My position on the Apocrypha

[tonychanyt]

The Protestant Old Testament has 39 books. They agree with the contents of the Hebrew canon but not the ordering and numbering of books. The Catholic Old Testament contains these same 39 books plus 14 deuterocanonical books. “Deuterocanon” does not mean second in authority but second only in reception in time. Protestants call these books the Apocrypha (hidden).

Within the history of the Catholic Church, there was also disagreement. Augustine of Hippo and Pope Innocent I accepted the deuterocanonical books. Jerome of Stridon and Rufinus of Aquileia promoted the narrower canon.

For me, I do not dismiss anything. Instead, I put a weight on everything. The Catholic deuterocanonical books are not as weighty as the regular Protestant canon.

Catholics and Protestants have the same 27-book New Testament. No problem there.

See also How did the biblical canon come about?.

 

[Ain't Zwinglian]

For me, I do not dismiss anything. Instead, I put a weight on everything. The Catholic deuterocanonical books are not as weighty as the regular Protestant canon.

Please explain in detail what your criteria for "weighty" is. Is your criteria external to yourself, or is it only an internal subjective feeling.

 

[tonychanyt]

Please explain in detail what your criteria for "weighty" is.

By weight, I mean a number between 0 and 10. It is a measure of the strength of my confidence in a proposition.

Is your criteria external to yourself, or is it only an internal subjective feeling.

Excellent question. Both. See Subjective (Bayesian) Probability.

 

[Ain't Zwinglian]

By weight, I mean a number between 0 and 10. It is a measure of the strength of my confidence in a proposition.

So you exclude Scripture?

 

[tonychanyt]

So you exclude Scripture?

No.

 

[Ain't Zwinglian]

No.

So then what is your objective criteria Scriptures are more "weighty?"

 

[tonychanyt]

So then what is your objective criteria Scriptures are more "weighty?"

It is subjective.