Changes

{{Bible}}

{{Bible}}

The '''Biblical canon''' is the officially recognized list of books which are considered part of the [[Bible]].  The first [[Christian]]s used the Greek translation of the [[Old Testament]] known as the [[Septuagint]] which was written and read by Jews as the Greek language had generally replaced Hebrew.  In the [[Council of Jamnia]] of 90 A.D., Jewish rabbis rejected the Septuagint in favor of the Hebrew language text, and omitted certain books such as [[Baruch]], [[Judith]], [[Maccabees]], [[Sirach]], and [[Tobit]], relatively recent contributions which had become part of Jewish culture.

The '''Biblical canon''' is the officially recognized list of books which are considered part of the [[Bible]].  The first [[Christian]]s used the Greek translation of the [[Old Testament]] known as the [[Septuagint]] which was written and read by Jews as the Greek language had generally replaced Hebrew.  In the [[Council of Jamnia]] of 90 A.D., Jewish rabbis rejected the Septuagint in favor of the Hebrew language text, and omitted certain books such as [[Book of Baruch|Baruch]], [[Judith]], [[Maccabees]], [[Book of Sirach|Sirach]], and [[Book of Tobit|Tobit]], relatively recent contributions which had become part of Jewish culture.

The [[Orthodox Church|Eastern Christian churches]] continue to use the Greek Septuagint to this day, but the Western Church of [[Catholicism]] commissioned a Latin translation from [[Saint Jerome]] in the early 5th century which came to be known as the [[Vulgate]].  It remains the official Roman Catholic Bible.

The [[Orthodox Church|Eastern Christian churches]] continue to use the Greek Septuagint to this day. The Western Church of [[Catholicism]] commissioned a Latin translation from [[Saint Jerome]] in the early 5th century which came to be known as the [[Vulgate]].  It remains the official Roman Catholic (Latin Rite) Bible.

The Biblical [[New Testament]] was taking shape by the end of the first century when the [[Gospels]] and the letters of [[Paul]] were already being circulated.  The heretic [[Marcion]] attempted to remove some books around 140 A.D., showing that there was already a grouping of books that were accepted as authentic. Twenty of the 27 books of the New Testament were accepted early in the history of Christianity, while the other seven that make up the Scriptures had a longer ride. When [[Constantine]] first made Christianity a legal religion in the [[Roman Empire]] in the early 300s, he called together leading Christians from the East and West parts of the empire to iron out the principles of Christianity, including cementing the canon. Subsequent councils dealt with minor questions of authenticity. For the Catholic Church, they made a formal proclamation at the [[Council of Trent]], that the Bible they had been using and the books it contained were correct, in reaction to the [[Protestant Reformation]]'s rejection of the deuterocanonical works as [[apocrypha]]l. The 1611 [[King James Bible]], put together after the [[Church of England]] had broken away from the Catholic Church under [[Henry VIII]], included these books but placed them in a separate section, and the Church of England continued to use the deuterocanonicals in the liturgy until forbidden by the [[Long Parliament]] in 1644.  By the 1800s [[Protestant]] Bibles began to omit the deuterocanonical books altogether.

The Biblical [[New Testament]] was taking shape by the end of the first century when the [[Gospels]] and the letters of [[Paul]] were already being circulated.  The heretic [[Marcion]] attempted to remove some books around 140 A.D., showing that there was already a grouping of books that were accepted as authentic. Twenty of the 27 books of the New Testament were accepted early in the history of Christianity, while the other seven that make up the Scriptures were subjects of dispute by a minority of biblical scholars. When [[Constantine]] first made Christianity a legal religion in the [[Roman Empire]] in the early 300s, he called together leading Christians from the East and West parts of the empire to iron out the principles of Christianity, including cementing the canon. Subsequent councils such as the Council of Hippo (393) and the Third Council of Carthage (397), dealt with minor questions of authenticity, and setting forth the first-ever listing of all 27 books of the New Testament, and 46 books of the Old Testament, a canon of 73 books of the Bible, which remained unchanged for 1200 years. Still, 7 books of the Old Testament (and parts of 2 other books) and 7 books of the New Testament, 14 total, while accepted by the majority of Christian scholars and church leaders as part of the Biblical canon, continued to be debated by a minority of independent scholars, from the 4th through the 16th centuries. The deuterocanonical Old Testament scriptural texts are:

These 14 books since the 16th century are today called ''deuterocanonical'', as distinct from the ''protocanonical'' books universally accepted without debate from the 1st century of the church. For the Catholic Church, a formal proclamation was made at the [[Council of Trent]], that the Bible they had been using and the books it contained "with all their parts" were correct, in reaction to the [[Protestant Reformation]]'s rejection of 7 of the deuterocanonical works as [[apocrypha]], together with those parts of 2 other canonical books which had been long debated (parts of Esther and Daniel). However, [[1 Esdras]], [[2 Esdras]] and [[Prayer of Manasseh]] were not included in the canon of the Catholic Bible defined by the Council of Trent, although they were part of the Vulgate, but they were placed in an appendix to the definitive [[Clementine Vulgate]], "''lest they be lost altogether''". Martin Luther had initially placed 4 of the New Testament deuterocanonical books in an appendix after the New Testament of his German Bible, judging them to be unscriptural and hostile to the gospel of Christ: Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation. When Protestant leaders approached the leaders of the separated [[Orthodox Church]] with their revised canon of 66 books, they were rebuffed. Orthodoxy has continued to use the Septuagint as passed down from the time of the apostles of the ancient Church in the 1st century. The 1611 [[King James Bible]], put together after the [[Church of England]] had broken away from the Catholic Church under [[Henry VIII]], included the 7 Old Testament deuterocanonical books and the deuterocanonical parts of the 2 other canonical books, but removed them from the Old Testament and placed them in a separate section, and the Church of England continued to use the deuterocanonicals in the liturgy until forbidden by the [[Long Parliament]] in 1644.  By the 1800s [[Protestant]] Bibles began to omit some of the deuterocanonical books altogether as ''The Apocrypha'', while retaining the other deuterocanonicals, Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, Jude and Revelation. A common Protestant teaching is that the Apocrypha were never part of the Bible, but were added to the Bible by the Antichrist Catholic Popes at the Council of Trent, and that they contain doctrines of the Devil.<ref>[http://www.temcat.com/L-9-History/AntichristAndReformation.pdf The Antichrist and the Protestant Reformation, by Steve Wohlberg] (AntichristAndReformation.pdf)<br/>[http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/apocryph.htm Why the Apocrypha Isn't in the Bible.] (jesus-is-lord.com)<br/>[http://carm.org/errors-apocrypha Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry: Errors in the Apocrypha, by Matt Slick] (carm.org)<br/>[http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Roman%20Catholicism/rcc16-apocrypha.htm False Religions: Roman Catholicism. The Apocrypha Exposed!] (jesus-is-savior.com)</ref><blockquote>"''Yes, Catholicism is straight out of the pits of hell, but so is Lutheranism!''" (The Truth About Martin Luther, Dr. Max D. Younce, Th.D.<ref>[http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Lutherans/truth_about_martin_luther.htm The truth about Martin Luther. Dr. Max D. Younce, Th.D.)] (jesus-is-savior.com)</ref>)</blockquote>

Orthodox Christians do not usually speak of "the canon of Scripture" but do think of the writings as "canonical", the difference being that the canonical writings are judged as being faithful to the dogma of the Church.  The Orthodox Church has never defined the Old Testament canon, but they have been using the same one since the early times of the Church.

Orthodox Christians do not usually speak of "the canon of Scripture" but do think of the writings as "canonical", the difference being that the canonical writings are judged as being faithful to the dogma of the Church.  The Orthodox Church has never defined the Old Testament canon, but they have been using the same one since the early times of the Church. The Orthodox Old Testament canonical books are these:

The canon of the Ethiopic Bible of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Orthodox Ethiopian Church]] as a whole differs both in the Old and New Testament from that of any other churches. The books written in the [[Geez language]] and on parchment are numerous. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has 46 books of the Old Testament and 35 books of the New Testament, bringing the total of canonized books of the Bible to 81.

The canon of the Ethiopic Bible of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Orthodox Ethiopian Church]] as a whole differs both in the Old and New Testament from that of any other churches. The books written in the [[Geez language]] and on parchment are numerous. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has 46 books of the Old Testament and 35 books of the New Testament, bringing the total of canonized books of the Bible to 81. The canon of the Ethiopic Bible appears to date back to the 5th century.<ref>Sources:

These are the following:

These are the following:

==References==

==References==

==See also==

==See also==

[[Third Council of Carthage (397)]]

[[Third Council of Carthage (397)]]

[[Bible#Books_of_the_Bible|Books of the Bible]]

[http://www.ethiopianorthodox.org/english/canonical/books.html The Biblical Canon Of The Ethiopian Orthodox Church]

[http://www.theopedia.com/Marcionism Theopedia: Marcionism]

[http://www.theopedia.com/Marcionism Theopedia: Marcionism]

[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01199a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: African Synods]

[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01199a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: African Synods]

See the following five sources:

 

 

 

See the following six sources:

*[http://www.scripturecatholic.com/septuagint.html Septuagint Quotes in the New Testament]

*[http://www.scripturecatholic.com/septuagint.html Septuagint Quotes in the New Testament]

*[http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/septuagint.html The Septuagint (LXX): History of the Septuagint]

*[http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/septuagint.html The Septuagint (LXX): History of the Septuagint]

*[http://www.cresourcei.org/canonot.html Canons of the Hebrew Bible]

*[http://www.cresourcei.org/canonot.html Canons of the Hebrew Bible]

*[http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Apocrypha-Books/ Official King James Bible online: Apocrypha Books]

*[http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Apocrypha-Books/ Official King James Bible online: Apocrypha Books]

*[http://theorthodoxchurch.info/blog/ocrc/2009/06/the-orthodox-bible/ Why Luther and the Protestant Reformers Removed Books From the Bible] —''when the page comes up with photo-image of Orthodox Study Bible, scroll down to the essay immediately below it.''.

*[http://theorthodoxchurch.info/blog/ocrc/2009/06/the-orthodox-bible/ Why Luther and the Protestant Reformers Removed Books From the Bible] —''when the page comes up with photo-image of Orthodox Study Bible, scroll down to the essay immediately below it.''.

[[Category:Bible]]

[[Category:Bible]]