Session 2 – Why the Books we have?
In this second session we will tackle the
question of the Old Testament Canon, and
why certain books are part of it while
others are “left out”
We will spend quite some time looking at
the Apocryphal books
and see the problems with adding those
books to our Bible
http://www.tektonics.org/lp/otcanon.php
The Old Testament Canon
Why are certain books in the Old Testament
while others are not?
When looking at the Old Testament we have
minimal outside sourcing on why certain
books are in a certain books are out
(because it’s been thousands of years)
But what we do have can give us a good idea
Dates that Old Testament books were written
Job--Unknown
Proverbs--ca. 971-686 B.C.
Genesis--1445-1405 B.C. Ecclesiastes--940-931 B.C.
Exodus --1445-1405 B.C.
1 Samuel--931-722 B.C.
Leviticus --1445-1405 B.C.
2 Samuel--931-722 B.C.
Numbers--1445-1405 B.C.
Obadiah--850-840 B.C.
Deut--1445-1405 B.C.
Joel--835-796 B.C.
Psalms--1410-450 B.C.
Jonah--ca. 775 B.C.
Joshua--1405-1385 B.C.
Amos--ca. 750 B.C.
Judges--ca. 1043 B.C.
Hosea--750-710 B.C.
Ruth--ca. 1030-1010 B.C.
Micah--735-710 B.C.
Song of Sol--971-965 B.C.
Isaiah--700-681 B.C.
Nahum--ca. 650 B.C.
Zephaniah--635-625 B.C.
Habakkuk--615-605 B.C.
Ezekiel--590-570 B.C.
Lamentations--586 B.C.
Jeremiah--586-570 B.C.
1 Kings--561-538 B.C.
2 Kings--561-538 B.C.
Daniel 536-530 B.C.
Haggai--ca. 520 B.C.
Zechariah--480-470 B.C.
Ezra--457-444 B.C.
1 Chronicles--450-430 B.C.
2 Chronicles--450-430 B.C.
Esther--450-331 B.C.
Malachi--433-424 B.C.
Nehemiah--424-400 B.C.
The Old Testament wasn’t finished until
around 400 B.C., which means an official
Canon has to come after that
Some scholars have suggested that Ezra
and/or Nehemiah were responsible for the
first true organization
They propose Judas Maccabeaus would be
the one who put an "official" deposit of the
sacred writings in the Temple.
This would have taken place
around 150 B.C. (A few
hundred years after the OT
completion)
Outside of the Bible itself, the earliest
writings we have that Categorize the Old
Testament into different sections is from the
Wisdom of Sirach, a book dated to
approximately 175-200 B.C. (Greek
translation by his Grandson around 125 B.C.)
The classification scheme in Sirach refers to
the law, the prophets, and the "other"
ancestral books as being a set (note: If it’s
common knowledge at this time, that means
the idea originates even earlier)
This book (Also also known as the Book of
Ecclesiasticus) turns out to be one of the
Apocrypha books, so we will return to look at
why we don’t consider it inspired
We have documentation of the books of
Moses being recognized as Scripture as early
as the 2nd century BC, being named as such
in the Letter of Aristeas
Keep in mind this is outside sourcing, the
Bible itself says it even earlier
the Book of Jubilees indicates that there are
22 accepted books in the Jewish Scripture,
but realize that had a completely different
way of counting them (unfortunately the
writer doesn’t list them, but it could be
understood as the whole OT)
How far back does this put us? Well there is
some debate on that topic
The hand writing style of our oldest copy
dates around 100 B.C. (Not the original)
There is evidence that it was written prior
to this date though
For example, the author of Jubilees seems to
be aware of 1 Enoch's "Book of Dreams"; but
the oldest copy we have (DSS-13 4Q208) has
been dated to ca. 200 BC.
Which means Jubilees could have been
written between 400-200 B.C., which would
go along with the idea that Ezra or
Nehemiah compiled the final Canon
There is still another camp that believe that
the book had to be written between 150-160
B.C. because it seems to allude (very subtly)
to the events of 1 Maccabees
Philo, In his Contemplative Life, written early
in the first century, writes of "the laws and
the sacred oracles of God enunciated by the
holy prophets, and hymns, and psalms, and
all kinds of other things"
The next piece of data comes from Josephus'
description of the Jewish holy books
in Contra Apion 1.8, dated c. 93-95 AD.
After clearly identifying the Pentateuch as
the work of Moses Josephus writes:
From the death of Moses until
Artaxerxes...the prophets who followed after
Moses recorded their deeds in thirteen
books. The remaining four comprise hymns
to God and rules of ethical conduct for men.
We again get the number 22, is it possible
for this to refer to the OT?
Genesis – 1
Exodus – 1
Leviticus – 1
Numbers – 1
Deuteronomy – 1
(the 5 books of Moses)
Joshua – 1
Judges and Ruth, folded together on one scroll
as they were in Josephus' time – 1
1 and 2 Samuel - also considered one book in
Josephus' time - 1
1 and 2 Kings - Ditto. - 1
1 and 2 Chronicles - Ditto. - 1
Jeremiah and Lamentations - also considered
as one book at the time - 1
Isaiah - 1
Amos, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Malachi, Jonah,
Haggai, Habakkuk, Nahum, Micah, Hosea,
Joel, Obadiah - all folded together at the time
of Josephus (and prior) - 1
Daniel - 1
Ezekiel - 1
Ezra and Nehemiah, folded together - 1
Esther - 1
Job - 1
(the 13 prophetic books)
Proverbs - 1
Psalms - 1
Song of Songs - 1
Ecclesiastes - 1.
(the 4 instructional books)
If this accurately represents the way their
books were compiled, this again could go
back to the time of Ezra or Nehemiah
Our first external Biblical source would be
the book of Jubilee which identified 22
books, just like Josephus
The same number of books is listed by the
Bryennius List and the canon of Epiphanus,
both dated to near the time of Josephus
Around 100 A.D. there is a list (in the book of
4 Ezra) that says 24 books are part of the
Old Testament (not 22)
One explanation is this list likely has Ruth
and Lamentations separated
Some critics don’t think we are justified in
combining these books before this time, that
remains a debate (later witnesses like
Eusebius agree with us on this point)
While the books of the Old Testament were
probably recognized early on, the idea of a
solid Canon does take a bit to develop
This explains why the Apocrypha was
originally in the Septuagint version
While they may have not had a solid idea
right away of an entire OT Canon, they
certainly understood the books of Moses
as being a closed unit (and possible
other sets of books)
What were the standards for being
considered part of the OT?
The dates the books were written
There was an understanding among the Jews
that the books written after the end of our
current OT were different from before
Josephus limits his books to those written
between the time of Moses and Artaxerxes which is to say, the time of Ezra, Nehemiah,
Malachi, Zecharaiah, and Haggai.
After that, Josephus observed that "(Jewish)
history hath been written since Artaxerxes
very particularly but hath not been
esteemed of the like authority with the
former by our forefathers, because there
hath not been an exact succession of
prophets since that time."
It’s unlikely that Josephus originates this idea,
it was probably what he was taught (meaning
that the teaching goes back earlier)
Tosfeta Sotah has a similar reading: “…the
Holy Spirit departed after the death of
Haggai, Zecharaiah, and Malachi. Thus
Judaism defined the limits of the canon
that was and still is accepted within
the Jewish community."
There was little debate over the books that
were considered part of the OT at this time,
some discussion on Ecclesiastes and Song of
Solomon, but the bulk was never disputed
The quality of the books
Many writers recognize and difference in
quality between the Old Testament books
and the other books of the time
The historical quality of the book could also
come into play, for example, if the book has
historical facts wrong it couldn’t/wouldn’t
be inspired by God
Authorship of the Books
The author of the books likely held more
weight on if it would be part of the Old
Testament than any other criteria
The authors had to have a special
relationship with God, which is why the
writings of Moses were included from the
very beginning (Moses was God’s chosen
leader/prophet for the Jewish people)
Books that were authored by true prophets
of God (as laid out in the book of
Deuteronomy) would be prime candidates
for books in the Old Testament
Other books written by David, Solomon, or
Joshua would also make it into the Bible
because of their special relationship with
God (as leaders of his people)
The author was very important
Keep in mind, books are not inspired because
they made it into the Bible
Man does not decide what is inspired and
what is not inspired, God does
Our job was to recognize what God has
inspired, and we had criteria for doing so
with the Old (and New) Testament
God used people who had special
relationships with him, at certain times in
history, to reveal himself to us
What about the Apocrypha?
Added to the Bible by the Roman Catholic
church in 1546
These books are Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2
Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach
(also known as Ecclesiasticus), and Baruch.
(also extensions to some of the books in the
Old Testament like Daniel)
Do they belong in the Bible?
Additions to Esther
The Nine part addition is 1) a dream of
Mordecai; 2) the conspiracy against
Artaxerxes; 3) the edict ordering extermination
of the Jews; 4) the prayer of Mordecai; 5) the
prayer of Esther; 6) Esther before Artaxerxes;
7) the edict in favor of the Jews; 8)
interpretation of Mordecai's dream; and 9)
naming of the translator.
The problem is these additions can be dated
to 100 B.C. (long after the original)
Additions to Daniel
The most known of these additions is the
tale of Bel and the Dragon
The text exists only in
Greek (while the oldest
copies of the Book of
Daniel are entirely
in Hebrew and Aramaic,
which is why many believe
(us included) that it was
an addition
The book of Baruch
This book is supposed to be written by
Jeremiah’s scribe, but actually contradicts
the book of Jeremiah itself
And while some portions may be earlier, the
book was not complete until the first
century! Jeremiah lived hundreds of
years before that (570 B.C.)
Letter of Jeremiah - This has been dated to
300 B.C. and has the same problem
Baruch 6:2 , "And when you are come into
Babylon, you shall be there many years, and
for a long time, even to seven generations:
and after that I will bring you away from
thence with peace."
Baruch 6:2 says the Jews would serve in
Babylon for seven generations where Jer.
25:11 says it was for 70 years. "And this
whole land shall be a desolation and a
horror, and these nations shall serve the king
of Babylon seventy years."
The Book of Tobit
There is false/weird teaching inside this book
Salvation by works:
Tobit 4:11 , "For alms deliver from all sin,
and from death, and will not suffer the soul
to go into darkness."
Tobit 12:9, "For alms delivereth from death,
and the same is that which purgeth away
sins, and maketh to find mercy and
life everlasting."
Tobit 6:5-9: “The angel said to him, “Cut open
the fish and remove its gallbladder, heart, and
liver and keep them with you, and throw away
the guts. Its gallbladder, heart, and liver are
useful medicines.” So Tobias cut open the fish
and gathered up the gallbladder, heart, and liver.
He cooked the fish and ate it; and the remaining
part of it, which he salted, he put aside. Then
they both journeyed together until they
approached Media. Tobias asked the angel,
“Brother Azariah, what medicine is there in the
fish’s heart, liver, and gallbladder?”
Raphael replied, “If you burn the fish’s heart
and liver in the presence of a man or woman
under attack by a demon or evil spirit, the
spirit will flee and never bother that person
again. As for the gallbladder, if you smear
the gall on a person’s eyes in which white
spots have appeared, and then blow on the
white spots, the eyes will heal.”
There’s a new formula for spiritual warfare!
The problem is it’s wrong and unbiblical
The book of Judith
In this book, a Jewish Hero named Judith
deceives Nebuchadnezzar's general,
Holofernes, and assassinates him, saving
Jerusalem from certain doom
It contains a horrible historical error
Judith 1:5, "Now in the twelfth year of his
reign, Nabuchodonosor, king of the Assyrians,
who reigned in Ninive the great city, fought
against Arphaxad and overcame him."
1st and 2nd Esdras
1st book was a mixture of Ezra, Nehemiah, an
2 Chronicles, along with some other stories.
The book has many errors according to
Metzger, and was assembled around 150 B.C.
2nd book contains seven visions supposedly
written by Ezra (during time in Babylon) but
it’s dated to the first century A.D.
Catholics do not accept these books
The book of Ecclesiasticus
This is the most esteemed book in the
Apocrypha, and is a book of wisdom
It doesn’t contain any
outright absurdities like
many of the other books,
but it was written around
190-180 B.C., which takes
it out of the timeframe for
inspired books
Wisdom of Solomon
This book has three parts to it
1. It tells us wisdom will be granted to the
righteous man
2. It contains Solomon’s admonition to the
kings to seek after wisdom (and he explains
how his wisdom has been beneficial)
3. Recounts what God has done in history
delivering his people and punishing their foes
This book uses material from Daniel, Enoch,
and Tobit, which disqualifies it immediately
as being written by Solomon
Although some would wonder if the book
ever meant to be taken as written by
Solomon (because it’s so obviously not)
The dating of the book falls somewhere
between 100 B.C. and 40 A.D.
1 and 2 Maccabees
These books are mostly historical recording
some events between 330-135 B.C.
Their dating disqualifies them from being
canonical, coming about hundreds of years
after the OT is finished
There are also some historical and doctrinal
problems with the books, which can’t be the
case if they are inspired
Offering of money for the sins of the dead
2 Maccabees 12:43, "And making a gathering,
he sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to
Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the
sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously
concerning the resurrection."
Historical errors exist, such as the placing of
Antiochus Epiphanes’ death prior to the
cleansing of the Temple by Judas (2 Macc
1:11-18; 9:1-10:9)
Final thoughts and problems
Jesus rejected the Apocrypha as Scripture by
referring to the entire accepted Jewish
Canon of Scripture when he said: “From the
blood of Abel [Gen. 4:8] to the blood of
Zechariah [2 Chron. 24:20], who was killed
between the altar and the house of God;
yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this
generation (Lk. 11:51; cf. Mt. 23:35).”
Jesus supports the timeline we’re using
The Apocrypha isn’t quoted
There are over 260 quotations of the Old
Testament in the New Testament and not one
of them is from these books
There may be illusions
historically to them, but
never in the same way as
the OT books where they
are quoted as the word of
God, and authoritative
Memory Verse
Matthew 5:17: "Do not think that I came to
abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I did not come to abolish but to fulfill,"