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Label the books Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Ecclesiasticus, Wisdom, and First and Second Maccabees as B7. They were part of LXX dated between 200 BCE to 50 CE. None of these are in today's Protestant canon of 27 NT books (B27). There are 39 books (B39) in the OT. Early church fathers often treat B7 as part of the Old Testament scriptures.
The formation of the NT canon was a complex process over centuries.
1st-2nd Centuries: Initially, churches shared letters and accounts of Jesus' life. Paul's letters were collected and circulated widely. The four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) gained widespread acceptance. Early church fathers began quoting these texts as authoritative.
Key Factors for deciding a book's authority:
250 CE: Origen accepted B39, defended B7, and thought some books from B27 were iffy.
324 CE: Eusebius accepted 21 books from B27, and disputed the other 6 from B27. He didn't say much about B7. He wasn't dogmatic. He reported consensus and debates, not enforcing a canon.
367 CE was a key moment for the formal concept of canonicity. Athanasius of Alexandria listed B27 as "canonical" (kanonizomena)—the first surviving use of that term for a specific set of Christian scriptures. He considered B7 as not fully authoritative but secondary. He did not use the term "deuterocanonical".
382 CE: the Pope convened the Council of Rome with his selected bishops and scholars. They affirmed the 46 (39+7) OT books and the 27 NT books as authoritative without making any distinction between protocanonical and deuterocanonical concepts.
Fast forward to the Reformation. 1534 CE, Luther's complete German Bible was published with the B7 books placed in a separate section between the Old and New Testaments, labeled as "Apocrypha."
Did Luther remove books from the Bible?
No, he placed B7 in a new section of his German publication of the Bible.
1546 CE: the Catholic Church reacted in the Council of Trent. They decreed that the B7 books were on par with the other books of the canon. Later, Catholics called B7 "Deuterocanonical", meaning "second canon" in time, not meaning "secondary" in authority. They maintained that these books were part of the Christian tradition and were inspired.
See also
The formation of the NT canon was a complex process over centuries.
1st-2nd Centuries: Initially, churches shared letters and accounts of Jesus' life. Paul's letters were collected and circulated widely. The four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) gained widespread acceptance. Early church fathers began quoting these texts as authoritative.
Key Factors for deciding a book's authority:
- Authenticity: Apostolic authority or direct connection to apostles or their immediate disciples.
- Acceptance by major church centers.
250 CE: Origen accepted B39, defended B7, and thought some books from B27 were iffy.
324 CE: Eusebius accepted 21 books from B27, and disputed the other 6 from B27. He didn't say much about B7. He wasn't dogmatic. He reported consensus and debates, not enforcing a canon.
367 CE was a key moment for the formal concept of canonicity. Athanasius of Alexandria listed B27 as "canonical" (kanonizomena)—the first surviving use of that term for a specific set of Christian scriptures. He considered B7 as not fully authoritative but secondary. He did not use the term "deuterocanonical".
382 CE: the Pope convened the Council of Rome with his selected bishops and scholars. They affirmed the 46 (39+7) OT books and the 27 NT books as authoritative without making any distinction between protocanonical and deuterocanonical concepts.
Fast forward to the Reformation. 1534 CE, Luther's complete German Bible was published with the B7 books placed in a separate section between the Old and New Testaments, labeled as "Apocrypha."
Did Luther remove books from the Bible?
No, he placed B7 in a new section of his German publication of the Bible.
1546 CE: the Catholic Church reacted in the Council of Trent. They decreed that the B7 books were on par with the other books of the canon. Later, Catholics called B7 "Deuterocanonical", meaning "second canon" in time, not meaning "secondary" in authority. They maintained that these books were part of the Christian tradition and were inspired.
See also
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