Canon (Heb. qâneh and Gr. kanon, “reed”). Term that -originally derived from the Semitic name of a straight rod or cane- in successive applications had the meaning of “instrument to measure” and “rule” of conduct, grammar, etc., established with authority, Kanon appears several times in the NT : in 2Co 10:13, 15, 16 (“rule”, RVR; “norm”, BJ) with the sense of limits or spheres of action; in Ga. 6:16 with the “rule” of the Christian life given by divine inspiration; and in Phi 3:16 with that of “rule” or norm of life. This Dictionary will only analyze its application to the collection or list of the sacred books that make up the OT and the NT, accepted as inspired by God and, therefore, invested with divine authority. For the Christian church of the 2nd century AD “canon” came to mean revealed truth, the rule of faith. Origen (c 185-c 254) was the earliest Christian writer to apply the term to the collection of books in the Bible, recognizing it as a rule of faith and practice. He said, “No one should use books not included in the canonical Scriptures to prove a doctrine.” Years later, Athanasius (c 293?-373) designated the entire collection of sacred books as the “canon.” In this way, the term came to indicate the catalog or list of sacred books accepted as inspired, normative, sacred and authoritative. The study of the canon involves the questions of when, how, by whom, and why the various books of the Bible were accepted as sacred and authoritative; try to find out who collected them and arranged them in their current order. Therefore, it is mostly a historical investigation. In relation to the NT canon there are abundant sources, but, with respect to the OT, the researcher encounters great difficulties due to the lack of external evidence. No historical record of the formation of the OT was preserved, either in the Scriptures or in other historical accounting documents. In the extra-biblical Jewish writings there are 2 reports that have to do with the subject (2 Mac. 2:13-15; 4 Ezr 14:19-48): The 1st says that Nehemiah gathered the books considered canonical today and founded a library; the 2nd is conceptualized as purely legendary. Bib.: Origen, Commentary on Matthew, section 28. I. Canon of the Old Testament. The OT canon, as accepted by Protestants, is the Hebrew Bible. According to the current distribution it consists of 39 books, but at the time of Jesus it was organized in 24 books (Ezr 14:45) distributed in 3 divisions: Law, Prophets and Writings or Hagiographers (see Bible). Several theories have been proposed to explain the triple division of the Hebrew Bible: 1. The divisions are based on Jewish scholarship of the Middle Ages (including Maimonides), who would have held that the 3 divisions represent 3 degrees of inspiration: for the Torah, Moses spoke directly with God; the prophets possessed the “spirit of prophecy”; and the Writings were inspired by the Holy Spirit. But this position is untenable. Actually, the NT ignores the degrees of inspiration: Jesus used all 3 parts as having the same value (Luk 24:27, 44; cf 2 Tim. 3:16). 2. The divisions are due to differences in content. First there is the law, then history and predictions, and finally poetry and wisdom. But these distinctions are not strong. The Torah contains not only laws but also a great deal of history and some prophecy; the Prophets include a large percentage of poetry; and the Writings contain the historical books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles and the prophetic (partly historical) book of Daniel. 3. The divisions are due to differences in the official position and status of the biblical writers. This view is held by many modern Protestants. For example, to explain Daniel’s position among the Writings they distinguish between the “gift of prophecy” (donum propheticum) and the “office of prophecy” (munus propheticum). Daniel, they believe, possessed the gift of prophecy but not the prophetic office. 4. The divisions represent separate stages in the canonization process. This is the modern critical position. He holds that the formation of the canon was a gradual process that began with the Torah, was followed much later by the Prophets, and still later by the Writings. Although this view has some things in its favor, the conservative scholar cannot accept the late dates which are assigned to the divisions of the canon. In addition, it is very likely that the collection of the Prophets and the Writings was composed more synchronously, and that, therefore, the 2 divisions represent differences in content and not only in chronology. It is believed that a study of the evidence shows that the 3 parts were already recognized as Scripture in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah; that the prophets, except the post-exilic ones, were accepted as Scripture before the exile; and that the law was accepted at the time of Joshua. These conclusions are based on the assumption of an early and conservative dating of the OT books. In tracing the history of the formation of the OT it is recommended to start with the entire canon as it existed in the first century AD, and then work backwards. The use in the NT of terms such as “the holy Scriptures” and “Scriptures” makes it quite clear that among the Jews of the first century AD there was a definite, fixed and authoritative collection of sacred writings (Matt 21:42; 22: 29; Luk 24:32; Joh 5:39; Acts 17:2, 11; 18:24; Rom 1:2; 2 Tit 3:15). The declarations of Jesus also evidence the recognition of the division in 3 parts of the sacred books (Luk 24:44). The words of Jesus in relation to the existing martyrs from Abel to Zechariah (Mat 23:35; Luk 11:51), are also in harmony with such a disposition. Chronologically, Zechariah was not the last righteous man killed, but his murder is the last recorded in the Hebrew Bible (it is in 2Ch 24:20, 21, the last book of the Hebrew canon; this evidence implies the recognition of the other books of the 3rd division of the Hebrew canon). The evidences of the NT in relation to the Hebrew canon are confirmed by Jewish writings of the 1st century AD The 1st writing that speaks of 24 sacred books is 4 Esdr. 14:19-48. The works of Philo, an Alexandrian Jewish philosopher (heyday in the late 1st century BC and early 2nd century AD), have citations from most of the books of the Hebrew canon but nothing from the Apocrypha. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (AD 37-c 100) mentions 22 canonical books “containing records of the entire past” (perhaps following the custom of some Jews of equating the number of books with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet). He lists 5 as from Moses and 13 from the Prophets (perhaps Josh., Jue.-Rt., S., 201 R., Chr., Ezr.-Neh., Est., Job, Dn., Is., Jer.-Lm., Ez. And the 12 Minor Prophets). “The remaining 4 -he declares-, contain hymns to God and precepts for the conduct of human life” (doubtless he refers to Ps., Cnt., Pr. and Ecc_ A group of Jewish scholars confirmed this canon in the Council of Jamnia (late 1st century AD) Although the canonicity of books such as Pr., Ec., Est., and Cnt. , the canon was closed, therefore the Jewish canon excludes not only the apocryphal books but also the Christian ones (such as the Gospels).Other evidence about the canon in the 1st century BC occurs in the Letter of Aristeas (which some place in the s I AD and others later), where he speaks of the Pentateuch as “Scriptures” (56); it would be the oldest mention of that fact. From the 2nd century BC we have some significant mentions in the apocryphal writings. In 1 Mac. (c 100 BC) there is talk of encouragement derived from “the holy books which are in our hands” (12:9) In 1:54 there is a definite allusion to Dan 9:24 -27 In 1 Mac. 2 the 3 Hebrews and Daniel are mentioned among the heroes of faith as Abraham, Joseph, Phinehas, Joshua, Caleb, David and Elijah (1 Mac. 2:51-60; cf Dan 1:7; 3:26; 6:23); all this indicates that the book of Daniel was considered normative and canonical. In 1 Mac. 7:16, 17 a quotation from Psa 79:2 and 3 is introduced with the phrase: “According to the word that was written”, which reveals that Psalms was also considered canonical. Antiochus Epiphanes’ efforts to destroy the books of the law are also recorded in 1 Macc. (1:20, 56, 57). Since 2 Macc. comes from about the same date, it tells us how Judas Maccabee made a collection of sacred writings (2:14). Sirach, or the Wisdom of Jesus ben Sira (c 180 BC), provides us with important evidence. Around 132 BC, the grandson of this Jewish sage translated the Hebrew text of this work into Greek and wrote the prologue, in which he refers to “the Law, the Prophets and the others who have followed them” (it would be the 1st evidence of the existence of a tripartite division of the Hebrew Bible). Sirach alludes to, quotes from, or refers to at least 19 of the 24 books of the Hebrew canon. He clearly mentions the arrangement of the Minor Prophets as the group of “the twelve prophets” (49:10), and the well-known “In Praise of the Forefathers” suggests that the 2nd division of the canon was authoritative at the time (44:3 , 4; 49:6, 8,10). No Jewish writings produced between the 2nd century BC and the time of Ezra and Nehemiah (5th century BC) have come down to us. However, Josephus tells the story of Alexander the Great’s visit to Jerusalem in the 4th century BC, when Jad, the high priest, met him outside the walls and convinced him not to destroy the city. On that occasion, according to Josephus, Alexander was shown the prophecies of the book of Daniel regarding him. If the account is true, the existence and study of this prophetic work dates back to the 4th century BC There can be no doubt that by the 5th century BC the Pentateuch was considered canonical writing (cf Neh 8:1-8). Evidence of this is the reverence of the people when the manuscript was unrolled. The Pentateuch in whole or in part is referred to as “the book of Moses”, “the law of Moses”, “the law of the Lord” or “the book of the law of the Lord” some 24 times in Chronicles and Ezra. Neh, and once in Mal. (4:4). Jewish tradition assigns the collection of the sacred books and the fixing of the Hebrew canon to Ezra and Nehemiah. In 2 Mac. the “archives and… the Memories of the time of Nehemiah” are mentioned, and that he founded “a library, gathered the books referring to the kings and the prophets, those of David…” (2 Mac. 2:13 -1 cf 4 Ezra 14:37-48). Josephus also implies that the canon was completed in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, and asserts that from that time the writings do not have the same value, “since there was no longer an exact succession of prophets.” But there is evidence that the Law and the Prophets were regarded as Scripture at an even earlier date. Zechariah (c 518 BC) refers to the pre-exilic Israelites as follows: “And…
