# The non-canon books of the Bible There isn't a complete consensus on *all* the books of the Bible. - The core 66 books are relatively undisputed (39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament). - The only exception to this [a select few Christianity-alleging groups who are probably not believers](people-conflicts-christian-4_false.md). - However, many people (especially Catholics) believe in a few extra books and distinguish the 66 as the "narrow canon". - For almost all the books, they set the additional works alongside the Old Testament or as a separate section entirely. It's worth noting here that getting an exact number is tricky because Kings and Chronicles have unique naming conventions depending on who is discussing it. - The Hebrews originally called the story starting with Samuel and ending with the Nebuchadnezzar sacking Jerusalem as The Books of the Kingdoms (1 through 4). - Later, modern Catholics renamed it to 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, and 2 Kings. - However, the Greek Orthodox have maintained the 1-4 Kings convention, and The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo group them as the two books of Samuel and Kings. - They're still the same books, however. - The Hebrews also called 1 and 2 Chronicles "Paralipomenon", meaning "things that have been passed over/omitted" (i.e., "the many dumb little details about the thing") ## Apocrypha/Deuterocanon Some of the books are approved by Christians, but their choice of language makes even *labeling* them difficult: - Catholics call the 66 books the "narrow canon" and the additional books as part of the "broader canon". - To most Catholicism, they are the Deuterocanon (literally, "second rule"). - For Eastern Orthodox, they can also be called anagignoskomena (literally, "worthy of reading") - To Protestants, they are the Apocrypha (literally, "secret/unapproved"). - And, for unapproved books, various Catholics will *also* call something apocrypha (e.g., Josippon for all non-Ethiopian Catholics). Christians debate endlessly about how much God directly inspired the deuterocrypha. - Protestants can often condemn the deuterocanon as outright blasphemy, but don't have a good answer for why Jude 14-15 quotes Enoch directly. - However, many Protestants (i.e., Anglicanism, Martin Luther) consider them worth reading. - This gets more complicated when we dive into specific opinions (e.g., Jerome had misgivings about the deuterocanon, but still translated them into the Latin Vulgate) - The early Church all unanimously agreed on the 39 books of the Old Testament, but various collections sometimes considered other works as part of their canon (especially the Eastern Christian tradition, see below). Most of the deuterocrypha is books in the Greek Bible (called the Septuagint and compiled in the 3rd century BC). - The original 39 of the old Testament are the Hebrew Bible (called the Tanakh and maintained longer than the Septuagint). - They were added to the Old Testament, but they weren't part of the original Hebrew Bible. - In one sense, much of the deuterocrypha is or isn't the word of God depending on how well and how accurately the Jewish leadership maintained their scriptures. - Most of the apocryphal books were made between 200 B.C. and 100 A.D. - The Catholic church had declared declared most of them Scripture by the 9th and 10th centuries. - Further, many of them were translated to English as a separate section in 1534. - To save on printing costs, most 19th century publishers omitted them. [They're definitely worth academic study](bible-10_deutero.md). - Even if they're not "inspired" directly, they certainly have as much and possibly more value than any modern published work *about* the Bible. - If nothing else, many of these documents give believers a direct comparison of how an inspired work versus an uninspired work looks like from those times. ### Universal Catholic deuterocanon The Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Catholic, Oriental Orthodox Catholic, and Church have 7 additional Old Testament books for a total of 73, with 2 other books adding chapters. [Tobit](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Tobit) It was written sometime ~225–164 BC in Aramaic, but may have originally been in Hebrew. - This book is one of the stranger books among the deuterocanon, and worth reading simply for its uniqueness. - Most scholars see this more as a myth than a historical account. - This book directly connects in some form or inspiration with Sirach, Jubilees, the Prayer of Azariah, Testament of Job, and Testament of Solomon. [Judith](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judith) - There is no evidence that it was ever considered canon by any Hebrew group, but it was also written later than most Hebrew accepted works. - It was written ~150-100 BC in Greek, but may have originally been Hebrew or Aramaic. - While the Hebrews never considered it canon, the story is the basis for part of their Hannukah celebration. - The book isn't particularly remarkable, but some of its characterization of God does reflect why it may not have been canon. [Sirach](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Sirach) - It has a few odd titles: Ecclesiasticus, The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach, and Wisdom of Sirach. - Further, Latin Church Fathers would read it frequently, so it got called Liber Ecclesiasticus ("Church Book"). - It was written ~180-175 BC in Hebrew. [Baruch](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Baruch) - The book was probably written somewhere between 200-100 BC in Greek, and may have originally been written in Hebrew or Aramaic. - It's not clear who wrote it, and some people think it might have been Jeremiah. - There is another separate document called the Letter of Jeremiah that is often added as Baruch chapter 6. - It was written ~300 BC, also in Greek, and may have also originally been written in Hebrew or Aramaic. - The letter was probably pseudonymous writing attributed to Jeremiah (see under "Lost documents, plagiarism, and Gnosticism" below) [1 Maccabees](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Maccabees) - It was written ~135-103 BC in Greek, but may have been originally Hebrew. - It describes the events that happened between ~170-134 BC, and its recapture of the Second Temple is the basis for the Jewish Hannukah celebration. - As a book, it is certainly not divinely inspired and it can be a slog to read through, but it has merit for Christians because it reliably captures a ridiculously unstable political period in Israel's history about a century before Jesus was born. [2 Maccabees](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Maccabees) - It was written ~150-120 BC in Greek and describes events between 178-161 BC. - It's more an alternate account of the events surrounding the Maccabean revolt than anything directly preceding or following 1 Maccabees. - It claims to be an abridged form of a 5-volume work by Jason of Cyrene, but the original work has not survived. - The story, combined with 1 Maccabees, is a fascinating depiction of opposing sides of a conflict: - 1 Maccabees makes Simon appear to be a man of God opposed against the corrupt sellouts in the Temple. - 2 Maccabees expresses the temple priests as men of God opposed to the corrupting influence of Simon's deception and evil. - This is likely a story somewhere in the middle of the two, with each faction doing what it can to survive. [Book of Wisdom](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Wisdom) - It was written ~150 BC in Greek, but may have been originally Hebrew. - Tradition indicated that King Solomon wrote it, but it never has his name in the text, and extrabiblical sources have confirmed that he didn't write it. - There are a few theological distinctions that differentiate it from the rest of the Bible: 1. God did not create death and it came into the world because of the devil. 2. A woman's barrenness is a type of blessing, especially if she chooses that lifestyle (i.e., the cultural sanctifying of nuns). 3. Wisdom is part of God Himself and brings salvation. - This may not be *wrong* (since Christ technically originates all good things), but is more a Greek perspective than a Hebrew one. - There is also a holistic idea present that God's spirit is present in everything, which again is not *wrong* without further specificity but reflects Greek more than Hebrew thought. Additions to Esther - It was written in Greek and added somewhere in the first century BC. - It adds Greek language content that in some way conflicts with the Hebrew depiction of Esther. - - These additions definitely shift the view of being Hebrew as an ethnic experience to being a religious one (goes from God not mentioned to being mentioned 50 times). - [The additions](https://voices.sefaria.org/sheets/384256) are extensions after 1:1, 3:13, 4:17, 8:12, and 10:3, and are simply added as very long verses or as chapters 11-16. Additions to Daniel - These are expansions to chapter 3 and an additional chapter 14. - It was written in Greek and added ~100 BC. - The [Prayer of Azariah (or The Song of the Three Holy Children)](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Prayer%20of%20Azariah) sits between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24. - Whether inspired or not, it adds extra detail into the mindset of the Hebrew people in exile. - Chapter 14 is also called [Bel and the Dragon](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Bel%20and%20the%20Dragon). - One noteworthy reference in this chapter is the presence of a dragon, but there isn't much information about it except that its stomach burst from eating cakes made from pitch, fat and hair. - There is a second story of the lion's den which is likely a retelling of the story in chapter 6. If so, the added details change quite a bit of the story's context. ### Eastern/Oriental Orthodox Catholic deuterocanon The Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Oriental Orthodox Catholic also have some more books as canon than most of the Catholic Church. - They also try to honor the Hebrew tradition of keeping canon works alongside non-canon works, as opposed to the Protestant's approach of harshly dividing them from each other. - One unique defining trait of their theology is that they don't hold as much of a heavy standard on canon versus non-canon, so they'll accommodate other books. - In other words, the philosophical approach outside Western tradition takes away the value of describing something as "canon" or "non-canon". [3 Maccabees](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=3%20Maccabees%201) - It was written ~100-50 BC in Greek describing an event that supposedly happened ~217BC. - The story has two major parts: Ptolemy IV tries to enter the Second Temple, and Ptolemy IV rounding up all the Jews and tryig to kill them in his hippodrome. - This story likely didn't happen the way it has been presented. - The entire body of text reads more like a myth or Greek play, similar to Judith. - There is no clear record of the hippodrome happening from other historical sources. Ezra and Nehemiah is somewhat confusing without extra clarification. - Essentially, there were 4 Esdras books that were sometimes together (e.g., Jerome's copy) and sometimes split apart (e.g., Clementine Vulgate). - Ezra and Nehemiah are still sometimes placed together, and at one time were called 1 and 2 Esdras. - Further, the first 2 chapters of 4 Esdras was probably added around the 3rd century AD and called 5 Esdras among scholars. - When they were translated to English, the names were converted: - 1 Esdras became Ezra. - 2 Esdras became Nehemiah. - 3 Esdras became 1 Esdras (or Ezra Kali by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo), which is canon to the Eastern Orthodox. - 4 and 5 Esdras became 2 Esdras (or Ezra Sutu'el by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo), which the Eastern Orthodox does *not* consider canon. [1 Esdras](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Esdras%201) - It was written ~200-140 BC in Greek, and probably had an original copy in Hebrew. - The content of 1 Esdras is mostly the same as other parts of the Bible. - Chapter 1 is 2 Chronicles 35-36. - The only "special" content is between 2:30b and 5:6. - 5:7 through 9:36 is essentially the book of Ezra. - The end of it is essentially Nehemiah 7:73-8:12. - As far as its new content, it gives an interesting story connected with how the Second Temple was rebuilt involving three of the king's guards making a wager with the king. Additional chapter to Chronicles called the [Prayer of Manasseh](https://biblehub.com/apocrypha/brenton/prayer_of_manasseh/1.htm) - The chapter is placed at the very end of 2 Chronicles. - It was probably written somewhere between 200 BC and 50 AD before the Second Temple's destruction in 70 AD. - It was probably first written in Greek, but may have originally been in Hebrew. [Psalm 151](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20151+1) - Written ~300-200 BC in Greek, though it may have originally been Hebrew or Aramaic. - While it isn't canon in Roman Catholicism, it's still incorporated into some manuscripts. - The psalm is ascribed to David after he defeated Goliath but also states itself that it's not part of the 150-song book. ## The Ethiopian Catholic Bible There are some odd arrangements with the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo (a subgroup of the Oriental Orthodox). - The general philosophy of the Tewahedo has been to err on the side of canonizing things more than not. - In fact, some of the canon books aren't even readily available in the churches' home countries of Ethiopia and Eritrea! - While many of the above books are as readily accessible as the Bible among Catholics, some of their canon are difficult to find or disputed over its legitimacy. Unlike Western traditions that make clear distinctions, the vague nature of other Catholic traditions means Ethiopian Orthodox works will sometimes be considered semi-canon-but-not-really. - Therefore, they almost incorporate everything above and then add more. - Oddly enough, they don't accept all 4 Maccabees, and instead canonize 1-3 Meqabyan. - The relationship with the Ethiopian and Orthodox Catholic Church means it's hard to get a straight answer on its validity. While they're the same book, the 31 chapters of Proverbs are divided into Messale (1-24) and Taagsas (25-31), and 1 and 2 Kings are also combined. - All this together means the Ethiopian "broader canon" can be anywhere between 81-88 books depending who you ask. [The Book of Jubilees](https://www.sefaria.org/Book_of_Jubilees) - It was probably written sometime between 135-105 BC, but the earliest complete text was from the sixth century AD. - This book was difficult to find for centuries until the Dead Sea Scrolls, but was well-known to early Christians. - Before the Dead Sea Scrolls, the book only survived in the Ge'ez language (an ancient south Semitic language) but the Dead Sea Scrolls attest to its accuracy and that it was probably originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic. - It has quite a few alternate names: The Little Genesis, The Apocalypse of Moses, The Testament of Moses, The Book of Adam's Daughters, and The Life of Adam. - It's a retelling of Genesis and Exodus with extra details. - It is structured around the 49-year Hebrew calendar intervals called jubilees (seven "weeks of years"). - It is very helpful to understand Jewish thought during the Second Temple period, and there is [a high-quality write-up of the book here](https://www.gotquestions.org/book-of-Jubilees.html). Enoch - It has many truthful elements and has had a profound impact on many Jews and early Christians. - However, Christians beyond the Ethiopian Orthodox have all agreed that it can't be God's completely inspired Word. [2 Esdras (or Ezra Sutu'el, or Apocalypsis of Esdras)](https://apocrypha.org/brenton/2_esdras/1.htm) 2 Enoch (or Slavonic Enoch, or The Book of the Secrets of Enoch) 1-3 Meqabyans (the "Ethiopian Maccabees") - The books are very hard to find, and the closest English translation of 3 Meqabyan is in a Rastafarian dialect. - They were originally written in Ge’ez (rather than translated from Greek or Hebrew) and have only recently received any attention from Western Christians and scholars. - While they have the same-ish name to Maccabees, they are *not* the same. - While Maccabees is a historical account of the Maccabees, each Meqabyan covers general stories of righteous heroes resisting pagan kings. - Further, the themes give broader commentary on salvation and punishment across the biblical timeline. Chronicles of Baruch (or 4 Baruch, or Paralipomena of Jeremiah) Josippon Sinodos 1-4 Books of Covenant Ethiopic Clement Didesqelya (or Ethiopic Didascalia) ## Not quite canon There are also some candidates for the canon that never quite made it. It is by no means a complete list. [4 Maccabees](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=4%20Maccabees%201) - It was written ~18-55 AD in Greek. - Its content asserts repeatedly that reason is the master of emotions (a major component of [the Stoic philosophy](glossary-philosophy-axiology-christian.md). - Its main theme is to revisit the Hebrew faith and assert that the Stoic philosophy is compatible with it. - It revisits the events in 2 Maccabees regarding the specific persecutions of Eleazar and a woman with seven sons. - This book is far from any divine inspiration or worthiness of Christian idealization, since [love](people-love.md) is a matter of desire and not reason alone. - In fact, its highest canon was when the book has sometimes been added as an appendix to existing Bibles, but the tradition has largely stopped. ## Lost documents, plagiarism, and Gnosticism (Heresiology) One of the most common issues with many ancient texts is that they were pseudonymous writing. 1. Someone legitimate existed and may potentially have written works (e.g., Thomas the Apostle). 2. Much later, after that person died, someone else would write under their name (e.g., the Gospel of Thomas). 3. By using that approach, someone could reach many more people who would be deceived into thinking it had legitimate authority. Pseudonymous writing was a common practice among Christian culture. - We still see this form of falsification in modern-day writing (e.g., Watchman Nee). - It is literally by God's design that the Church was able to see through this sort of deception. There have been many other odd writings that have arisen that may reframe Judeo-Christian doctrine. - There are at least 3 "gospels" lost to history: - These have been referenced in various ways by early Church Fathers, but we simply don't know what happened to them. - Gospel of the Nazarenes only has 36 verses that have survived. - Gospel of the Hebrews was shorter than Matthew at 2,200 lines, but only has about a dozen surviving fragments. - Gospel of the Ebionites only has some surviving fragments that constitute a few paragraphs.