For school I recently read through most of the Apocrypha with my boys, and I used the new, The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes(ESV) recently published by Concordia Publishing House. My boys had the standard Oxford Annotated Apocrypha (RSV). It was a great experience simply reading through this literature with them, and I greatly appreciated this new edition.

The great benefit of this Lutheran edition is the wonderful introductory matter, study notes and other guiding matter. Each book is introduced with basic information as well as quotations from Martin Luther on the book’s oddities and value. Luther’s comments (as usual) were often humorous and very helpful. He pointed out well the problems in any book, but noted the value as well. This edition also has a nice overview of the historical setting of the Apocrypha, the time between the testaments, an era often unknown to many in church. Lastly, ten appendices give an overview of other historical material from this time including Josephus, Philo, Dead Sea Scrolls, Rabbinic literature, Nag Hammadi Codices and others.

This is a very nice study resource which helps in gaining awareness of the world into which Jesus emerged in his ministry.