It's been a struggle to read through them actually.. Tackling them seems to have made me less interested in the Bible where I used to have a much healthier interest.
Discussion
I felt that way initially, i believe it was because i was proud of having read the bible cover to cover multiple times as a protestant and now i had to admit to letting go of my 'trophy' if you will. Orthodoxy has a lot to it, little treasures hidden everywhere waiting to be found. I am not as rigorous as i was before in my scripture consumption, however my prayer life has exploded and i understand that it doesnt fall on my shoulders to intellectually discern new doctrines i believe im discovering for the first time in Christian history 😂. Reading the lives of the saints, and history while daily doing a short scripture breakfast has become the new norm.
I get the 'little treasures' thing listening to The Lord of Spirits Podcast was full if them and the reason I wandered into an Orthodox Church.
I've read a few of the non-canonical books hanging around in the first century Jewish communities, Enoch being the most memorable. They never lessened my interest in the Bible though.
It sounds like I have to go back and read Esther and Daniel.
I was raised Protestant but I haven't considered myself that for some time... I'm probably just a heretic with little beliefs from all over the Christian world view and practices.
I still have to attempt to reconcile other Orthodox beliefs and practices... I'm a proper pacifist though which is why Macabbes is a hard pill to swallow. I also believe blind following of any human being is immoral so the hierarchy gets me confused. And Jesus said to call no man Father so 🤔
But I am just here trying to reconcile these things.
No worries, there is maturity in the position you are in. I was inquiring into orthodoxy for a year and a half before deciding to go through the catechumen process. There were several things that were hard to swallow, but having changed my mind within the protestant world so many times, i recognized that several times in the past i was disagreeing with something because of a limited understanding of the topic. I found that orthodoxy often uses the same words but the words dont mean the same thing that they do within protestantism. There are several books i would recommend, I always think that the best way to learn someones position isnt to ask someone who disagrees with that position, but someone who holds to it. Should be an obvious conclusion, but youd be surprised how many people take what Macarthur says about orthodoxy as the final authority, Lord bless him 😅. I have an online folder i cam share with you if interested. One book is called "Know the Faith", which deals with objections like the one you mentioned, intercession of the saints, mary is a big hurdle, etc.