Verified Claim · Scripture & Tradition

"The canon of Scripture used by the early Church included the seven deuterocanonical books rejected by Protestant Reformers."

The 73-book Catholic canon, including the seven deuterocanonical books rejected by Protestants, was the canon used and cited by the early Church Fathers and formally defined by Catholic councils in the fourth century.

6 primary sources AD 96–419 Doctrine: Scripture & Tradition

Section I

Understanding the Claim

The argument in one sentence: Luther removed the deuterocanonical books from the Old Testament in the sixteenth century because 2 Maccabees 12 supports prayer for the dead — a practice he had already rejected. He cited the Jewish rabbinic canon as his authority. But the rabbinic canon was established around AD 90 — after the New Testament period — and was rejected by the early Church precisely because it excluded books the Church used as Scripture.

The Protestant Old Testament contains 39 books. The Catholic Old Testament contains 46 — the same 39 plus seven additional books called deuterocanonical by Catholics and apocryphal by Protestants. The Protestant claim is that these seven books were never part of the canon of Scripture.

The historical record tells a different story. The early Church consistently quoted from and used the deuterocanonical books as Scripture. The Council of Hippo (393) and the Council of Carthage (397) formally defined a canon that included all seven deuterocanonical books. This remained the universal canon of Christianity until Luther removed them in the sixteenth century, following the rabbinic canon established after the New Testament period.

Section II

The Evidence Trail

6 dateable primary sources spanning AD 96–419. Tap any dot to expand.

Catholic — Affirms Catholic — Eastern Hostile witness Pre-Protestant

Section III

The Church Fathers speak

Section IV

Objections answered

⚔ Protestant objection

The deuterocanonical books were not in the Hebrew Bible used by the Jews — Jesus and the Apostles used the Hebrew canon.

✦ Historical response

The early Church used the Septuagint — the Greek translation. Most New Testament quotations of the Old Testament follow the Septuagint, not the Hebrew. The rabbinic canon excluding the deuterocanonical books was established at Jamnia around AD 90 — after the New Testament period — partly as a reaction against Christian use of the Septuagint. The Apostles did not follow the Jamnia canon because it did not yet exist.

Section V

The arguments no one answers

The Canon Was Defined by the Church Using Tradition

There is no inspired table of contents in the Bible. The list of canonical books is itself a judgment made about Scripture by an external authority — the Church, using apostolic tradition and liturgical usage as her criteria. The councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397) defined the canon including the deuterocanonical books. Anyone who accepts the New Testament canon accepts the authority of the same Church that included the deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament.

Luther Followed the Post-Christian Rabbinic Canon

The Protestant Old Testament follows the canon established by the rabbis at Jamnia around AD 90 — established by Jews who rejected Jesus as Messiah, partly to distinguish their Bible from the Christian Septuagint. The early Church explicitly rejected this canon and continued using the Septuagint. Luther, in removing the deuterocanonical books, chose the post-Christian rabbinic canon over the apostolic Christian canon.

Section VI

The Fideograph Verdict

Verdict: Historically Verified. Luther removed the deuterocanonical books from the Old Testament in the sixteenth century because 2 Maccabees 12 supports prayer for the dead — a practice he had already rejected. He cited the Jewish rabbinic canon as his authority. But the rabbinic canon was established around AD 90 — after the New Testament period — and was rejected by the early Church precisely because it excluded books the Church used as Scripture.

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