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The '''protocanonicals''' are those 53 books of the Law and the Prophets which were not disputed in the early [[Christianity|Christian Church]].

The '''protocanonicals''' are those 53 books of the Law and the Prophets which were not disputed in the early [[Christianity|Christian Church]].

Six Old Testament books were early excluded from the Bible by some highly respected Christian leaders. [[St. Athanasius]], a fourth century bishop of Alexandria, omitted [[Esther (Biblical book)|Esther]] from his list,<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2806039.htm ''Letter 39''], Athanasius of Alexandria, English translation</ref> potentially having been influenced by an early 22-book [[Biblical Canon|Jewish canon]], possibly the one mentioned but not specified by [[Josephus]].<ref>[http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/29/29-1/29-1-pp037-046_JETS.pdf "Josephus and the Twenty-two-book Canon of Sacred Scripture", Duane L. Christiansen, professor of Old Testament languages and literature at [[American Baptist Seminary of the West]] in Berkeley, California.]</ref> [[Theodore of Mopsuestia]] omitted [[Song of Songs]], [[Ecclesiastes]], [[Book of Job|Job]], and [[Ezra (Biblical book)|Ezra]]-[[Nehemiah]] to obtain a listing of 22 books.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14571b.htm ''Theodore of Mopsuestia''], article from the Catholic Encyclopedia</ref>

Six Old Testament books were early excluded from the canon of scripture by some highly respected Christian leaders. [[St. Athanasius]], a fourth century bishop of Alexandria, omitted [[Esther (Biblical book)|Esther]] from his list,<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2806039.htm ''Letter 39''], Athanasius of Alexandria, English translation</ref> potentially having been influenced by an early 22-book [[Biblical Canon|Jewish canon]], possibly the one mentioned but not specified by [[Josephus]].<ref>[http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/29/29-1/29-1-pp037-046_JETS.pdf "Josephus and the Twenty-two-book Canon of Sacred Scripture", Duane L. Christiansen, professor of Old Testament languages and literature at [[American Baptist Seminary of the West]] in Berkeley, California.]</ref> [[Theodore of Mopsuestia]] omitted [[Song of Songs]], [[Ecclesiastes]], [[Book of Job|Job]], and [[Ezra (Biblical book)|Ezra]]-[[Nehemiah]] to obtain a listing of 22 books.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14571b.htm ''Theodore of Mopsuestia''], article from the Catholic Encyclopedia</ref>

Seven books of the New Testament were disputed until the 16th century: [[Epistle to the Hebrews|Hebrews]], [[Epistle of James|James]], [[Second Epistle of Peter|2 Peter]], [[Second Epistle of John (Translated)|2 John]], [[Third Epistle of John (Translated)|3 John]], [[Epistle of Jude|Jude]] and [[Book of Revelation|The Apocalypse of John (Revelation)]]. [[Martin Luther]] dismissed as uncanonical and uninspired the books of Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation, initially placing them into an appendix at the end of the New Testament of his German Bible.<ref>[http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Bible/Text/Canon/wilkgren.html Luther and "New Testament Apocrypha"]</ref>

Seven books of the New Testament were disputed until the 16th century: [[Epistle to the Hebrews|Hebrews]], [[Epistle of James|James]], [[Second Epistle of Peter|2 Peter]], [[Second Epistle of John (Translated)|2 John]], [[Third Epistle of John (Translated)|3 John]], [[Epistle of Jude|Jude]] and [[Book of Revelation|The Apocalypse of John (Revelation)]]. [[Martin Luther]] dismissed as uncanonical and uninspired the books of Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation, initially placing them into an appendix at the end of the New Testament of his German Bible.<ref>[http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Bible/Text/Canon/wilkgren.html Luther and "New Testament Apocrypha"]</ref>