A Journey Through Church History
The Bible we hold today did not fall from heaven in a single, bound volume. The canon — the list of books recognized as inspired Scripture — developed over centuries through a process of communal discernment by the early church. Different Christian traditions arrived at different canons, and understanding why helps us appreciate the richness of our shared heritage.
The Earliest Christian Scriptures
The first Christians did not have a New Testament as we know it. They had the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) — though even then, there were differences. The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) used in Palestine contained 24 books, while the Greek Septuagint (LXX) used by Hellenistic Jews and early Christians included additional books, such as the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical books (1 & 2 Maccabees, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch, and additions to Daniel and Esther).
Most early Christians — including the apostles and the writers of the New Testament — quoted from the Septuagint, which meant these additional books were part of their scriptural world.
The Development of the New Testament Canon
The New Testament canon developed gradually over the first four centuries of the church. By the late 2nd century, the four Gospels and Pauls letters were widely accepted. Other books — Hebrews, Revelation, 2 Peter, 2 & 3 John, James, and Jude — took longer to gain universal acceptance. A key milestone was Athanasiuss Festal Letter of 367 AD, which listed the 27 books we now recognize as the New Testament — the first time a church leader named exactly those 27.
Where the Canons Diverge
The Protestant Canon (66 Books)
During the Reformation, Protestants revisited the question of the Old Testament canon. Following the Hebrew Masoretic Text used by Jewish communities of their day, reformers like Martin Luther excluded the Deuterocanonical books from the Old Testament, labeling them Apocrypha — useful for reading but not authoritative for doctrine. Thus the Protestant Old Testament has 39 books, for a total of 66.
The Catholic Canon (73 Books)
The Council of Trent (1546) affirmed the Deuterocanonical books as fully inspired Scripture, responding to the Reformation by formally codifying the Catholic canon at 73 books (46 OT + 27 NT).
The Orthodox Canons
Eastern Orthodox churches generally include additional books (1 Esdras, 3 & 4 Maccabees, Psalm 151, Prayer of Manasseh), bringing their Old Testament to approximately 49 books, with a total canon of about 76-78 books depending on the tradition.
The Ethiopian Canon (81-88 Books)
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has the most extensive canon in Christendom. It includes all the books of the other traditions plus uniquely Ethiopian books: 1 Enoch, Jubilees, 1-3 Meqabyan, 4 Baruch, and the Shepherd of Hermas. Some lists also include the Sinodos (Ethiopian church order), the Book of the Covenant, and the Ethiopic Clement. This reflects Ethiopias very ancient Christian tradition, dating back to the 1st century (Acts 8:26-39, the Ethiopian eunuch).
What This Teaches Us
The existence of different canons is not a cause for division but an invitation to humility and learning. Each tradition emphasized different criteria for recognizing Scripture — apostolic authorship, liturgical use, theological consistency, and spiritual edification. All Christian canons share the core message: Gods creation, humanitys fall, redemption through Jesus Christ, and the hope of resurrection.
These differences remind us that the living Word of God transcends the written word. The Spirit who inspired the Scriptures continues to guide the Church in understanding them.