Apocrypha

In Christianity, apocrypha are biblical or related writings that are not a part of the accepted canon of Scripture. Despite being of doubtful authorship or authenticity, they were considered to be edifying Christian works and meant for private reading by some ecclesiastics. While some Protestants have labeled them as apocryphal or non-canonical books, Catholic and Orthodox Churches consider them to be canonical and useful for instruction. The modern English adjective “apocryphal” is often used to indicate that a writing on any topic is of doubtful authenticity. However, these texts were included in the Septuagint, used for over two-hundred years by Jews and early Christians. It wasn’t until well after the Protestant Reformation that the word apocrypha was used to mean “false,” “spurious,” “bad,” or “heretical.” Consequently, Luther’s Bible placed them in a separate section called the Apocrypha, a convention followed by subsequent Protestant Bibles.

For more info click here