The 1611 King James Version (KJV) originally included the Apocrypha

The 1611 King James Version (KJV) originally included the Apocrypha, printed between the Old and New Testaments, as part of the complete Bible.

Why, who removed it, and when this happened?

1. The Apocrypha in the 1611 KJV

When the King James Bible was first published in 1611, it contained:

• The Old Testament (from Hebrew),

• The New Testament (from Greek), and

• The Apocrypha (from Greek/Latin sources).

The Apocrypha included books like Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus (Sirach), Baruch, 1 & 2 Maccabees, etc.

The translators included it because:

• It had long been part of the Christian Bible tradition (in the Septuagint and Latin Vulgate).

• The Church of England at that time considered it useful for reading and instruction, but not equal in authority to canonical Scripture.

• The KJV translators themselves said in their preface that the Apocrypha was for example of life and instruction of manners, but not to establish doctrine.

2. When and Why It Was Removed

The Apocrypha began to be removed from Protestant editions of the KJV in the 19th century — mainly due to cost, controversy, and changing theological attitudes.

🧾 Timeline:

• 1611–1700s:
  Most KJV Bibles (especially in England) included the Apocrypha.
  The Geneva Bible and early editions of the KJV followed this tradition.

• 1629 & 1638 (Cambridge editions):
  The Apocrypha continued to appear — though sometimes in separate sections or smaller type.

• 1750s–1800s:
  Growing Puritan and evangelical influence in Britain and America led to increasing opposition to printing the Apocrypha.
  Protestants viewed it as non-inspired or Roman Catholic.

• 1826 – The Key Turning Point:
  The British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) — a major Bible printing organization — decided to stop funding or distributing Bibles that contained the Apocrypha.
  This decision effectively led to the removal of the Apocrypha from nearly all English Protestant editions of the Bible afterward.

  Their reasoning:

  • To reduce printing costs,

  • To focus on canonical Scripture,

  • To avoid controversy with evangelical supporters who opposed the Apocrypha.

After this point, most Protestant KJV editions (especially in the English-speaking world) were printed without the Apocrypha.

3. Today’s Situation

• Catholic and Orthodox Bibles still include these books (as Deuterocanonical).

• Anglican and Lutheran traditions often still read from the Apocrypha in lectionaries, even if not in printed Bibles.

• Most modern Protestant KJV Bibles omit it — though you can still buy 1611 facsimile editions with the Apocrypha included.

4. The Real Takeaway

The Apocrypha was never “removed because of corruption” but rather excluded for doctrinal and practical reasons by later Protestant publishers.
The 1611 translators themselves saw it as valuable but non-canonical — and its inclusion or omission does not affect the core doctrines of Christian faith.

Summary Table:

Event	Year	Description
KJV first published (with Apocrypha)	1611	Included 14 Apocryphal books
Early editions retain it	1600s–1700s	Printed between OT & NT
BFBS decision	1826	Stopped funding Bibles with Apocrypha
Widespread omission	1830s onward	Most Protestant KJVs printed without it