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clean up & uniformity
The meaning of the term "deuterocanonical" is therefore not identical with "apocryphal".
The meaning of the term "deuterocanonical" is therefore not identical with "apocryphal".
The canon of Damasus, and the Synods of Rome, Hippo and Carthage, was reaffirmed at the [[Council of Florence]] of the (briefly reunited) Church of the east and west in 1442.<ref>[http://catholicdefense.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-council-of-florence-on-pope-church.html Saturday, October 26, 2013. The Council of Florence on the Pope, the Church and the Bible]<br/>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03267a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia (1915) Canon of the Old Testament] "''During the deliberations of the Council'' [of Trent] ''there never was any real question as to the reception of all the traditional Scripture. Neither--and this is remarkable--in the proceedings is there manifest any serious doubt of the canonicity of the disputed writings. In the mind of the Tridentine Fathers they had been virtually canonized, by the same decree of Florence, and the same Fathers felt especially bound by the action of the preceding ecumenical synod''" [of Florence]."<br/>[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc6.iii.iii.vii.html Christian Classics Ethereal Library. History of the Church, Vol. 6: § 18. The Council of Ferrara-Florence. 1438–1445.]<br/>[http://www.ewtn.com/library/COUNCILS/FLORENCE.HTM Canons of the ECUMENICAL COUNCIL OF FLORENCE (1438-1445)] (Basel/Ferrara/Florence/Rome)</ref> For the Catholic Church, a formal [[Dogma|dogmatic]] proclamation was made at the [[Council of Trent]], that the Bible the Church had been using and the books it contained "with all their parts" was 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 subsequently placed in an appendix to the definitive [[Clementine Vulgate]], "''lest they be lost altogether''". This definitively closed 1400 years of intermittant debate over the traditional canon of the Bible in the Catholic Church, and declared henceforth [http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/anathema ''anathema'' (cursed)] any one who persisted in holding any dissenting opinion in the matter <ref>"But if any one receive not, as sacred and canonical, the said books entire with all their parts, as they have been used to be read in the Catholic Church, and as they are contained in the old Latin vulgate edition; and knowingly and deliberately contemn the traditions aforesaid; let him be anathema."[http://history.hanover.edu/texts/trent/ct04.html The Council of Trent. The Fourth Session. The canons and decrees of the sacred and oecumenical Council of Trent, Trans. J. Waterworth (London: Dolman, 1848), 17-21. <nowiki>[Page 17]</nowiki> SESSION THE FOURTH Celebrated on the eighth day of the month of April, in the year MDXLVI. DECREE CONCERNING THE CANONICAL SCRIPTURES]</ref> (''see'' [http://biblehub.com/multi/1_corinthians/16-22.htm 1 Corinthians 16:22]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=galatians%201:6-9&version=KJV Galatians 1:6-9]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%2013:1-2&version=KJV Romans 13:1-2]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews%2013:17&version=KJV Hebrews 13:17]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2peter%201:20&version=KJV 2 Peter 1:20] and [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2peter%203:16-17&version=KJV 3:16-17]; [http://biblehub.com/multi/jude/1-8.htm Jude 8], [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jude%201:16-19&version=KJV 16-19]; [http://biblehub.com/multi/revelation/22-19.htm Revelation 22:19]). [[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.<ref>[http://www.bible-researcher.com/antilegomena.html Luther's Treatment of the 'Disputed Books' of the New Testament] (bible-researcher.com/antilegomena)<br/>See [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZUAuAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA11&lpg=PA11&dq=Martin+Luther+on+the+Book+of+Tobit&source=bl&ots=o2f-ODSQ5i&sig=5akAGrPB7QUCRHbiEqqWxg5Egek&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hqmUVLrgM8_4yQS19IGgAw&ved=0CFYQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=Martin%20Luther%20on%20the%20Book%20of%20Tobit&f=false Martin Luther's Table Talk, by Martin Luther, translated by William Hazlitt, Alexander Chalmers. Bell & Daldy, 1872. pages 11-13] (books.google.com)</ref><ref name=Luther/> When [[Protestantism|Protestant leaders]] approached the leaders of the separated [[Orthodox Church]] with their revised canon of 66 books, they were rebuffed. [[Orthodox Church|Orthodoxy in the east]] was never confronted with a need to officially define the canon of the Bible and has continued to use the Septuagint as passed down from the time of the apostles of the ancient Church in the 1st century to the present day. The 1611 [[King James Bible]], put together after the [[Church of England]] had broken away from the Catholic Church under [[Henry VIII]] ([[Act of Supremacy]] 1534), 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.<ref>[http://bcw-project.org/church-and-state/first-civil-war/oxford-parliament Oxford Parliament 1644-45] (bcw-project.org), <br/>[http://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/christmas/ban.shtml The Puritan Ban on Christmas, by Martha Doe] (timetravel-britain.com), <br/>[http://www.sonlightclass.com/Notes/CanonOfScripture/2012-12-02.pdf Canon of Scripture] (sonlightclass.com/Notes/CanonOfScripture/2012-12-02)</ref> The Eastern Orthodox ''Synod of Jerusalem'' (1672), convened by [[Dositheos]], Patriarch of Jerusalem, purposely to reject the ''Confession of Orthodox Faith'' (1629), by Cyril Lucaris, which professed most of the major [[Calvinism|Calvinist]] docrines, decreed that the Church and Scripture are equally infallible, that there are seven sacraments, and that the books of Tobit, Judith, Ecclesiasticus (Sirach), and Wisdom of Solomon are canonized books of the Bible.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/event/Synod-of-Jerusalem Britannica online: Synod of Jerusalem (1672)]</ref> 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. In 1885 the Oxford University Press, pressured by Protestant groups, officially removed the Apocrypha, excluding it from all subsequent Oxford printed editions of the King James Version of the Bible, but still making it available as a separate collection in a separate volume.<ref>[http://www.handsonapologetics.com/King%20James%20Bible.html The "Inconvenient Tale" of the Original King James Bible, By Gary Michuta] (handsonapologetics.com)</ref> However, more recently (1973) Oxford began publishing some editions of the Oxford Annotated Bible which also include the apocryphal and deuterocanonical books used by the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek and Slavonic Orthodox Churches, as well as churches of the Anglican Communion (including The Episcopal Church); these editions are titled "''[New] Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha''"; also available are ''English Standard Version Bible with Apocrypha'' and ''The New English Bible: With the Apocrypha (Oxford Study Edition)''.<ref>See also [http://www.tyndalearchive.com/scriptures/index.htm Tyndale Archive: Index to English Translations of the Bible (more than 100 versions)]. This source lists the following Bibles with Apocrypha (listed here in chronological order):
The canon of Damasus, and the Synods of Rome, Hippo and Carthage, was reaffirmed at the [[Council of Florence]] of the (briefly reunited) Church of the east and west in 1442.<ref>[http://catholicdefense.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-council-of-florence-on-pope-church.html Saturday, October 26, 2013. The Council of Florence on the Pope, the Church and the Bible]<br/>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03267a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia (1915) Canon of the Old Testament] "''During the deliberations of the Council'' [of Trent] ''there never was any real question as to the reception of all the traditional Scripture. Neither--and this is remarkable--in the proceedings is there manifest any serious doubt of the canonicity of the disputed writings. In the mind of the Tridentine Fathers they had been virtually canonized, by the same decree of Florence, and the same Fathers felt especially bound by the action of the preceding ecumenical synod''" [of Florence]."<br/>[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc6.iii.iii.vii.html Christian Classics Ethereal Library. History of the Church, Vol. 6: § 18. The Council of Ferrara-Florence. 1438–1445.]<br/>[http://www.ewtn.com/library/COUNCILS/FLORENCE.HTM Canons of the ECUMENICAL COUNCIL OF FLORENCE (1438-1445)] (Basel/Ferrara/Florence/Rome)</ref> For the Catholic Church, a formal [[dogma]]tic proclamation was made at the [[Council of Trent]], that the Bible the Church had been using and the books it contained "with all their parts" was 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 subsequently placed in an appendix to the definitive [[Clementine Vulgate]], "''lest they be lost altogether''". This definitively closed 1400 years of intermittant debate over the traditional canon of the Bible in the Catholic Church, and declared henceforth [http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/anathema ''anathema'' (cursed)] any one who persisted in holding any dissenting opinion in the matter <ref>"But if any one receive not, as sacred and canonical, the said books entire with all their parts, as they have been used to be read in the Catholic Church, and as they are contained in the old Latin vulgate edition; and knowingly and deliberately contemn the traditions aforesaid; let him be anathema."[http://history.hanover.edu/texts/trent/ct04.html The Council of Trent. The Fourth Session. The canons and decrees of the sacred and oecumenical Council of Trent, Trans. J. Waterworth (London: Dolman, 1848), 17-21. <nowiki>[Page 17]</nowiki> SESSION THE FOURTH Celebrated on the eighth day of the month of April, in the year MDXLVI. DECREE CONCERNING THE CANONICAL SCRIPTURES]</ref> (''see'' [http://biblehub.com/multi/1_corinthians/16-22.htm 1 Corinthians 16:22]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=galatians%201:6-9&version=KJV Galatians 1:6-9]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%2013:1-2&version=KJV Romans 13:1-2]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews%2013:17&version=KJV Hebrews 13:17]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2peter%201:20&version=KJV 2 Peter 1:20] and [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2peter%203:16-17&version=KJV 3:16-17]; [http://biblehub.com/multi/jude/1-8.htm Jude 8], [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jude%201:16-19&version=KJV 16-19]; [http://biblehub.com/multi/revelation/22-19.htm Revelation 22:19]). [[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.<ref>[http://www.bible-researcher.com/antilegomena.html Luther's Treatment of the 'Disputed Books' of the New Testament] (bible-researcher.com/antilegomena)<br/>See [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZUAuAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA11&lpg=PA11&dq=Martin+Luther+on+the+Book+of+Tobit&source=bl&ots=o2f-ODSQ5i&sig=5akAGrPB7QUCRHbiEqqWxg5Egek&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hqmUVLrgM8_4yQS19IGgAw&ved=0CFYQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=Martin%20Luther%20on%20the%20Book%20of%20Tobit&f=false Martin Luther's Table Talk, by Martin Luther, translated by William Hazlitt, Alexander Chalmers. Bell & Daldy, 1872. pages 11-13] (books.google.com)</ref><ref name=Luther/> When [[Protestantism|Protestant leaders]] approached the leaders of the separated [[Orthodox Church]] with their revised canon of 66 books, they were rebuffed. [[Orthodox Church|Orthodoxy in the east]] was never confronted with a need to officially define the canon of the Bible and has continued to use the Septuagint as passed down from the time of the apostles of the ancient Church in the 1st century to the present day. The 1611 [[King James Bible]], put together after the [[Church of England]] had broken away from the Catholic Church under [[Henry VIII]] ([[Act of Supremacy]] 1534), 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.<ref>[http://bcw-project.org/church-and-state/first-civil-war/oxford-parliament Oxford Parliament 1644-45] (bcw-project.org), <br/>[http://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/christmas/ban.shtml The Puritan Ban on Christmas, by Martha Doe] (timetravel-britain.com), <br/>[http://www.sonlightclass.com/Notes/CanonOfScripture/2012-12-02.pdf Canon of Scripture] (sonlightclass.com/Notes/CanonOfScripture/2012-12-02)</ref> The Eastern Orthodox ''Synod of Jerusalem'' (1672), convened by [[Dositheos]], Patriarch of Jerusalem, purposely to reject the ''Confession of Orthodox Faith'' (1629), by Cyril Lucaris, which professed most of the major [[Calvinism|Calvinist]] docrines, decreed that the Church and Scripture are equally infallible, that there are seven sacraments, and that the books of Tobit, Judith, Ecclesiasticus (Sirach), and Wisdom of Solomon are canonized books of the Bible.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/event/Synod-of-Jerusalem Britannica online: Synod of Jerusalem (1672)]</ref> 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. In 1885 the Oxford University Press, pressured by Protestant groups, officially removed the Apocrypha, excluding it from all subsequent Oxford printed editions of the King James Version of the Bible, but still making it available as a separate collection in a separate volume.<ref>[http://www.handsonapologetics.com/King%20James%20Bible.html The "Inconvenient Tale" of the Original King James Bible, By Gary Michuta] (handsonapologetics.com)</ref> However, more recently (1973) Oxford began publishing some editions of the Oxford Annotated Bible which also include the apocryphal and deuterocanonical books used by the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek and Slavonic Orthodox Churches, as well as churches of the Anglican Communion (including The Episcopal Church); these editions are titled "''[New] Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha''"; also available are ''English Standard Version Bible with Apocrypha'' and ''The New English Bible: With the Apocrypha (Oxford Study Edition)''.<ref>See also [http://www.tyndalearchive.com/scriptures/index.htm Tyndale Archive: Index to English Translations of the Bible (more than 100 versions)]. This source lists the following Bibles with Apocrypha (listed here in chronological order):
:c. 200 BC, Septuagint - LXX - the earliest version of the Old Testament scriptures, includes the Apocrypha
:c. 200 BC, Septuagint - LXX - the earliest version of the Old Testament scriptures, includes the Apocrypha
:1540, Coverdale Bible - TCB - includes the Apocrypha
:1540, Coverdale Bible - TCB - includes the Apocrypha
The books of the Bible accepted as divinely inspired and canonical by the majority of Christian believers in the United States and throughout the world <ref>The '''Catholic Church''' is the world's largest [[Christianity|Christian]] body comprised of several distinct [https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/catholic_rites_and_churches.htm "Rites"]. The [[Catholic Church|Catholic Church (Latin Rite)]] is the largest religious body in the United States, with over 60 million adherents (4 times as large as the second largest church, the Orthodox).<br/>[http://www.pewforum.org/2013/02/13/the-global-catholic-population/ “The Global Catholic Population,” © 2011, Pew Research Center.]<br/>[http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_romcath.html The Largest Catholic Communities]<br/>
The books of the Bible accepted as divinely inspired and canonical by the majority of Christian believers in the United States and throughout the world <ref>The '''Catholic Church''' is the world's largest [[Christianity|Christian]] body comprised of several distinct [https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/catholic_rites_and_churches.htm "Rites"]. The [[Catholic Church|Catholic Church (Latin Rite)]] is the largest religious body in the United States, with over 60 million adherents (4 times as large as the second largest church, the Orthodox).<br/>[http://www.pewforum.org/2013/02/13/the-global-catholic-population/ “The Global Catholic Population,” © 2011, Pew Research Center.]<br/>[http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_romcath.html The Largest Catholic Communities]<br/>
The '''Eastern Orthodox Church''', officially called the '''Orthodox Catholic Church''', and also referred to as the '''[[Orthodox Church]]''' and '''Orthodoxy''', is the second largest [[Christianity|Christian church]] in the world, with an estimated 225–300 million adherents, most of whom live in [[Eastern Europe]], the [[Middle East]], and [[Russia]].<br/>{{cite web |last1=Calivas |first1=Rev. Alciviadis C. |title=The Greek (Eastern) Orthodox Church |publisher=Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Of America |year=1983 |url=http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith7061 |accessdate=7 May 2014 |ref=none }}<br/>{{cite web |last1=Fairchild |first1=Mary |title=Christianity:Basics:Eastern Orthodox Church Denomination |publisher=about.com |url=http://christianity.about.com/od/easternorthodoxy/p/orthodoxprofile.htm |accessdate=22 May 2014 |ref=none }}<br/>{{cite web |title=Christianity |work=Major Branches of Religions Ranked by Number of Adherents |publisher=adherents.com |url=http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Christianity |accessdate=22 May 2014 |ref=none }}</ref> are the traditional 73 books "with all their parts" anciently contained in the Biblical canon of the ''Catholic Bible'' containing the entire canonical text identified by Pope Damasus and the Synod of Rome (382) and the local Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397), contained in St. Jerome's Latin Vulgate translation (420), and [[Dogma|dogmatically]] ("''infallibly''") accepted as inspired by the [[Catholic Church]] since the [[Council of Trent]] (1570). The deuterocanonical scriptures removed from the Bible by Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformers in the 16th century are regarded as "apocryphal" by less than a third of Christian believers in the United States and throughout the world.<ref name=Prot>See [http://www.888c.com/worldChristianDenominations.htm Percentage of Christians in Protestant Denominations (29.5%)].</ref>
The '''Eastern Orthodox Church''', officially called the '''Orthodox Catholic Church''', and also referred to as the '''[[Orthodox Church]]''' and '''Orthodoxy''', is the second largest [[Christianity|Christian church]] in the world, with an estimated 225–300 million adherents, most of whom live in [[Eastern Europe]], the [[Middle East]], and [[Russia]].<br/>{{cite web |last1=Calivas |first1=Rev. Alciviadis C. |title=The Greek (Eastern) Orthodox Church |publisher=Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Of America |year=1983 |url=http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith7061 |accessdate=7 May 2014 |ref=none }}<br/>{{cite web |last1=Fairchild |first1=Mary |title=Christianity:Basics:Eastern Orthodox Church Denomination |publisher=about.com |url=http://christianity.about.com/od/easternorthodoxy/p/orthodoxprofile.htm |accessdate=22 May 2014 |ref=none }}<br/>{{cite web |title=Christianity |work=Major Branches of Religions Ranked by Number of Adherents |publisher=adherents.com |url=http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Christianity |accessdate=22 May 2014 |ref=none }}</ref> are the traditional 73 books "with all their parts" anciently contained in the Biblical canon of the ''Catholic Bible'' containing the entire canonical text identified by Pope Damasus and the Synod of Rome (382) and the local Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397), contained in St. Jerome's Latin Vulgate translation (420), and [[dogma]]tically ("''infallibly''") accepted as inspired by the [[Catholic Church]] since the [[Council of Trent]] (1570). The deuterocanonical scriptures removed from the Bible by Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformers in the 16th century are regarded as "apocryphal" by less than a third of Christian believers in the United States and throughout the world.<ref name=Prot>See [http://www.888c.com/worldChristianDenominations.htm Percentage of Christians in Protestant Denominations (29.5%)].</ref>
==Authority to determine the Biblical Canon==
==Authority to determine the Biblical Canon==
No version of the Bible contains in any of its books or texts of scripture an ''explicit'' listing of an authoritative Biblical canon as revealed by the Word of God. The religious tradition of each particular sect or denomination, Samaritan, Orthodox, Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, has determined for their members the particular Biblical canon they have accepted as authoritative and definitive, the particular Bible they normally use. Some denominations have additionally specified the particular ''translation'' or ''version'' of the Bible which they have defined as authentic, as against other versions and translations which they deem to be defective, or false, or even ''demonically'' corrupt.<ref>[http://www.catholicapologetics.info/apologetics/protestantism/wbible.htm Where We Got the Bible: Our Debt to the Catholic Church, by The Right Rev. Henry G. Graham] (catholicapologetics.info). Published TAN Books; Revised edition (March 1, 1992) ISBN-10: 0895557967, ISBN-13: 978-0895557964. 172 pages. ''Bishop Dr. Graham presents a detailed historical analysis, with documentation, of the various attempts to falsify the Bible, even to eliminate it, from the 1st century to the present day''.<br/>[http://www.bibleprobe.com/falsebibles.htm Beware of these new False Bibles since 1881 - Bible Probe] (bibleprobe.com)<br/>[http://www.kjv1611.org.uk/Seven%20Easy%20Ways.htm King James Bible Believers. Seven Easy Ways to tell the true Bible from the false ones, by Will Kinney] (kjv1611.org.uk)<br/>[http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/New%20Age/new_age-riplinger.htm New Age Bible Versions — by Dr. Gail Riplinger] (jesus-is-savior.com)<br/>[http://www.trustingodamerica.com/NIV.htm The New International Version (NIV) and English Standard Version (ESV) - Full of False Doctrine]</ref> The [[King James Only]] movement is an example. Traditionalist Catholics who use only the Douay-Rheims Bible translation of the ''Clementine Vulgate'' as the only truly accurate and reliable translation of the Bible are another. The number of Christian denominations alone, worldwide, varies in estimate from 20,000 to 43,000, but not all of them differ in doctrine.<ref>[http://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/global-christianity-exec/ Global Christianity – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian Population]<br/>[http://www.philvaz.com/apologetics/a120.htm How Many Protestant Denominations Are There? The 20,000 30,000 numbers and David Barrett's statistics]<br/>[http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/fastfacts/fast_facts.html Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Fast Facts about American Religion]<br/>[http://www.gotquestions.org/Protestant-denominations.html Question: "Which of the 30,000 Protestant denominations is the true church of God?"]<br/>[https://theway21stcentury.wordpress.com/2012/11/23/how-many-christian-denominations-worldwide/ THE WAY? HOW MANY CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS WORLDWIDE? 23 NOVEMBER, 2012 | UNKLEE]</ref>
No version of the Bible contains in any of its books or texts of scripture an ''explicit'' listing of an authoritative Biblical canon as revealed by the Word of God. The religious tradition of each particular sect or denomination, Samaritan, Orthodox, Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, has determined for their members the particular Biblical canon they have accepted as authoritative and definitive, the particular Bible they normally use. Some denominations have additionally specified the particular ''translation'' or ''version'' of the Bible which they have defined as authentic, as against other versions and translations which they deem to be defective, or false, or even ''demonically'' corrupt.<ref>[http://www.catholicapologetics.info/apologetics/protestantism/wbible.htm Where We Got the Bible: Our Debt to the Catholic Church, by The Right Rev. Henry G. Graham] (catholicapologetics.info). Published TAN Books; Revised edition (March 1, 1992) ISBN 0895557967, ISBN 978-0895557964. 172 pages. ''Bishop Dr. Graham presents a detailed historical analysis, with documentation, of the various attempts to falsify the Bible, even to eliminate it, from the 1st century to the present day''.<br/>[http://www.bibleprobe.com/falsebibles.htm Beware of these new False Bibles since 1881 - Bible Probe] (bibleprobe.com)<br/>[http://www.kjv1611.org.uk/Seven%20Easy%20Ways.htm King James Bible Believers. Seven Easy Ways to tell the true Bible from the false ones, by Will Kinney] (kjv1611.org.uk)<br/>[http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/New%20Age/new_age-riplinger.htm New Age Bible Versions — by Dr. Gail Riplinger] (jesus-is-savior.com)<br/>[http://www.trustingodamerica.com/NIV.htm The New International Version (NIV) and English Standard Version (ESV) - Full of False Doctrine]</ref> The [[King James Only]] movement is an example. Traditionalist Catholics who use only the Douay-Rheims Bible translation of the ''Clementine Vulgate'' as the only truly accurate and reliable translation of the Bible are another. The number of Christian denominations alone, worldwide, varies in estimate from 20,000 to 43,000, but not all of them differ in doctrine.<ref>[http://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/global-christianity-exec/ Global Christianity – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian Population]<br/>[http://www.philvaz.com/apologetics/a120.htm How Many Protestant Denominations Are There? The 20,000 30,000 numbers and David Barrett's statistics]<br/>[http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/fastfacts/fast_facts.html Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Fast Facts about American Religion]<br/>[http://www.gotquestions.org/Protestant-denominations.html Question: "Which of the 30,000 Protestant denominations is the true church of God?"]<br/>[https://theway21stcentury.wordpress.com/2012/11/23/how-many-christian-denominations-worldwide/ THE WAY? HOW MANY CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS WORLDWIDE? 23 NOVEMBER, 2012 | UNKLEE]</ref>
The particular Biblical canon which any ''individual person'' accepts as finally and definitively authoritative, is directly determined by the specific claim of authority presented by that particular canon-defining person or group or organization or religious body which the ''individual person'' perceives as authentic (see [[Logical fallacy]]). The average believer normally accepts the Bible tradition of his or her own family and worship community as being authentically true. Some alter their perception of which version and which canon of the Bible is true after investigating the historical development of the Biblical canon, and some after investigating are more fully confirmed in their original belief of which Biblical canon represents the Bible of the original Christian Church. A thorough knowledge of history together with prayer to God for discernment can be of substantial material aid in the quest for "[[how to choose a Bible]]".
The particular Biblical canon which any ''individual person'' accepts as finally and definitively authoritative, is directly determined by the specific claim of authority presented by that particular canon-defining person or group or organization or religious body which the ''individual person'' perceives as authentic (see [[Logical fallacy]]). The average believer normally accepts the Bible tradition of his or her own family and worship community as being authentically true. Some alter their perception of which version and which canon of the Bible is true after investigating the historical development of the Biblical canon, and some after investigating are more fully confirmed in their original belief of which Biblical canon represents the Bible of the original Christian Church. A thorough knowledge of history together with prayer to God for discernment can be of substantial material aid in the quest for "[[how to choose a Bible]]".
The [[Religious Society of Friends|Friends (Quakers)]] do not define any writing as canonical but what each person, "led by the spirit and light of Christ", has determined to be scripture or recognizes as inspired.<ref>See the essay [http://www.newmanreader.org/works/essays/volume2/private.html Private Judgment [British Critic, July 1841]] (newmanreader.org)</ref><blockquote>"Now the Lord's power was so mighty upon me, and so strong in me, that I could not hold, but was made to cry out and say, "Oh! no; it is not the scriptures;" and told them it was the Holy Spirit, by which the holy men of God gave forth the scriptures, whereby opinions, religions, and judgments were to be tried; for it led into all Truth, and so gave the knowledge of all Truth." —''from the'' Journal of [[George Fox]].<ref>[http://www.qis.net/~daruma/foxbible.html GEORGE FOX'S TEACHING ON THE PLACE OF SCRIPTURE] (qis.net)</ref></blockquote>
The [[Religious Society of Friends|Friends (Quakers)]] do not define any writing as canonical but what each person, "led by the spirit and light of Christ", has determined to be scripture or recognizes as inspired.<ref>See the essay [http://www.newmanreader.org/works/essays/volume2/private.html Private Judgment [British Critic, July 1841]] (newmanreader.org)</ref><blockquote>"Now the Lord's power was so mighty upon me, and so strong in me, that I could not hold, but was made to cry out and say, "Oh! no; it is not the scriptures;" and told them it was the Holy Spirit, by which the holy men of God gave forth the scriptures, whereby opinions, religions, and judgments were to be tried; for it led into all Truth, and so gave the knowledge of all Truth." —''from the'' Journal of [[George Fox]].<ref>[http://www.qis.net/~daruma/foxbible.html GEORGE FOX'S TEACHING ON THE PLACE OF SCRIPTURE] (qis.net)</ref></blockquote>
See [[Apostolic succession]]
See [[Apostolic succession]]
[[Third Council of Carthage (397)]]
[[Third Council of Carthage (397)]]
[[Bible#Books_of_the_Bible|Books of the Bible]]
[[Bible#Books of the Bible|Books of the Bible]]
[[Revelation, Book of (historical exegesis)]]
[[Revelation, Book of (historical exegesis)]]
==External links==
==External links==
[http://www.theopedia.com/Marcionism Theopedia: Marcionism]
* [http://www.theopedia.com/Marcionism Theopedia: Marcionism]
* [http://orthodoxwiki.org/Codex_Vaticanus Codex Vaticanus] (orthodoxwiki.org)
[http://orthodoxwiki.org/Codex_Vaticanus Codex Vaticanus] (orthodoxwiki.org)
* [http://www.bl.uk/eblj/1977articles/pdf/article1.pdf THE CODEX SINAITICUS, T. S. PATTIE. 1977 pdf] (bl.uk/eblj)
* [http://www.bl.uk/eblj/1998articles/pdf/article12.pdf THE CODEX ALEXANDRINUS AND THE ALEXANDRIAN GREEK TYPES, J. H. BOWMAN. 1998 pdf] (bl.uk/eblj)
[http://www.bl.uk/eblj/1977articles/pdf/article1.pdf THE CODEX SINAITICUS, T. S. PATTIE. 1977 pdf] (bl.uk/eblj)
* [http://www.serfes.org/orthodox/scripturesinthechurch.htm Holy Scripture In The Orthodox Church. "The Bible" Compiled by Father Demetrios Serfes. Boise, Idaho, USA. August 20 2000]
* [http://www.bible-researcher.com/carthage.html Third Council of Carthage (397)] (bible-researcher.com)
[http://www.bl.uk/eblj/1998articles/pdf/article12.pdf THE CODEX ALEXANDRINUS AND THE ALEXANDRIAN GREEK TYPES, J. H. BOWMAN. 1998 pdf] (bl.uk/eblj)
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01199a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: African Synods]
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03267a.htm Canon of the Old Testament]
[http://www.serfes.org/orthodox/scripturesinthechurch.htm Holy Scripture In The Orthodox Church. "The Bible" Compiled by Father Demetrios Serfes. Boise, Idaho, USA. August 20 2000]
* [http://www.tektonics.org/lp/ntcanon.html Essay: The New Testament Canon] (tektonics.org)
* [http://www.ethiopianorthodox.org/english/canonical/books.html The Biblical Canon Of The Ethiopian Orthodox Church]
[http://www.bible-researcher.com/carthage.html Third Council of Carthage (397)] (bible-researcher.com)
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=9OtUAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA522&lpg=PA522&dq=Objective+standard+of+truth&source=bl&ots=_-vjdQgIZc&sig=ajNQIRfcz8TQpLZgpaULPWTJzgE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=4zKbVL6wAYKLyAT3yoCoAw&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=Objective%20standard%20of%20truth&f=false Inspiration: The Infallible Truth and Divine Authority of the Holy Scriptures, by James Bannerman, Professor of Theology, New College, Edinburgh. 1865] page 522.
[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01199a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: African Synods]
[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03267a.htm Canon of the Old Testament]
[http://www.tektonics.org/lp/ntcanon.html Essay: The New Testament Canon] (tektonics.org)
[http://www.ethiopianorthodox.org/english/canonical/books.html The Biblical Canon Of The Ethiopian Orthodox Church]
[https://books.google.com/books?id=9OtUAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA522&lpg=PA522&dq=Objective+standard+of+truth&source=bl&ots=_-vjdQgIZc&sig=ajNQIRfcz8TQpLZgpaULPWTJzgE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=4zKbVL6wAYKLyAT3yoCoAw&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=Objective%20standard%20of%20truth&f=false Inspiration: The Infallible Truth and Divine Authority of the Holy Scriptures, by James Bannerman, Professor of Theology, New College, Edinburgh. 1865] page 522.
See the following seven sources:
See the following seven sources: