Deuterocanon

The Deuterocanon is the set of six books that Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy include in the Old Testament and Protestants and Jews exclude as Apocryphal. The word comes from the Greek for 'second canon'. Most Septuagint manuscripts include the deuterocanonical books and passages. Most of these books and passages are found only in Greek manuscripts, not in Hebrew or Aramaic manuscripts.

Using the word "Apocrypha" implies that the writings in question should not be included in the Bible, lumping them together with certain apocryphal gospels. Using the word "Deuterocanon" acknowledges their disputed status while still maintaining their canonicity. The Style Manual for the Society of Biblical Literature[?] recommends the use of the term deuterocanonical literature instead of Apocrypha in academic writing.

See also: Biblical canon