The scriptural divide that split the Christian and Jewish canons
Why do some Bibles include books like Tobit and Judith while others call them Apocrypha? This theological boundary, shaped by ancient councils and Greek translations, reveals a profound historical shift in how sacred texts were defined and preserved.
The term 'deuterocanonical' refers to a collection of books and passages—including Tobit, Judith, and Wisdom—that are considered part of the Old Testament by Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Church of the East traditions. In contrast, modern Protestantism and Rabbinic Judaism categorize these texts as Apocrypha. The tension arises from the Septuagint, an early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, which contains these works. While the books date from roughly 300 BC to 100 AD, their status became a subject of intense historical debate.
The boundaries of the canon were solidified through various regional councils and papal decrees. The Gelasian Decree, attributed to a 382 AD synod under Pope Damasus, and the Canon of Innocent I (405 AD) both included these books without distinction. Similarly, the Synod of Hippo in 393 AD and the Councils of Carthage in 397 and 419 AD, heavily influenced by Augustine of Hippo, published lists including these selections. However, recognition was not always uniform; for instance, the 367 AD list by Athanasius included Baruch but omitted Esther, and categorized books like Judith and Tobit as 'worthy of being read' rather than strictly canonical.
The terminology itself is relatively recent. The term 'deuterocanonical' was coined in 1566 by the theologian Sixtus of Siena to describe texts with 'secondary' recognition. Over time, the meaning shifted to specifically denote Old Testament books recognized by councils like Trent (1546 AD) that were absent from the Hebrew canon. Today, the scope of these books varies by tradition, with the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church maintaining an even wider selection than the Catholic or Eastern Orthodox churches.
Source: Deuterocanonical books
