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The '''Council of Jamnia, A.D. 90''' is an [[Hypothesis|hypothetical]] council of chief Jewish rabbis which is said to have met by permission of the Roman authorities at the school established at Yabneh (Jabneh or Jamnia) in Palestine after the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in A.D. 70, as an authoritative council of Judaism to decisively determine the canon of the Bible, and officially exclude the [[Septuagint]]. Evidence has proven that no such council ever met, and the claim has been largely discredited.
The idea of the Council of Jamnia was first introduced by Heinrich Graetz in 1871. Several important ancient sources (Josephus, ''Against Apion'' 1:8; ''4 Ezra'' 14:44-45, ''Babylonian Talmud, Baba Bathra'' 14b and others) indicate that a generally accepted list of sacred writings already existed in the days of Jamnia. The sages at Jamnia in their discussions and disputations explored the merits of Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Ruth, Esther, Proverbs and Ezekiel. In rabbinic discussions on the topic of authority of books, phrases such as “on that day” created an impression that this was a deliberation that took place during a single session (''Mishna, Yadaim'' 3:5-4:4 and ''Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot'' 28a), thus creating the idea of ''The Council of Jamnia'' as authoritative as the former [[Sanhedrin]] in Jerusalem. Many scholars assumed that since Christians had the [[Council of Nicaea|Nicean]] and [[Council of Chalcedon|Chalcedonian]] [[ecumenical council]]s to settle and establish doctrinal matters, a similar council took place in Jamnia at the turn of the first century, and Graetz’s theory became the widely accepted view. It was adopted as evidence in Protestant [[apologetics]] against acceptance of books in the Catholic canon of the Bible rejected as apocryphal by the Reformation. Since the late nineteenth century, many scholars have believed that a religious council convened in Jamnia in approximately A.D. 90, and by their rabbinical authority closed the limits of what eventually became the Jewish canon. However, an examination of the actual sources shows that there is no evidence that their inquiries into selected teachings, contained within those books, should be seen as an attempt to settle the status of those books. Since the 1960s, Graetz’s theory has been questioned, and is largely discredited. (Jack P. Lewis, Lee M. McDonald, James A. Sanders and Sid Z. Leiman and others). Today modern scholars are skeptical as to whether there was ever a synod in Jamnia dedicated specifically to matters of canonization.
Many Protestant authors have appealed to the Council of Jamnia in arguing the case against the Roman Catholic canon.
*Jimmy Swaggart, ''Catholicism & Christianity'', Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, 1986
*Norman Geisler, Ralph MacKenzie, ''Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: Agreements and Differences'', Baker Books, 1995
*Norman Geisler, ''General Introduction to the Bible'', Moody Press, 1996
*Ralph P. Martin, Peter H. Davids, eds., ''Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments'', InterVarsity Press, 2000
Other Protestant authors dismiss this appeal to a rabbinical council at Jabneh or Jamnia as unnecessary, given the evidence of a settled canon of the Old Testament predating the Christian Era by approximately 200 years. Still others point to evidence that there was a variety of different Jewish canons of scripture as late as A.D. 500.
Bible students who have carefully researched the documented Jewish sources have found no substantiating support for an authoritative Jewish Council of Jamnia that settled the Old Testament of canon of scripture as authoritative evidence against the establishment of the Orthodox and Catholic canon of the Bible.
==See also==
[[Septuagint]]
[[Protocanonicals]]
[[Deuterocanonicals]]
[[Apocrypha]]
[[Biblical Canon]]
[[Council of Trent]]
==External links==
[https://blog.israelbiblicalstudies.com/jewish-studies/jamnia/ Council Of Jamnia And Old Testament Canon (by Peter Shirokov And Dr. Eli Lizorkin-eyzenberg), By Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg - Israel Institute of Biblical Studies (israelbiblicalstudies.com)]
[https://worldhistoryproject.org/85/council-of-jamnia 85 AD: Council of Jamnia (worldhistoryproject.org)]
[http://catholicbiblestudent.com/2007/07/council-of-Jamnia-if-you-ever-read.html Council of Jamnia, Mark Giszczak (catholicbiblestudent.com)]
[http://www.bible.ca/b-canon-council-of-jamnia.htm Canon of the Bible: The Council of Jamnia 90 AD (bible.ca)]
[http://evidenceforchristianity.org/when-was-the-old-testament-canon-decided-was-it-at-the-council-of-jamnia/ When was the Old Testament canon decided? Was it at the Council of Jamnia?, by John Oakes - Evidence for Christianity (evidenceforchristianity.org)]
[https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-council-that-wasnt The Council That Wasn't: The Myth of Jabneh and the Old Testament Canon, Steve Ray (catholic.com)]
[http://www.academia.edu/6811953/The_Jewish_Council_of_Jamnia_and_its_Impact_on_the_Old_Testament_Canon_and_New_Testament_Studies The Jewish "Council" of Jamnia and its Impact on the Old Testament Canon and New Testament Studies, Timothy Gordon (academia.edu)]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Jamnia Council of Jamnia - Wikipedia]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9fHd86-jYU The Myth of the Council of Jamnia and the Origin of the Bible, Dr. Brant Pitre - Catholic Productions (youtube.com)]
[[category:Judaism]]
[[category:Bible]]
[[category:Protestantism]]
[[category:Catholic Church]]
[[category:History]]
The idea of the Council of Jamnia was first introduced by Heinrich Graetz in 1871. Several important ancient sources (Josephus, ''Against Apion'' 1:8; ''4 Ezra'' 14:44-45, ''Babylonian Talmud, Baba Bathra'' 14b and others) indicate that a generally accepted list of sacred writings already existed in the days of Jamnia. The sages at Jamnia in their discussions and disputations explored the merits of Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Ruth, Esther, Proverbs and Ezekiel. In rabbinic discussions on the topic of authority of books, phrases such as “on that day” created an impression that this was a deliberation that took place during a single session (''Mishna, Yadaim'' 3:5-4:4 and ''Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot'' 28a), thus creating the idea of ''The Council of Jamnia'' as authoritative as the former [[Sanhedrin]] in Jerusalem. Many scholars assumed that since Christians had the [[Council of Nicaea|Nicean]] and [[Council of Chalcedon|Chalcedonian]] [[ecumenical council]]s to settle and establish doctrinal matters, a similar council took place in Jamnia at the turn of the first century, and Graetz’s theory became the widely accepted view. It was adopted as evidence in Protestant [[apologetics]] against acceptance of books in the Catholic canon of the Bible rejected as apocryphal by the Reformation. Since the late nineteenth century, many scholars have believed that a religious council convened in Jamnia in approximately A.D. 90, and by their rabbinical authority closed the limits of what eventually became the Jewish canon. However, an examination of the actual sources shows that there is no evidence that their inquiries into selected teachings, contained within those books, should be seen as an attempt to settle the status of those books. Since the 1960s, Graetz’s theory has been questioned, and is largely discredited. (Jack P. Lewis, Lee M. McDonald, James A. Sanders and Sid Z. Leiman and others). Today modern scholars are skeptical as to whether there was ever a synod in Jamnia dedicated specifically to matters of canonization.
Many Protestant authors have appealed to the Council of Jamnia in arguing the case against the Roman Catholic canon.
*Jimmy Swaggart, ''Catholicism & Christianity'', Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, 1986
*Norman Geisler, Ralph MacKenzie, ''Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: Agreements and Differences'', Baker Books, 1995
*Norman Geisler, ''General Introduction to the Bible'', Moody Press, 1996
*Ralph P. Martin, Peter H. Davids, eds., ''Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments'', InterVarsity Press, 2000
Other Protestant authors dismiss this appeal to a rabbinical council at Jabneh or Jamnia as unnecessary, given the evidence of a settled canon of the Old Testament predating the Christian Era by approximately 200 years. Still others point to evidence that there was a variety of different Jewish canons of scripture as late as A.D. 500.
Bible students who have carefully researched the documented Jewish sources have found no substantiating support for an authoritative Jewish Council of Jamnia that settled the Old Testament of canon of scripture as authoritative evidence against the establishment of the Orthodox and Catholic canon of the Bible.
==See also==
[[Septuagint]]
[[Protocanonicals]]
[[Deuterocanonicals]]
[[Apocrypha]]
[[Biblical Canon]]
[[Council of Trent]]
==External links==
[https://blog.israelbiblicalstudies.com/jewish-studies/jamnia/ Council Of Jamnia And Old Testament Canon (by Peter Shirokov And Dr. Eli Lizorkin-eyzenberg), By Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg - Israel Institute of Biblical Studies (israelbiblicalstudies.com)]
[https://worldhistoryproject.org/85/council-of-jamnia 85 AD: Council of Jamnia (worldhistoryproject.org)]
[http://catholicbiblestudent.com/2007/07/council-of-Jamnia-if-you-ever-read.html Council of Jamnia, Mark Giszczak (catholicbiblestudent.com)]
[http://www.bible.ca/b-canon-council-of-jamnia.htm Canon of the Bible: The Council of Jamnia 90 AD (bible.ca)]
[http://evidenceforchristianity.org/when-was-the-old-testament-canon-decided-was-it-at-the-council-of-jamnia/ When was the Old Testament canon decided? Was it at the Council of Jamnia?, by John Oakes - Evidence for Christianity (evidenceforchristianity.org)]
[https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-council-that-wasnt The Council That Wasn't: The Myth of Jabneh and the Old Testament Canon, Steve Ray (catholic.com)]
[http://www.academia.edu/6811953/The_Jewish_Council_of_Jamnia_and_its_Impact_on_the_Old_Testament_Canon_and_New_Testament_Studies The Jewish "Council" of Jamnia and its Impact on the Old Testament Canon and New Testament Studies, Timothy Gordon (academia.edu)]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Jamnia Council of Jamnia - Wikipedia]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9fHd86-jYU The Myth of the Council of Jamnia and the Origin of the Bible, Dr. Brant Pitre - Catholic Productions (youtube.com)]
[[category:Judaism]]
[[category:Bible]]
[[category:Protestantism]]
[[category:Catholic Church]]
[[category:History]]