GREAT UNCIAL CODICES Author’s Note: The great biblical codices of the fourth and fifth centuries provide some of the earliest surviving manuscript evidence for the contents of the Christian Bible. To begin our review, recall that two Great Uncial Codices date after 400 and so were made during this period.…
350 AD-450 AD Author’s Note: This chapter examines the historical evidence from the fourth and fifth centuries, when surviving manuscripts, canon lists, and conciliar records become far more abundant. Let’s consider the evidence for the Canon at the start of 350 AD. We, of course, have no formal declaration, so…
SIDEBAR 8: 1 ENOCH Author’s Note: Because 1 Enoch is often raised in discussions of the biblical canon, this sidebar compares the evidence for its reception by Jude with that of the Protestant Old Testament. 1 Enoch is not Apocrypha as defined for this book (because it is not accepted…
2 MACCABEES Author’s Note: This page examines the historical evidence for 2 Maccabees and includes a searchable database documenting its use throughout early Christian history. The good news for those of us who are lazy (i.e., all of us) is that all the work we just did on 1 Maccabees…
1 MACCABEES Author’s Note: This page gathers the historical evidence for 1 Maccabees, together with an annotated database of its citations by the early Church Fathers. 1 Maccabees is a historical book telling the story of the Maccabean revolt. 1 Maccabees is only very rarely quoted or referenced by the…
SIRACH (ECCLESIASTICUS) Author’s Note: This page presents the historical evidence for Sirach, supplemented by a comprehensive citation database tracing its reception throughout the early Church. There is always confusion about the Book of Sirach—Ecclesiasticus is the Latin name for it, which is, of course, easy to confuse with Ecclesiastes. On…
THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON Author’s Note: This page examines the historical evidence for the Wisdom of Solomon, together with a searchable citation database documenting its extensive use by early Christian writers. The Book of Wisdom is, of course, oddly named. It is confused with the Book of Sirach, which is…
BARUCH Author’s Note: This page explores the historical evidence for Baruch’s acceptance as Scripture, accompanied by an annotated database of early Christian citations. I view Irenaeus as, by far, the most important piece of evidence for Baruch: “the commandments of God, and of the law which endureth for ever. All…
JUDITH Author’s Note: This page presents the historical evidence for Judith’s place in the early Church, together with a searchable collection of its patristic citations. The issues Irenaeus evinces for Baruch (and Susanna, etc.) are but a piece of the problem that the earliest Fathers present. Clement of Rome’s Epistle…
TOBIT Author’s Note: This page brings together the historical evidence for Tobit, including an annotated citation database documenting its use by the early Church Fathers. “Four Aramaic and one Hebrew fragment [of Tobit] were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, indicating an authoritative status among some sects.”[1] Bear in mind…
