Bible Studies

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Old Testament Canon
By Frederick T. Blue

The Old Testament is regarded by many faith communities as the authoritative and infallible word of God. Referred to as the “Canon”, the Old Testament has a rich and deep history as a story that represents a revelation of God as creator of the heavens and the earth and his interaction with humankind, his prized creation. It also, in great detail tells the story of a faith community’s (Israel) testimony and how, through one nation/people, the whole world would be impacted. In the next few paragraphs, I will highlight the meaning of the canon, the different types of canons and the religious communities that embrace it’s authoritative nature and the people/events that helped “finalize” the holy books that make up the Old Testament.

In reference to the Old Testament, the term “canon” means “reed, rod or norm”. There are three forms of the Old Testament Canon, each revered by different religious communities and having specific differences in the number and/or order of books. The Jewish Canon or referred to as the Pentateauch, is categorized under 3 sections, Torah (Law), Nebi’im (Prophets) and Kethubim (Writings) and encompass the books of Genesis-Deuteronomy, Joshua-Malachi and Psalms-Chronicles respectively, totaling 39 books. The Catholic community recognizes the 39 books associated with the Jewish


Canon, but adopted the Greek text and also added additional books deemed authoritative and referred to as the “Apocrypha”. The additional books are as follows: TOBIT, JUDITH, WISDOM OF SOLOMON, ECCLESIASTICUS, BARUCH (OMITTED BY GREEK ORTHODOX), 1-2 MACCABEES, ADDITIONS TO ESTHER AND DANIEL: PRAYER OF AZARIAH, SONG OF THE THREE, SUSANNA, BEL AND THE DRAGON. The majority of Protestant denominations accept the 39 books of the Old Testament Canon, but reference a different order with respect to the “Writings”.

The historical scope in the shaping and closing of the Old Testament canon does not represent a clean or cohesive process, but historically, there are markers to point to, such as the 1st century Jewish historian Josephus, who wrote in about 100 C..E, (http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/sbrandt/canon.htm) "It is true our history has been written since Artaxerxes very particularly but has not been esteemed of the like authority with the former by our forefathers, because there has not been an exact succession of the prophets since that time." Also, the work of Jesus Ben Sirach and the work of his grandson in the second century refers to a collection of sacred and ancient writings represented by the Torah and Nebi’im among other writings. 2 Edras, dating back to the second century makes reference to a 24 book cannon that included Song of Songs and Esther. The Greek text known as the Septuagint also played a role in the rich history as to what was recognized by early Christians regarding the Old Testament scriptures. Although these writings remained fluid throughout the 1st century, the movement towards closing or finalizing the cannon came to a head in A.D. 90 when the Council of Jamnia represented by a group of rabbinic Jews established a council which blessed or authorized the 39 books of the Jewish Canon we know of today.


In summary, the origin and closing of the Old Testament Canon, was an evolving and fluid process throughout ancient history. From what we’ve studied, the prophets were viewed as authoritative, though no books were until the Torah (Law) was recognized as early as the second century B.C.E. Consensus as it relates to the Old Testament Canon did not evolve until late 1st century A.D.. There are differences in the number and/or order of books for various faith communities as discussed earlier. Despite these distinctions, the rich history and stories within the Old Testament text provides a faith testimony that without a doubt has made an indelible impact universally in the revelation of God to His people.

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