Deutero-canonical, Books
What Are the Deuterocanonical Books?
The term "deuterocanonical" means "belonging to a second canon" and refers to books that were accepted into the biblical canon later or with less unanimity than the undisputed books. For the Old Testament, these include Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees, and additions to Esther and Daniel. Protestant churches generally call these books the Apocrypha and do not regard them as Scripture, while the Roman Catholic Church affirmed their canonical status at the Council of Trent in 1546.
The term is also sometimes applied to several New Testament books whose acceptance was debated in the early centuries: Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, Jude, and Revelation. While these books are now universally accepted by all major Christian traditions, their path to canonical recognition was slower and more contested than that of the Gospels or Paul's major letters.
The Jewish Canon and the Septuagint
The core of the debate lies in the difference between the Hebrew Bible and the Greek Septuagint. The Hebrew canon, as it crystallized by the end of the first century AD, contained 39 books (by Protestant counting) and did not include the deuterocanonical writings. The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Jewish Scriptures produced beginning in the third century BC, included many of these additional books alongside the books of the Hebrew canon.
Since the early church used the Septuagint as its primary Old Testament, the deuterocanonical books circulated widely among Christians from the beginning. They were read in worship, quoted by church fathers, and included in many early lists of Scripture. However, there was never complete agreement about their status. Some writers treated them as fully authoritative; others acknowledged them as edifying but not on the same level as the books in the Hebrew canon.
Early Church Debates
The question of these books' authority was actively debated throughout the patristic period. Athanasius of Alexandria, in his famous Festal Letter of 367 AD, listed the books of the Hebrew canon as Scripture but noted that books like Wisdom, Sirach, Esther, Judith, and Tobit were "not canonized" but "set by the Fathers to be read" for instruction. Jerome, the translator of the Latin Vulgate, made a clear distinction between the books in the Hebrew canon and what he called the apocryphal books, insisting that only the former carried full authority for establishing doctrine.
Augustine, by contrast, included the deuterocanonical books in his list of canonical Scripture. The councils of Hippo (393 AD) and Carthage (397 AD), influenced by Augustine, included these books in their canonical lists. This disagreement between Jerome and Augustine — two of the most influential voices in Western Christianity — set the stage for centuries of continued debate.
The Reformation and the Council of Trent
The Protestant Reformation brought the question to a head. Martin Luther, following Jerome's position, placed the deuterocanonical books in a separate section of his German Bible, noting that they were "useful and good to read" but not equal to Scripture. Other Protestant reformers took similar positions, and the Reformed tradition generally excluded these books from the canon entirely.
The Roman Catholic Church responded at the Council of Trent in 1546, formally declaring the deuterocanonical books to be sacred Scripture with the same authority as the other biblical books. The Eastern Orthodox churches also accept most of these books, though their canonical lists vary slightly. The result is that different Christian traditions today work with different Old Testaments — a situation that continues to affect ecumenical dialogue and biblical scholarship.
Content and Value of the Deuterocanonical Books
Regardless of their canonical status, the deuterocanonical books contain material of significant historical and theological value. The books of Maccabees provide the most detailed account of the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the second century BC — the historical background for the festival of Hanukkah (referenced in John 10:22). The Wisdom of Solomon and Sirach contain profound reflections on wisdom, justice, and the fear of God that parallel the canonical wisdom literature.
Tobit and Judith are narrative works that explore themes of faithfulness in exile and divine deliverance. Baruch addresses the experience of the Babylonian exile. These books illuminate the world between the Old and New Testaments, a period of roughly four centuries during which Jewish theology, worship, and identity were profoundly shaped.
Several New Testament passages appear to echo or allude to deuterocanonical texts. The description of the armor of God in Ephesians 6:13-17 has parallels in Wisdom of Solomon 5:17-20. The catalog of faith in Hebrews 11 may reflect awareness of 2 Maccabees 6-7, which describes Jewish martyrs who refused to abandon the law. Jesus' teaching about the afterlife shows points of contact with ideas developed in this literature.
Why the Debate Matters
The question of the deuterocanonical books is ultimately a question about how the boundaries of Scripture are determined. Does the authority of the church establish the canon, or does the inherent quality of inspired writing make itself known to the believing community? Does the Hebrew canon of Judaism provide the definitive Old Testament for Christians, or does the broader collection used by the early church carry equal weight?
These questions have no simple answers, and thoughtful Christians have disagreed for centuries. What is clear is that all traditions recognize the historical and devotional value of these writings, even where they differ on their canonical authority. The deuterocanonical books remain an important witness to the faith and struggles of God's people in the centuries leading up to the coming of Christ.
Biblical Context
The deuterocanonical books are not part of the Hebrew Bible and are not directly quoted with introductory formulas in the New Testament, though possible allusions exist (Hebrews 11:35 may reference 2 Maccabees 7; Wisdom 5:17-20 parallels Ephesians 6:13-17). John 10:22 references the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), whose history is recorded in 1 Maccabees. The canonical debates they generated are reflected in early church discussions about the scope of Scripture.
Theological Significance
The deuterocanonical question raises fundamental issues about biblical authority and the nature of the canon. It forces Christians to articulate how they understand the process by which God's people recognized inspired Scripture. The content of these books also contributes to theological reflection on providence, wisdom, martyrdom, prayer for the dead, and the intermediate period between the testaments. Their inclusion or exclusion from the canon has practical implications for doctrine, as several Catholic teachings draw support from these texts.
Historical Background
The Septuagint was produced beginning in the third century BC in Alexandria, Egypt, for the Greek-speaking Jewish community. The oldest complete biblical manuscripts, Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus (4th century AD), include deuterocanonical books. The Dead Sea Scrolls include fragments of Tobit and Sirach in Hebrew and Aramaic, demonstrating that these books circulated among Palestinian Jews. The historical narratives in 1 and 2 Maccabees are confirmed by archaeological evidence and external sources regarding the Seleucid period. The Council of Trent's decree on the canon in 1546 remains the definitive Roman Catholic statement on the subject.