Catholic Argument:

Roman Catholics typically argue that the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament that predates the time of Christ) contained the Apocrypha. This must mean, they reason, that the Apocrypha belongs in the canon. . . (32)

Answering the Catholic Argument:

The Septuagint Argument is Flawed

Though it is true that the Septuagint includes the Apocrypha, many Protestants scholars have noted that while the Septuagint was first translated several centuries before the time of Christ, it apparently was not until the fourth century after Christ that the Apocrypha was appended to this translation.

We know of no Septuagint manuscripts earlier than the fourth century that contain the Apocrypha, suggesting that the Apocrypha was not in the original Septuagint. But even if a first-century manuscript were found with the Apocrypha in the Septuagint, that still does not mean the Apocrypha belongs in the canon.

It is highly revealing that the apostles quoted from the first-century Septuagint, yet there is not a single quote from the Apocrypha in their writings.

This could mean one of two things: It could mean that the Apocrypha was simply not in the first-centruy Septuagint (which is what the historical evidences seems to suggest), or it could mean that if it was in the first Septuagint, it was ignored by the apostles because they knew it did not truly belong in the canon of Scripture. (39)

 

Work Cited

Rhodes, Ron. Reasoning from the Scriptures with Catholics. Harvest House: 2000.