Canon

CANON. This term signifies Rule, according to the import of the Greek: It is particularly used in the language of the Church, to signify such Rules as are prescribed by Councils, concerning Faith, Discipline, and Manners. It is made use of likewise to denote those Books of Scripture, which are received as inspired, and canonical, and to distinguish them from either profane, apocryphal, or disputed Books. For example, we say, that Genesis is part of the sacred Canon of the Scriptures, and is acknowledged to be canonical by both Jews and Christians. On the contrary, the Book of Wisdom is said to be in the Christian Canon, but not in that of the Jews. Lastly, it is said, that particular Books have been for some time contested, and have not been received into the Canon with the unanimous consent of all Christian Churches, till after some ages ; such as Books of Wisdom, Eccle- Ecclesiasticus, Tobit, Judith, the two first Books of Maccabees and Baruch; and for the New Testament, the Epistle to the Hebrews, the second of S. Peter, the second and third of S. John, and the Revelations.

The Hebrews admit no more than two and twenty Books into their Canon of the Scriptures, or at most but four and twenty, supposing Ruth to be separated from Judges, and the Lamentations from Jeremiah: The manner of their distributing them in their Bible, may be seen under the Article Bible. They believe generally that the Canon of Scripture was not closed, as they term it; that is to say, that the number of inspired Books which it includes, was not fixed in the manner we have related, till the time of Esdras, who, with the consent of the General Council of the whole Nation, collected all the sacred and inspired Books, which were acknowledged as such by the Jews, composed one Body of them, and regulated, what we call the second Canon of the Scripture¹. So that ever since the Jews have not admitted any Book among those, which they hold to be canonical: At least they have received none, which have the same degree of Authority with them as the former: This we learn from Josephus², who tells us, that from Moses to the reign of Artaxerxes King of Persia, the Jews had received two and twenty Books from the Prophets, which they looked upon to be divine,³ and did not dare to make any the least alteration in them; and that after the time of Artaxerxes, they continued with the same diligence to write down every thing memorable, which happened to their Nation; but that the Books which have been so composed, are not allowed to have an equal degree of Authority with the first.

Genebrard and Serranus are of opinion, that after Esdras, the Jews of the great Synagogue admitted Books into the Canon, which were composed after this time; such as Wisom, Ecclesiasticus, Tobit, Judith, and the two Books of the Maccabees; nevertheless, that their Authority was not the same with them, as that of the old ones, tho’ these too were held by them to be inspired. But this is not without some Difficulty; for first, it is very probable, that the Books of Tobit and Judith were written before the Captivity. Secondly, If the Jews thought they were inspired, why did they not receive them into the Canon, and own them to be of equal Authority with the rest? The reason which Josephus gives for it⁴, which is, that from the time of Artaxerxes, there was no succession, as there had been, of the Prophets, is of no weight: For if they had men among them, who were acknowledged to be inspired, and had written the Books which we are speaking of, could not these inspired persons have added their Books to the Canon, which was composed by Esdras? Had not Mattathias, Judas Maccabeus, Simeon and Jonathan his Brothers, had not they Authority to do so? And John Hircanus, whom Josephus himself declares⁵ to have been a Man particularly favoured by God, and supernaturally enlightned, could not he too have done the same thing? The Author of the second 2 Macc. ii. 14.Book of Maccabees⁶ says, that Judas Maccabeus imitated the zeal and care of Nehemiah in collecting those Books, which contained the History of what had happened to the Jews, during the War against the Syrians. Why did not Judas insert these Monuments in the Canon, since he thought them so much to deserve his care and consideration?

It may be perhaps suspected, that the Jews, who retained the use of the Hebrew Tongue, might have expunged these Books out of the Canon, because they were not written in Hebrew, which is the sacred Language. But they received without scruple Daniel and Esdras, wherein there are several large passages to be found, which are written in Chaldee: Now it is certain, that Ecclesiasticus, Tobit and Judith, and at least the first Book of Maccabees, were originally written in this Language. Might not the envy conceived by the Hebraizing Jews, against the Hellenistical part of this People, have been the cause of this diversity, and have induced the Hebraizing Jews to exclude those very Books out of their Canon, which the Hellenists esteemed to be inspired? Or, lastly, the vain superstition of the Jews might have been the reason of their doing so; since out of a mistaken respect for the disposition made by Esdras, they might not venture to touch that Canon of the Scriptures, which he had formed. However this may be, the Christian Church received these Books without doubt from the Jews, and probably from the Hellenists too, and she certainly would never have received them as inspired, and as such have inserted them into her Canon, if they, from whose hands they were conveyed to her, had not themselves acknowledged them to be inspired and Canonical.

If particular Churches have sometimes deliberated, whether they should range them among the sacred Writings; if some Doctors and Councils have not included them in their Catalogues of the Scriptures; and others have formally rejected them, this ought not to offend any one; for such a conduct is a proof of nothing but the great circumspection, which the Church has used, and the care which it has taken to receive nothing into its Canon, but what really was inspired; and this reserve should be a demonstration to us, that if at last it has determined to receive them, there were good reasons for its doing so. Time was necessary to examine the Tradition of the Churches in order to be well assured of it, and to fix the doubts of such particular Churches, as from the beginning had not received them. Those among the Ancients who did not admit the Books, which we are speaking of to be canonical, kept close to the Canon of the Hebrews, the Christian Church as yet having none solemnly approved of by a general Council. But since the Council of Trent there is a perfect uniformity in the Church , both of language and opinions in this matter.

Read this article in its place on the printed pages