Reference · Teaching 14
Canon of Scripture — Cheat Sheet
Positions at a glance
| Position | Claim |
|---|---|
| Protestant | 39 Old Testament books (the Hebrew canon); seven books are "Apocrypha," good to read but not Scripture. |
| Catholic | 46 Old Testament books; the seven deuterocanonical books were in the Septuagint and defined as Scripture by the Church. |
Key verses
| Verse | Used for |
|---|---|
| Romans 3:2 | Protestant: the Jews were entrusted with God's oracles, so follow the Hebrew canon. |
| Hebrews 11:35 | Catholic: echoes the martyrs of 2 Maccabees 7. |
| 2 Maccabees 12:43-46 | Catholic: prayer for the dead. Often why the book is challenged. |
| Jude 14 | Both: quotes 1 Enoch, so being quoted does not decide canon. |
| 1 Corinthians 3:15 | Catholic: Purgatory does not rest only on 2 Maccabees. |
The one-line argument to remember
The same councils that gave us the New Testament list gave us the 46-book Old Testament. Accepting Hippo and Carthage on Revelation but not on Wisdom needs a principle.
Nuance to hold onto
- Some Fathers (Jerome, Athanasius) had reservations. Athanasius (Letter 39, 367) gave Wisdom, Sirach, Esther, Judith and Tobit a "read, but not canon" status, so do not claim he listed all 46; the debate wasn't closed for Catholics until Trent (1546). Say so honestly.
- Don't claim Jesus quotes the deuterocanon. The case is Septuagint use, the councils, and Church authority.
- Luther moved the deuterocanon to an appendix in 1534 and also questioned James, Hebrews, Jude and Revelation.
- The "Council of Jamnia" theory that closed the Hebrew canon is doubted by most scholars today.
- Hippo and Carthage were regional councils, so say that plainly; the stronger point is that Protestants rely on the same early process for the New Testament, and Innocent I (c. 405) lists the deuterocanon. The Council of Florence's decree for the Copts (Session 11, 1442) lists all 46 books before the Reformation, but it was addressed to the Copts and is not a general definition, so don't say the Orthodox signed it.
- Take the Reformed answer to "how do you know?" seriously: the Spirit's testimony and self-authenticating Scripture (Westminster 1.5).
- The 1611 KJV printed the deuterocanon; Bible societies dropped it around 1826-27. Share it as history, not as an accusation.
- Avoid citing the "Council of Rome 382" list; the Decretum Gelasianum is probably a later (6th century) work.