. The Apocrypha ('hidden things') are contemporaneous with the Hebrew Bible, but were not officially accepted as part of the Bible. They did, however, form part of the Greek Scriptures and came into English Bibles by that route. The writings of the Apocrypha run the whole gamut of literary genres: histories, romances, devotional works, proverbs and sermons. Many complement parts of the Hebrew Bible and readers will recognise some familiar Biblical characters in the narratives, such as Daniel and Esther.