What is the Anagignoskomena?

The Anagignoskomena is a Greek term Eastern Orthodox Christians use for certain writings in their Old Testament that the Protestant Scripture doesn’t include. The word means “things that are read” or “things to be read.” Depending on the Orthodox tradition, the term may imply books the Catholic Old Testament contains as well as additional writings that it does not.

These Orthodox writings come from the Septuagint tradition—the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament. Orthodox Christians accept these writings as Scripture and use them to develop doctrine. Protestants, however, do not accept them as divinely inspired Scripture and don’t use them as a basis for Christian doctrine.

The early church recognized the biblical canon—the collection of books they accepted as Holy Scripture—through a long historical process. Many Christians in the early church used the Septuagint as their Old Testament because of Greek’s common use in the Roman world. The Septuagint tradition included writings that Orthodox Christians later called the Anagignoskomena.

The Septuagint originated during the period between the Old and New Testaments. Following the conquests of Alexander the Great, Greek language and culture spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. Many Jews, particularly those living outside Israel, spoke Greek and needed access to the Old Testament in that language. According to ancient tradition, translators began translating the Law into Greek in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy II. They translated other Old Testament books later.

Translators produced the Septuagint during the period when authors composed many of these additional writings. People now call these writings the Anagignoskomena. Historians date a lot of these writings to the centuries surrounding the time of Christ. It was a turbulent period for the Jewish people. They experienced foreign rule, persecution, and political conflict while hoping for deliverance. Some of these writings reflect how Jewish people responded to these circumstances and looked forward to a better future.

Orthodox Christians sometimes use the term deuterocanonical, meaning “second canon,” for these books. At the Synod of Jerusalem in 1672, Eastern Orthodox bishops affirmed a larger Old Testament canon than Protestants accept. Roman Catholics also use the term “deuterocanonical” for these Old Testament books. They accept them as Scripture, while Protestants classify them as Apocrypha.

Orthodox Christian believers use the books of the Anagignoskomena regularly. They read them in services. They also use the stories to inform their doctrine. For instance, they use the book of 2 Maccabees to trace their practice of praying for the dead. They also use the story of Susanna in their iconography and sermons. To Orthodox Christians, these books play a key role in Christian devotion and understanding.

Protestants point out that acceptance of these writings was not universal in the early church. Jerome, an influential early church scholar, distinguished the books of the Hebrew Scriptures from other writings found in Greek and Latin collections. Although he regarded some of these additional books as useful for reading, he did not consider them authoritative for doctrine. Protestants commonly call such writings the “Apocrypha,” meaning “hidden.”

Protestants reject the Anagignoskomena as canonical for several reasons. They point out that Judaism did not include these writings in the traditional Hebrew canon. Protestants also argue that some of the writings contain historical errors that conflict with doctrines taught in Scripture. Additionally, none of the New Testament authors reference these books.

In summary, Eastern Orthodox Christians accept the Anagignoskomena as part of the Old Testament. Protestants do not accept these writings as Scripture. These writings come from the Septuagint tradition and have played a key role in Orthodox worship and theology. Protestants, however, do not recognize them as divinely inspired Scripture and do not consider them authoritative for establishing Christian doctrine.