and biblical facts. The arguments for the canonicity of these books require too many stipulations to make a complete argument, and they all rest largely on shaky ground. Works Cited Bruce, FF “Chapter 13: The Apocryphal Books”. Books and Scrolls. Westwood, NJ: Revell, 1963. 163-75. Print. Geisler, Norman L. and Ralph E. MacKenzie. “Chapter 9: Apocrypha.” Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: Agreements and Differences. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 1995. 157-75. Print.Metzger, Bruce M. The Apocrypha of the Old Testament. Standard revised version. New York: Oxford UP, 1965. Print.