pseudepigrapha

[soo-duh-pig-ruh-fuh]

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. certain writings (other than the canonical books and the Apocrypha) professing to be Biblical in character.

Pseudepigrapha

/ ˌsjuːdɛpɪˈɡræfɪk, ˌsjuːdɪˈpɪɡrəfə /

plural noun

1. Also called (in the Roman Catholic Church): Apocrypha. various Jewish writings from the first century _bc to the first century _ad that claim to have been divinely revealed but which have been excluded from the Greek canon of the Old Testament

Other Word Forms

• Pseudepigraphic adjective
• pseudepigraphic adjective
• pseudepigraphical adjective
• pseudepigraphous adjective
• pseudepigraphal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Pseudepigrapha¹

1685–95; < New Latin < Greek, neuter plural of pseudepíigraphos falsely inscribed, bearing a false title. See pseud-, epigraph, -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of Pseudepigrapha¹

C17: from Greek pseudepigraphos falsely entitled, from _pseudo- + epigraphein to inscribe

Example Sentences

Pseudepigrapha—or documents falsely ascribed to illustrious authors—frequently crop up in the work of biblical scholars and other experts in antiquity.

From Salon

The "Pseudepigrapha" is a collection of historical biblical works that are considered to be fiction.

From Project Gutenberg