Pseudepigrapha

A pseudepigraph (also anglicized as "pseudepigraphon") is a falsely attributed work, a text whose claimed author is not the true author, or a work whose real author attributed it to a figure of the past. The name of the author to whom the work is falsely attributed is often prefixed with the particle "pseudo-", such as "pseudo-Aristotle" or "pseudo-Dionysius." These terms refer to the anonymous authors of works falsely attributed to Aristotle and Dionysius the Areopagite, respectively.

In biblical studies, the term pseudepigrapha can refer to an assorted collection of Jewish religious works thought to be written c. 300 BCE to 300 CE. They are distinguished by Protestants from the deuterocanonical books (Catholic and Orthodox) or Apocrypha (Protestant), the books that appear in extant copies of the Septuagint in the fourth century or later and the Vulgate, but not in the Hebrew Bible or in Protestant Bibles. In Catholic usage, the Old Testament books accepted by the Catholic Church are referred to as the deuterocanonical books, and Catholic writers commonly reserve the word apocrypha for spurious or noncanonical writings rather than for the deuterocanon. In addition, two books considered canonical in the Orthodox Tewahedo churches, the Book of Enoch and Book of Jubilees, are noncanonical in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox canons and are classified by most scholars among the Old Testament pseudepigrapha.

Scholars also apply the term to some canonical works that claim authorship but whose authorship is doubted. For example, the Book of Daniel is widely considered to have been written in the 2nd century BCE, about 400 years after the prophet Daniel supposedly lived, and thus to be pseudepigraphic in that sense. A New Testament example often discussed is 2 Peter, which many scholars date to the early 2nd century. Early Christians, such as Origen, voiced doubts about its authorship.

The term has also been used by Quranist Muslims to describe hadiths. Quranists argue that most hadiths are later fabrications from the 8th and 9th centuries that were falsely attributed to Muhammad.

The word pseudepigraph comes from Greek: ψευδής pseudḗs "false" and ἐπιγραφή epigraphḗ "name", "inscription", or "ascription." When taken together it means "false superscription or title." See the related field epigraphy. The plural of "pseudepigraph" (sometimes Latinized as "pseudepigraphon" or "pseudepigraphum") is "pseudepigrapha."

When a text is shown to have been falsely attributed to a particular author, and the true identity of the author is not known, the author can be referred to by a combination of pseudo- and the traditional author's name. For example, the Armenian History has been falsely attributed to a seventh century Armenian historian named Sebeos. It is therefore called Pseudo-Sebeos.

Scholars have identified seven levels of authenticity in a hierarchy that ranges from literal authorship to outright forgery.

In biblical studies, pseudepigrapha refers particularly to works that purport to be written by noted authorities in the Old or New Testaments or by persons involved in Jewish or Christian religious study or history. Such works can also be written about biblical matters in a way that appears as authoritative as texts included in the Judeo Christian scriptures. Eusebius indicates this usage dates back at least to Serapion of Antioch. Eusebius records of Serapion: "But those writings which are falsely inscribed with their name (ta pseudepigrapha), we as experienced persons reject."