Do the apocryphal books mention reincarnation?

Q. Do any of the books from the Dead Sea Scrolls or any of the apocryphal books that were left out of the Holy Bible ever mention anything like reincarnation? Thanks.

Reincarnation is not mentioned in the apocrypha. This is also true of the books of the Old and New Testaments. (The Dead Sea Scrolls are not an additional source of works. They contain mostly Old Testament books and three apocryphal books.)

The idea of reincarnation does not figure in the Christian understanding of this life and the afterlife. Christians believe that God creates each soul individually and that each person enters his or her eternal destiny after leaving this life. Christians also believe that it is not necessary to go through a long cycle of reincarnations in order ultimately to enter heaven. When Jesus died on the cross as the Savior of the world, he brought forgiveness of sins and opened the way to heaven for everyone who trusts in him.

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Author: Christopher R Smith

The Rev. Dr. Christopher R. Smith is an an ordained minister, a writer, and a biblical scholar. He was active in parish and student ministry for twenty-five years. He was a consulting editor to the International Bible Society (now Biblica) for The Books of the Bible, an edition of the New International Version (NIV) that presents the biblical books according to their natural literary outlines, without chapters and verses. His Understanding the Books of the Bible study guide series is keyed to this format. He was also a consultant to Tyndale House for the Immerse Bible, an edition of the New Living Translation (NLT) that similarly presents the Scriptures in their natural literary forms, without chapters and verses or section headings. He has a B.A. from Harvard in English and American Literature and Language, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Gordon-Conwell, and a Ph.D. in the History of Christian Life and Thought, with a minor concentration in Bible, from Boston College, in the joint program with Andover Newton Theological School.

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