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The Canon of the

Old TestamentThe Foundation of Christianity

ByDavid M. Battle

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What is a canon?

It is not a cannon.

It is not a copier

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What is a canon?

Canon is a rule or measure by whichother things are judged.

Greek: K

Roman Church

Church Laws are called Canons.

Beatification of a Saint is Canonization

A Canon of Scripture is an anthology ofsacred texts that are authoritative for beliefand practice.

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The Three Western Canons

The TANAK (Jewish Canon)

Protestant Canon

The Roman Canon

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The Roman Canon

The Roman Church accepts 46 (45) booksas authoritative.

Roman Canon comprises two types ofmaterial.

Original Hebrew Canon

Later Greek Additions:

7 Deuterocanonical Books

Plus additions to Esther and Daniel

The Catholic Catechismaffirms these asone canon of equal authority.

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The Roman Canon

Pentateuch

Five Books of Moses*

Historical Books Joshua* to 2 Maccabees. Deuterocanonical Additions:

1 & 2 Maccabees

Tobit

Judith

Greek additions to Esther

Wisdom and Poetic Books Job to Song of Solomon.

Deuterocanonical Additions:

Wisdom & Sirach

Prophetic Books

Isaiah to Malachi

Deuterocanonical Additions:

Letter of Baruch to Jeremiah

Greek additions to Daniel

* For some reason the NewAmerican Catholic Bibleincluded Joshua,

Judges, and Ruth as part of the Pentateuch.

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Church Tradition

Septuagint (250 B.C.- 200 A.D.)

Eusebius (263-339)

Council of Catharage III (397 A.D.)

Jerome (347- 420 A.D.)

Augustine (354-430 A.D.)

Council of Trent (1546 A.D.)

Sixtus of Siena (1566 A.D.)

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Orthodox Church

Greek Orthodox

Synod of Jerusalem (1672)

Russian Orthodox

Gennady Bible (1499)

Russian Synodal Bible (1876)

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The Protestant Canon

Pentateuch Five Books of

Moses

Historical Books Joshua to Esther

Wisdom andPoetic Books Job to

Song of Solomon

Prophetic Books

Major Prophets Isaiah to Daniel

Minor Prophets Hosea to Malachi

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Clarification of Canon

Protestants set Scripture as the canonical

standard for all religious teaching andpractice.

Therefore, Protestants needed a clearlydefined collection of Scripture.

They questioned the inclusion of the Non-

Hebrew writings to the Old TestamentCanon.

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Clarification of Canon

Luther (1534)

England Wycliffite Bible (1382)

Tyndale/Coverdale Bible (1530-1538)

Thirty-nine Articles: Article VI (1562) King James Bible (1611)

Westminster Confession (1648)

Protestant Bible Societies (1820)

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Clarification of Canon

Affirmed the Hebrew Canon.

Relegated the additions of theSeptuagint as apocryphal.

May be consulted for academic studies.

Was not to be preached from the pulpit.

Was not to be used to discover doctrine or

to determine practice.

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Clarification of Canon

The Protestant Canon

is essentially the same as the Jewish

Tanak, except for the order.

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The Jewish CanonTanak

Torah (Pentateuch)

Neviim (Prophets)

Kethuvim (Writings)

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The Jewish CanonThe Torah

Genesis

Exodus Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

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The Jewish CanonThe Nevim

Former Prophets

Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings

Latter ProphetsIsaiah, Jeremiah (Lamentations), Ezekiel

The Book of the Twelve:

Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai,

Zechariah, Malachi

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The Jewish CanonThe Kethuvim

Lyrical &WisdomPsalms (Ruth suffix)JobProverbsEcclesiastes

Song of SongsLamentations

Narrative BooksDanielEsther

Ezra &Nehemiah

1 & 2 Chronicles

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The Jewish Canon

Megilott

The Five Scrolls Song of Solomon

Ruth Lamentations Ecclesiastes

Esther

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Formation of Canon

Josephus (c. 90)

Academy of Jamnia (c. 90)

Jesus (30 A.D.)

Ben Sirach (c. 190 B.C.)

Ezra (450 B.C.)