Bible Cannon

[iris89]

Hi Everyone:


The question of Old Testament Bible canon unfortunately is still a topic of conversation today. However, Jesus (Jeshua or YHWH) knew which books were canonical and quoted from them. Interestingly, Satan the Devil also knew and this war revealed in an interesting exchange between the two when Satan the Devil tempted Jesus:
And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. (Luke 4:1-13 AV).

Jesus (Jeshua or YHWH) not only answered the Devil’s quotation of scripture to justify doing something, but quoted scripture to show why one should not do it. He only used or put his approval on the 39 books we today know as Old Testament (OT) inspired scripture. He and the Apostles all had been born Jews and well knew the accepted Jewish canon of the OT. The Jews divided their canonical books different from the present 39 OT canonical books, but the present 39 OT canonical books represent a breakout, creating 2 or more separate books from one, of the ancient recognized Jewish canon.

Let’s face it Jesus (Jeshua or YHWH saves) was born a Jew as were all the Apostles. In fact the Apostle Paul had been a high ranking Jew before becoming a follower of Jesus (Jeshua or YHWH saves); therefore, the Bible canon they would have recognized would have been the Jewish canon. This means all the quotes made by them and recorded in the New Testament were from the Jewish canon; this is further shown by the fact that none of the Pharisees or Sadducees ever challenged them on their quotes as they would if they had been from uninspired deuterocanonical books.

Here are some of the many reasons the uninspired deuterocanonical books of the apocrypha should be rejected in addition to the fact that they were NOT part of the OT Bible canon used by Jesus (Jeshua or YHWH saves) or Apostles:
Not accepted by later Jews. Not preserved as part of Hebrew Bible.
No direct quotes in the New Testament from the 15 books. Not quoted as scripture by Philo, an Alexandrian Jew, about the time of Jesus. However, Philo quotes little outside of the Torah.
Disputed or recognized as of lesser value by some early Christian leaders, notably Jerome.
Disputed by leaders of the Reformation, to varying degrees, as to authenticity, and to religious value.
Egregious historical inaccuracies and other faults.
There are four main positions of the modern church concerning the Old Testament Apocrypha: [Filson, op. cit., p. 89-90.]
(1) The Roman Catholic Church accepts all the works of the Apocrypha, except the prayer of Manasseh and 1 and 2 Esdras, as parts of the canon. This decision, regarded as binding, was made at the Council of Trent in 1546 C.E.
(2) The Greek Church has had many debates about the Apocrypha, but no binding decision. It accepts and uses all the books, except 2 Esdras.
(3) The Church of England does not accept the Apocrypha as fully canonical. However, they are highly esteemed, and "the Church doth read for example of life and instruction of manners." They are read in the regular cycle of readings in the public life of the Church, with the Old and New Testaments.
(4) Reformed churches -- and most of the non-Anglican Protestant churches -- do not accept the Apocrypha as canonical, or as nearly canonical. The Westminister Confession, for example, declares them to be "of no authority" in the Church.

In Luther's Bible, the books of the Apocrypha were preceded by his explanation that he did not think these books were canonical, but that he thought them "good and useful for reading." This action, together with the opinions of other Reformation leaders, started the Protestant rejection of the authority of the books of the Apocrypha; nevertheless, because of tradition, he could not omit them entirely. Luther did not include 1 and 2 Esdras, but they were put into the English Bible of the King James Version. [History 9.109-13.]

In Evidence that Demands a Verdict, it is written (p. 36): "No canon or council of the Christian church for the first four centuries recognized the Apocrypha as inspired." Unless we make some artificial restrictions, this is claim is untrue. The books of the Apocrypha are on Bishop Athanasius' list in the Easter Letter of 367 CE ["Canon of the Old Testament," Dictionary of the Bible (Hastings), p. 123. Athanasius puts some of the Apocrypha in a separate list of "good reading," including Esther. Other parts of our Apocrypha are put in among Old Testament books (Epistle of Jeremiah and Baruch).] This list is the first place that exactly the 27 books of our New Testament are to be found. If it was a good list for the New Testament, why is it not evidence for the Old? A list similar to that of Athanasius was ratified by the Synod of Carthage in 397 CE. Surely we should count this as within "the first four centuries," and it was within a mere thirty years of the initial defining of the New Testament. After 400 CE., the Church "officially accepted a canon longer than the Jews."
[Paton, op. cit., p. 75f.]
One scholar, Albert C. Sundberg, Jr, had this to say on canonicity:
During the tenth decade of the nineteenth century C.E. a scholarly consensus was reached regarding the canon of the Hebrew scriptures, the Old Testament of Protestant Christianity. It was agreed that the formation of that canon was an historical process which took place over the centuries in three steps that came to form the tripartite Hebrew (or Palestinian) canon1 of Law, Prophets and Writings. The first collection to be canonized consisted of the first five books of the Bible and was variously called: the Law (Hebrew, Torah), the Pentateuch, the Books of Moses. This collection was canonized about 400 B.C.E. The second collection canonized was the Prophets (Hebrew, Nabim), which was canonized about 200 B.C.E. Writings (Kethûbim, Greek, Hagiographa) were canonized about 90 C.E. This last canonization was understood as ratifying a commonly used, complete collection since the second or first century B.C.E. [“The Old Testament of the Early Church” Revisited by Albert C. Sundberg, Jr.]

Another scholar, Larry A. Taylor, had this to say on canonicity and quoted John Calvin:
But in regard to the Canon itself, which they so superciliously intrude upon us, ancient writers are not agreed. Let the mediators, then, enjoy their own as they please, provided we are at liberty to repudiate those which all men of sense, at least when informed on the subject, will perceive to be not of divine original. (Quote from John Calvin.)

Dictionaries and researchers define the word, "canon," as a body of books accepted as authoritative by some religious body. Thus there is no problem of the canon; most modern Protestants, and Protestant churches historically, accept exactly sixty-six books, thirty-nine books from Hebrew, which they call the Old Testament, and twenty-seven books written in Greek, which they call the New Testament. Protestants use and accept these books; therefore, there are sixty-six books in the Protestant canon. Roman Catholics include fifteen more books or parts of books, and that is their canon; Greek Orthodox churches use most of these books, and these comprise their canon. The Jewish tradition is that of the Hebrew Bible only, of course, corresponding to the thirty-nine books of the Protestants. East Syrian Christians include fewer books than other Christians in the New Testament, while the Ethiopian churches use quite a few more books in both the Old Testament and New Testament. [The Canon of the Bible (1999) by Larry A. Taylor]

However, as noted in “The Canon of the Bible,” by Larry A. Taylor, there are some which desire to have an OT canon different from the one used by Jesus (Jeshua or YHWH saves) and the Apostles. These misguided ones point to supposed OT Bible canons put together hundreds of years after the canon used by by Jesus (Jeshua or YHWH saves) and the Apostles. They point to regional church councils by an apostate church such as Synod of Hippo and the Council of Florence did state the same catalogue as the Council of Trent, but this in no way makes the deuterocanonical books of the apocrypha inspired books of the Bible. It is well admitted that the authors of these deuterocanonical books these misguided individuals and church councils want to add to the OT canon are unknown except for one and in that case the author is known and he was not inspired. In the remainder they either claim to be by authors who did not write them or give no author. Also, their authors ‘borrowed’ scripture from the inspired canonical scriptures and included it in their writings to add an air of legitimacy to their uninspired writings. Many Catholic writers instead of denouncing this fraud and deceit used these ‘stolen scriptures’ contained in the uninspired deuterocanonical books to claim that Jesus, the Apostles, and the Disciples of Christ quoted from these uninspired deuterocanonical books as they did the canonical; and this is an outright deception and fraud.

As previously stated, Let’s face it Jesus (Jeshua or YHWH saves) was born a Jew as were all the Apostles. In fact the Apostle Paul had been a high ranking Jew before becoming a follower of Jesus (Jeshua or YHWH saves); therefore, the Bible canon they would have recognized would have been the Jewish canon. This means all the quotes made by them and recorded in the New Testament were from the Jewish canon; this is further shown by the fact that none of the Pharisees or Sadducees ever challenged them on their quotes as they would if they had been from uninspired deuterocanonical books.

Some state, “It seems strange to me that the Reformers would adopt the “Jewish canon” and reject the “Christian canon,” but they did.” However, what you call the “Christian canon” was not that at all, but the peculiar canon adopted by an apostate church and some of her breakaway groups. Let’s face it, for the Old Testament, the Jews knew better than anyone else which books were inspired, hence canonical, and which books were uninspired, hence deuterocanonical and not trustworthy. The ultimate reality is not whether this group or that group accepted what book, but what books were inspired and Jesus (Jeshua or YHWH saves) well knew and he went with the so called Jewish canon as previously mentioned.

An interesting note by a scholar, Ernest E. Martin, PhD, is to look at the scripture found in 2 Tim.4:12 where the apostle Paul asks Mark to bring him his cloak, scrolls and parchments.

Paul at this point was about to by martyred by Nero. It was then either Mark or Luke who took all of Pauls scrolls and parchments to the apostle John in Ephesus to compile the first documenting of the books of the NT. It has been historically documented that Matthew was the scribe for the apostle James, Mark was the scribe for Peter and that Luke was the scribe for Paul. Hence, the gospels could have just as easily been, James, Peter, Paul and John rather than Mt., Mk., Lk. and Jn. [Ernest E. Martin, PhD. and CEO of Associates for Scriptural Knowledge in Eugene, OR]

Let’s look at an important translation work of antiquity, the “Septuagint”:
The name "Septuagint" is an abbreviation of Interpretatio secundum (or juxta) Septuaginta seniores (or viros), i.e. the Greek translation of the Old Testament of which the first installment was, according to the Alexandrian legend (see III, below), contributed by 70 (or 72) elders sent from Jerusalem to Alexandria for the purpose at the request of Ptolemy II. The legend in its oldest form restricts their labors to the Pentateuch but they were afterward credited with the translation of the whole Bible, and before the 4th century it had become customary to apply the title to the whole collection: Augustine, De Civ. Dei, xviii.42, "quorum interpretatio ut Septuaginta vocetur iam obtinuit consuetudo" ("whose translation is now by custom called the Septuagint"). The manuscripts refer to them under the abbreviation ' ("the seventy"), or ', ("the seventy-two"). The "Septuagint" and the abbreviated form "LXX" have been the usual designations hitherto, but, as these are based on a now discredited legend, they are coming to be replaced by "the Old Testament in Greek," or "the Alexandrian version" with the abbreviation "G".

The writer professes to be a high official at the court of Ptolemy Philadelphus (285-247 BC), a Greek interested in Jewish antiquities. Addressing his brother Philocrates he describes an embassy to Jerusalem on which he has recently been sent with another courtier Andreas. According to his narrative, Demetrius of Phalerum, a prominent figure in later Athenian history, who here appears as the royal librarian at Alexandria, convinced the king of the importance of securing for his library a translation of the Jewish Law. The king at the same time, to propitiate the nation from whom he was asking a favor, consented, on the suggestion of Aristeas, to liberate all Jewish slaves in Egypt. Copies follow of the letters which passed between Ptolemy and Eleazar, the high priest at Jerusalem. Ptolemy requests Eleazar to select and dispatch to Alexandria 72 elders, proficient in the Law, 6 from each tribe, to undertake the translation, the importance of the task requiring the services of a large number to secure an accurate version. Eleazar complies with the request and the names of the selected translators are appended to his letter.
There follow: (1) a detailed description of votive offerings sent by Ptolemy for the temple; (2) a sketch of Jerusalem, the temple and its services, and the geography of Palestine, doubtless reflecting in part the impressions of an eyewitness and giving a unique picture of the Jewish capital in the Ptolemaic era; (3) an exposition by Eleazar of portions of the Law.
The translators arrive at Alexandria, bringing a copy of the Law written in letters of gold on rolls of skins, and are honorably received by Ptolemy. A seven days' banquet follows, at which the king tests the proficiency of each in turn with hard questions. Three days later Demetrius conducts them across the mole known as the Heptastadion to the island of Pharos, where, with all necessaries provided for their convenience, they complete their task, as by a miracle, in 72 days; we are expressly told that their work was the result of collaboration and comparison. The completed version was read by Demetrius to the Jewish community, who received it with enthusiasm and begged that a copy might be entrusted to their leaders; a solemn curse was pronounced on any who should venture to add to or subtract from or make any alteration in the translation. The whole version was then read aloud to the king who expressed his admiration and his surprise that Greek writers had remained in ignorance of its contents; he directed that the books should be preserved with scrupulous care. [Thackeray, J., International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 1915]

From the original manuscripts during that time, there were 49 books in the canon. After the LXX (Septuagint) was then translated from Hebrew to Greek by the Hebrew priests. Later, Jerome was commissioned by the Emperor of Rome, Constantine - to translate it - along with Greek NT scrolls and parchments - into Latin. All of which were already in the original manuscript order.

From the original 49 books of the Bible, Jerome's original translation into the Latin Vulgate, was the present 66 books most all of the Bibles of today contain. He refused to translate the apocrapha at first. But later on condescended to do so.

He changed the original 49 books of the original manuscripts by making two books out of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles and made twelve books out of the original one from the Hebrew scriptures they called the 'Writings.' (The minor prophets).

Then Jerome further scrambled the original manuscript order in the NT because of strong Jewish anti semitism in that time frame - by placing all the epistles connected with the Gentiles before those of the Jews. Hence, all the epistles of Paul were placed before those of James, Peter, John and Jude.

For any of us to believe the apostles did not know when there were 'books' written that were not inspired by the Holy Spirit is to thoroughly discredit their intelligence! [posting of Liltoot]

Also at the historical views of a 1 st. century historian, Flavious Josephus, had to say on Bible OT canon: Writing about 90 C.E., Josephus gives us the first glimpse of a nearly finished Jewish canon. It is not a list of the books; however, Josephus makes it clear that it is a numbering of the Jewish scriptures. He writes that the prophets alone had the privilege of writing the ancient history which was revealed to them by divine inspiration. These Jewish books are limited in number to twenty-two (the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet).15 Josephus organized the books as follows: five books of Moses (i.e., the Law). Prophets subsequently wrote the history of their own times from Moses to the time of Artaxerxes (I, 458 B.C.E.) in thirteen books. The remaining four books included hymns to God (probably the Psalms) and precepts for the conduct of life.16 Josephus divides the canon into "five books of Moses," "the Prophets" in thirteen books and "the remaining four books" including "hymns to God and precepts for the conduct of life." Just how his divisions are made to account for the list of the Hebrew canon could be debated, if we may assume that these were the precise books Josephus had in mind. Josephus appears to have known only "books of Moses" and "Prophets" as names of collections. However, knowing these collection names, he appears to have been confronted with a closed canon of twenty-two books but without a name for a third collection. He, thus, adjusted as best he could, enlarging the Prophets to include all histories (in which he had a particular interest), Chronicles, Ezra (-Nehemiah), Ruth, Esther and the prophet Daniel, with a minimal "remaining four books." Josephus is witness to a numerical limitation on the Jewish canon. Even though the final number of books in the Hebrew canon is twenty-four, Josephus was very close. Josephus also indicates that the text of the canon was of long standing. He says, "For, although such long ages have now passed, no one has ventured either to add, or to remove, or to alter a syllable" [“Jewish Antiguities,” by Flavious Josephus]

Now we ratchet forward over a millennium years into the future to the year 1545 A.D. and look what we encounter; Bible tinkering to add none canonical books to the Bible by the Council of Trent, 1545 & 1563 A.D., by an apostate church with much blood quilt on its hands. Of course you will maintain that this catalogue was officially accepted at the Synod of Hippo and the Council of Florence; however, if this was truly the case there would have been no reason for the Council of Trent to issue a formal decree. At this council they even had the audacity to accept deuterocanonical books into their, the church’s, Bible which were never recognized by the Jews in their canon of inspired books can you imagine that in direct contradiction to the word of Almighty God (YHWH) recorded under inspiration by the apostle John,.” 18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19 AV), what blasphemy. This could very drastically negatively impact the eternal lives of all their members.

Boy, let this be a warning to get out of her, a real wake-up call, “ And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (Revelation 18:4 AV).

To all, this is the last I wish to say on Bible canon. You have been given warning with regard to adding to the Bible canon per Revelations 22:18-19 if you do not refrain from doing it, your blood will be upon your own hands, not mine.

Your friend Iris89, Ordained Minister of the Gospel attached to Home Missionary Extension Service

[iris89]

Bible Canon – A Challenging Addition On The Subject of The Apocrypha:

INTRODUCTION

This addition to my writing , “Bible Canon’ is meant to stimulate and get all thinking on why those who added to Bible canon at the Council of Trent in 1545 A.D. were in error in more than one way. The usual argument against adding some of the Apocrypha to the Bible is:

Usual arguments given for not putting any of the Apocrypha in the Bible.

1. Oldest versions of the LXX date to 4th century. We don't know if the earlier copies, the version that Jesus and the apostles used, included it. Jesus and the Apostles never quote from it, though they quote hundreds of times from all parts of the OT. The apostles only allude to it in two places (2 Peter?, Jude), but not as authoritative canon.
[note: several of the Apocrypha books writer’s copied from the inspired books of the old testament and this is sometimes used by the uninformed to say Jesus and the apostles quoted from the Apocrypha when they were actually quoting from the inspired books of the old testament].

2. The Apocrypha itself never claims to be the Word of God.

3. Some books promote unbiblical concepts, e.g. prayer for the dead (2 Macc. 12:45-46).

4. Some books have serious historical inaccuracies, e.g Tobit, Judith.

They were never included en tote in the canon by the church until the Reformation. At that time Rome officially canonized a particular list (not the full list) of the books of the Apocrypha at the Council of Trent, the fourth session, April, 1546, more than 1500 years after the books were written. These books supported the doctrine of salvation by works and prayers for the dead only 29 years after Luther posted his 95 Theses. This was the first occasion that an ecumenical council (as opposed to local or provincial council) actually ruled on the canon.

To be precise, the Apocrypha was not taken out, it was added in. It had, however, held a very respected position in church history, but its place in the canon has always been tenuous. [www.str.org/free/studies/apocryph.htm ]

Now just what is the Apocrypha?

It is “The collection of writings that Protestants call the Apocrypha (hidden writings), Roman Catholics call the deuterocannonical (later or second canon) books. These were "infallibly" accepted into the Bible by the Roman Catholic Church in 1546 at the Council of Trent (which also pronounces anathema (excommunication from the church) on any who reject them.” [www.souldevice.org/rcscripture2.html ]

Let’s look in a little deeper into the Apocrypha with regard to what it is and how it was adopted as part of the Catholic Bible:

• The Apocrypha does not present itself as inspired. The author of 2 Maccabees says that his book is the abridgement of another man’s work (2 Maccabees 2:23). He concludes the book, saying, "If it is well written and to the point, that is what I wanted; if it is poorly done and mediocre, that is the best I could do" (2 Maccabees 15:3 . Mediocre is a good description of the Apocrypha. Despite its historical value, it promotes questionable ethics, fanciful legends, and doctrine that contradicts Scripture.
• The Jews of Palestine never accepted the Apocrypha as part of sacred Scripture. Neither was there a Jewish prophet living during the time in which the Apocrypha was written (300-30 B.C.).
• Jesus and the New Testament writers did not treat the Apocrypha as inspired. Though the New Testament quotes virtually every book of the Old Testament, there is not a single quotation from the Apocrypha.
• The early church as a whole never accepted the Apocrypha as inspired. Moreover, many Christian leaders spoke against the Apocrypha, including: Jerome, Origen, Athanasius, and Cyril of Jerusalem.
• Even the Roman Catholic Church did not dogmatically declare the Apocrypha to be inspired until the Council of Trent in the sixteenth century. Roman Catholic priest Father. H. J. Schroeder, a translator of the decrees of the Council of Trent writes, "The Tridentine list or decree was the first infallible and effectually promulgated declaration on the Canon of the Holy Scriptures." ii The purpose of the Council of Trent was to counteract the Protestant Reformation. Protestants had rejected the Apocrypha. Rome reacted by dogmatically declaring most of the Apocrypha to be inspired. The Apocrypha also included teachings that could help Rome defend its doctrine against growing Protestant criticism. For instance, Martin Luther had forcefully argued against Rome’s practice of selling pardons from purgatory. Tobit 12:9 supports the practice, stating, "…almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin." Even some Catholic writers acknowledge that Trent’s decision to accept the Apocrypha as inspired is problematic. Iii [www.reachingcatholics.org/rcbible.html ]

CATHOLIC CHURCH POSITION ON

The Catholic church’s position on the Apocrypha is recorded in the Catholic Encyclopedia as follows:

Name and Notion
Etymologically, the derivation of Apocrypha is very simple, being from the Greek apokryphos, hidden, and corresponding to the neuter plural of the adjective. The use of the singular, "Apocryphon", is both legitimate and convenient, when referring to a single work. When we would attempt to seize the literary sense attaching to the word, the task is not so easy. It has been employed in various ways by early patristic writers, who have sometimes entirely lost sight of the etymology. Thus it has the connotation "uncanonical" with some of them. St. Jerome evidently applied the term to all quasi-scriptural books which in his estimation lay outside the canon of the Bible, and the Protestant Reformers, following Jerome's catalogue of Old Testament Scriptures -- one which was at once erroneous and singular among the Fathers of the Church -- applied the title Apocrypha to the excess of the Catholic canon of the Old Testament over that of the Jews. Naturally, Catholics refuse to admit such a denomination, and we employ "deuterocanonical" to designate this literature, which non-Catholics conventionally and improperly know as the "Apocrypha".

The original and proper sense of the term Apocryphal as applied to the pretended sacred books was early obscured. But a clue to it may be recognized in the so-called Fourth Book of Esdras, which relates that Estrus (Era) by divine inspiration composed ninety-four books. Of these, twenty-four were restorations of the sacred literature of the Israelites which had perished in the Captivity; they were to be published openly, but the remaining were to be guarded in secret for the exclusive use of the wise (cf. Dan., ix, 4, 9, where the prophet is bidden to shut up and seal an inspired book until an appointed time). Accordingly it may be accepted as highly probable that in its original meaning an Apocryphal writing had no unfavorable import, but simply denoted a composition which claimed a sacred origin, and was supposed to have been hidden for generations, either absolutely, awaiting the due time of its revelation, or relatively, inasmuch as knowledge of it was confined to a limited esoteric circle. However, the name Apocrypha soon came to have an unfavourable signification which it still retains, comporting both want of genuineness and canonicity. These are the negative aspects of the modern application of the name; on its positive side it is properly employed only of a well defined class of literature, putting forth scriptural or quasi-scriptural pretensions, and which originated in part among the Hebrews during the two centuries preceding Christ and for a space after, and in part among Christians, both orthodox and heterodox, in the early centuries of our era. . [The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I, Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York]

Remember, “Ancient literature, especially in the Orient, used methods much more free and elastic than those permitted by our modern and Occidental culture. Pseudographic composition was in vogue among the Jews in the two centuries before Christ and for some time later. The attribution o***reat name of the distant past to a book by its real author, who thus effaced his own personality, was, in some cases at least, a mere literary fiction which deceived no one except the ignorant. This holds good for the so-called "Wisdom of Solomon", written in Greek and belonging to the Church's sacred canon. In other cases, where the assumed name did not stand as a symbol of a type of a certain kind of literature, the intention was not without a degree of at least objective literary dishonesty.” [The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I, Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York]

As clearly shown from The Catholic Encyclopedia, the so called greatest Bible scholar of the Catholic church who even split some of the books of the Jewish canon into two books, St. Jerome, did not consider that any of the Apocrypha belonged in the Bible, The Catholic Encyclopedia states, “St. Jerome evidently applied the term to all quasi-scriptural books which in his estimation lay outside the canon of the Bible,” He was an astute scholar of the Bible an undoubtedly well knew the free and elastic form writers of the time of uninspired books used so therefore would even doubt the historical of the books of the Apocrypha.

THE BIG MYSTERY

Now the Apocrypha actually consist of many more books than those officially put into the Catholic Bible canon by the Council of Trent in 1546 A.D. The BIG QUESTION is why some were included by the Council of Trent and many more were not. The Catholic position of course is they had MERIT and the others did not. However, is that really the case or was the addition for political reasons? Some facts will now be presented and you be the judge:

As previously stated it is well known that Jesus and the Apostles did not quote from any of them as follows:

Oldest versions of the LXX date to 4th century. We don't know if the earlier copies, the version that Jesus and the apostles used, included it. Jesus and the Apostles never quote from it, though they quote hundreds of times from all parts of the OT. The apostles only allude to it in two places (2 Peter?, Jude), but not as authoritative canon.
[note: several of the Apocrypha books writer’s copied from the inspired books of the old testament and this is sometimes used by the uninformed to say Jesus and the apostles quoted from the Apocrypha when they were actually quoting from the inspired books of the old testament].

Also, it is known that:

The Apocrypha itself never claims to be the Word of God.

Some books promote unbiblical concepts, e.g. prayer for the dead (2 Macc. 12:45-46).

Some books have serious historical inaccuracies, e.g Tobit, Judith.

With all this said, the obvious appears to be the addition to the Catholic Bible should be viewed strictly as the political output of a church council held by an apostate church in defiance of scripture, “18 For I testify to every one that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book: If any man shall add to these things, God shall add unto him the plagues written in this book. 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from these things that are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18-19 Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible).

Now let’s take a serious look at the MERITS of any book of the Apocrypha with regard to its merits to be included in the Bible. As previously stated, Jesus and the Apostles never quoted from any of the Apocrypha nor did the new testament (NT) mention any of the Apocrypha so clearly no merit for including it in the Bible. However, when we look at the old testament (OT) we actually find one book of the Apocrypha specifically mentioned by divinely inspired Bible writers:

“And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, while the nation took vengeance on its foes. Is this not recorded in the Book of Jashar? The sun halted in the middle of the sky; not for a whole day did it resume its swift course.” (Joshua 10:13 The New American Bible, World Catholic Press, approved at the Vatican on Sept. 18, 1970 by the Pope]

“which is recorded in the Book of Jashar to be taught to the Judahites: He sang.” (2 Samuel 1:18 The New American Bible, World Catholic Press, approved at the Vatican on Sept. 18, 1970 by the Pope]

This is also recorded in the Protestant Bibles with the Book of Jashar alternately called/translated as Book of the Just and Book of the Upright in some cases. See:

“ And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.” (Joshua 10:13 AV)

“So the sun, was still, and, the moon, stayed, until a nation should be avenged on its fees. Is not, that, written in the Book of the Upright? So then the sun stayed in the middle of the heavens, and hastened not to go in, about a whole day.” (Joshua 10:13 Rothrham)

“ (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)” (2 Samuel 1:18 AV)

“and he saith to teach the sons of Judah ‘The Bow;’ lo, it is written on the book of the Upright: —“ (2 Samuel 1:18 Youngs)

And in translations in other languages such as Spanish:

“Y el sol se detuvo y la luna se paró, hasta que el pueblo se hubo vengado de sus enemigos. ¿No está escrito esto en el libro de Jaser? El sol se detuvo en medio del cielo, y no se apresuró a ponerse casi un día entero.” (Joshua 10:13 RVA89)

“y mandó que enseñasen a los hijos de Judá el Canto del Arco. He aquí que está escrito en el libro de Jaser:” (2 Samuel 1:18 RVA89)

However, the BIG MYSTERY herein is why the one Apocrypha book specifically mentioned in divinely inspired canonical books of the Bible and by St. Jerome in his Bible translation was NOT included in the uninspired books of the Apocrypha that the Council of Trent of an apostate church included in their Bible by council decree. This is especially salient as it is the only book of the Apocrypha actually mentioned in the Bible. If any book of the Apocrypha had ANY MERIT, the Book of Jasher had it.

Even though it is specifically mentioned as previously shown in all Catholic and non-Catholic Bible Translations, it does not even have listing in the Catholic Encyclopedia, WHY?

THE BOOK OF JASHER

Well, let’s take a cursory look at the features of the Book of Jasher:

The Rev. Thomas Scott had this to say on the Book of Jasher:

Upright. "The Book of Jasher," rendered in the LXX. "the Book of the Upright One," by the Vulgate "the Book of Just Ones," was probably a kind of national sacred song-book, a collection of songs in praise of the heroes of Israel, a "book of golden deeds," a national anthology. We have only two specimens from the book,
1. the words of Joshua which he spake to the Lord at the crisis of the battle of Beth-horon #Jos 10:12,13
2. "the Song of the Bow," that beautiful and touching mournful elegy which David composed on the occasion of the death of Saul and Jonathan #2Sa 1:18-27 [Easton’s Revised Bible Dictionary]

* Jasher. or, the upright. So LXX. [ ;] Targum, {siphra deooritha,} "the book of the law;" the Arabic, "the book of Ashee: this is the book of Samuel." This book was probably a collection of divine odes, written to commemorate remarkable events. [Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge, developed by R.A. Torrey from references in the Rev. Thomas Scott's Commentary and the Comprehensive Bible]

The International Standard Encyclopedia had this to say on the Book of Jasher:

The title of an ancient Hebrew national song-book (literally, "book of the righteous one") from which two quotations are made in the Old Testament:

See Part 2 on Apocrypha

[iris89]

Part 2 on Apocrypha



(1) Joshua 10:12-14, the command of Joshua to the sun and moon, "Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon. .... Is not this written in the book of Jashar?" (see BETH-HORON; Septuagint in this place omits the reference to Jashar); and

(2) 2 Samuel 1:8, "the song of the bow," or lament of David over Saul and Jonathan.

(3) Some conjecture a third extract in 1 Kings 8:12, "Then spake Solomon, Yahweh hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness." The words of Yahweh are quoted by Septuagint in 8:53 as "written in the book of the song" (en
biblio tes odes), and it is pointed out that the words "the song" (in Hebrew ha-shir) might easily be a corruption of ha-yashar. A similar confusion ("song" for "righteous") may explain the fact that the *Holy Cow Pud, Batman* Syriac of Joshua has for a title "the book of praises or hymns." The book evidently was a well-known one, and may have been a gradual collection of religious and national songs. It is conjectured that it may have included the So of Deborah (Judges 5), and older pieces now found in the Pentateuch (e.g. Genesis 4:23,14; 9:25-27; 27:27-29); this, however, is uncertain. On the curious theories and speculations of the rabbis and others about the book (that it was the Book of the Law, of Genesis, etc.), with the fantastic reconstructive theory of Dr. Donaldson in his Jasbar, see the full article in HDB. [The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia ]

MERITS OF THE BOOK OF JASHER

The Bible reference quoting Jasher in 2 Samuel 1:18 is taken from Jasher 56:9. The reference in Joshua 10:13 comes from Jasher 88:64. The book of Jasher also mentions books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, and 1 Chronicles.

In Jasher 2:27-31 Lemech kills Cain and then Tubal Cain by accident. Could this explain Genesis 4:23-24 as a lament and not a boast?

Another example is Jasher 4:18 – "And their judges and rulers went to the daughters of men and took their wives by force from their husbands according to their choice, and the sons of men in those days took of the cattle of the earth, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and taught the mixture of the animals of one species with the other, in order therewith to provoke the Lord; and God saw the whole earth was corrupted its ways upon earth, all men and all animals." This may explain the statement of God in Genesis 6:5 which says, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
Consider for a moment what we read in Jasher 5:8-9 – "For thus saith the Lord, behold I give you a period of one hundred and twenty years; if you will turn to me and forsake your evil ways, then will I also turn away form the evil which I told you, and it shall not exist, saith the Lord. And Noah and Methuseleh spake all the words of the Lord to the sons of men, day after day, constantly speaking to them.
Jasher says, Noah and Methuseleh preach for 120 years before the flood. But there is more. In Jasher 5:15-16 Noah marries Enochs’ daughter. "…Noah went and took a wife, and he chose Naamah the daughter of Enoch, and whe was five hundred and eighty years old. And Noah was four hundred and ninety years old, when he took Naamah for a wife."

Could it be possible that Nimrod was Amraphel? Jasher 11:6 says, "Nimrod dwelt in Babel, and he there renewed his reign over the rest of his subjects, and he reigned securely, and the subjects and princes called his name Amraphel, saying that at the tower his princes and men fell through his means." Genesis 14:1 & 9 identifies Amraphel as the King of Shinar.
Could Shem have been Melchizedek (Gen. 14:1 ? Jasher 16:11 certainly points us in that direction. It says, "And Adonizedek King of Jerusalem, the same was Shem, whent out with his men to meet Abram and his people, with bread and wine, and they remained together in the valley of Melech." It is an interesting possibility to consider that Abraham and his descendants traveled back and forth to visit Shem and Eber.
In Jasher 75:1-20 we read that the children of Ephraim, son of Joseph, lose all but 10 men in a war in Gath. It certainly seems possible that this could coincide with 1 Chronicles 7:21-23. . [excerpt from ]logosresourcepages.org/jasher.htm]

Here’s just a few of the exciting things you will read in Jasher that do not appear in the Bible.
• A much more detailed account of the wickedness that was occurring before the flood at the time of Noah.
• A terrifying account of the fear that gripped Noah, his family and all the animals on the ark as the earth was being destroyed.
• A detailed account of the life of Nimrod. Jasher records that Nimrod was the builder of Babylon and that he led the world astray through sorcery and witchcraft. Nimrod also established the first one world dictatorship and reigned over all the sons of Noah. Furthermore, Nimrod is mentioned as the one who organized the construction of the tower of Babel. [www.thehealthcrusader.com...asher.html]

The Book of Jasher includes details about antediluvian patriarchs which are confirmed by modern revelation. The question arises of how the author of Jasher could have known specific facts from before the Great Flood, such as Cainan becoming very wise when he was forty years old. These correlations attest that it was composed from exceedingly ancient reliable sources…..The book is a history of the world from the creation until the period of the Judges in Israel. It contains much more information than is found in Genesis for that same period, which makes very interesting reading and clears up many confusing issues in the Bible. It is written mostly as a secular history, but it does contain many references to what God was doing. It is similar to the Books of Joshua through Chronicles in the Bible which describe many historical events such as battles and wars, but which also point out the hand of God in the affairs of men.
[www.meridianmagazine.com/...asher.html]

Joshua 10:13

It is easy to find the place where the book of Joshua apparently quotes this Book of Jasher:
"And when they were smiting, the day was declining toward evening, and Joshua said in the sight of all the people, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou moon in the valley of Ajalon, until the nation shall have revenged itself upon its enemies.
"And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Joshua, and the sun stood still in the midst of the heavens, and it stood still six and thirty moments, and the moon also stood still and hastened not to go down a whole day." (Jasher 88:63-64) [www.meridianmagazine.com/...asher.html]
2 Samuel 1:18
The reason is that it is David himself who was quoting the Book of Jasher, rather than the Book of Jasher merely recording David's actions. Jasher contains the injunction that the children of Judah should learn the art of the bow and David considered the Book of Jasher of such high authority that if it commanded to teach the art of the bow, he was determined to do it. That puts an entirely different light on the subject. Here is the actual quote, from the last words of Jacob to his son Judah:
"Only teach thy sons the bow and all weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies." (Jasher 56:9) [www.meridianmagazine.com/...asher.html]
Agreement with the Bible. Most reviewers grant that there are no significant disagreements between Book of Jasher and the Bible. In fact, one excellent new annotated reprint adds several appendices discussing clarifications made in Jasher. The few disagreements between Jasher and the Bible are insufficient to disqualify it from being the authentic lost book mentioned in the scriptures. [Deane Schaub, "The Book of Jasher", and Simpson, Wayne, The Authentic Annals of the Early Hebrews (Kearney, NE: Morris Publishing, 1995)]

THE BOOK OF JASPER WHILE HAVING MERITS IS QUESTIONABLE

"Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you concerning the Apocrypha — There are many things contained therein that are true, and it is mostly translated correctly; There are many things contained therein that are not true, which are interpolations by the hands of men. Verily, I say unto you, that it is not needful that the Apocrypha should be translated. Therefore, whoso readeth it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth; And whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit And whoso receiveth not by the Spirit, cannot be benefitted. Therefore it is not needful that it should be translated. Amen." (D.&C. 91:1-6)[see See "Canon" in L.D.S. Bible Dictionary. And Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, "Lost Scripture"]

The Book of Jasher contradicts the Bible in many places, examples follow:

Jasher 13:5 says that Abram went to the land of Canaan at the age of 50 then back to Haran and back to Canaan at age 75, Genesis 12:4 states that Abram was 75 when he departed Haran.
Jasher 18:9 states that one of the angels tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son, but Gen. 17:16 says that God told Abraham.
Jasher 22:44-45 says the Lord got the idea of presenting Isaac as an offering from Isaac’s boast to Ishmael. We know, of course, that God is sovereign and as it says in Gen. 22:1-2 & 12 that the Lord was testing Abraham.
Genesis 28:5 states that Isaac sent Jacob to Padan-aram unto Laban but Jasher 29:11 says that he fled to the house of Eber and hid there for 14 years.
Jasher 47:9 says Isaac dies, according to the chronology of Jasher, Joseph was in Egypt but in Gen. 35:29 Isaac died before Joseph had his dreams.
Simeon could not be bound in Jasher 51:37 but in Genesis. 42:24 Simeon is bound before their eyes.
There are also many areas that are completely unbiblical.
In Jasher 42:30-41, Rachel talks to Joseph from the grave. This is of course necromancy and is an abomination unto the Lord (Deuteronomy 18:11-12).
According to 53:18-22 Benjamin used a "map (or chart) of stars" to find Joseph. Deuteronomy 18:10 forbids this. It is an abomination to be "an observer of times" (astrologer).
Judah threatens Joseph 54:1-68 with annulations but Genesis 44:14-34 is a plea for Benjamin’s release.
Chapter 71 of Jasher states that Moses was 18 years old when he left Egypt. (Could this be Rabbinical tradition?) He didn’t go to Midian but to Cush and becomes king (72:34-36) and is king over Cush for forty years (73:2), then he goes to Midian where Reuel puts him in prison for 10 years because Reuel thinks Moses is wanted by the *Holy Cow Pud, Batman*. In the book of Acts (7:23-30) Stephen, inspired by the Holy Spirit, stated the Moses was in Egypt for 40 Years before going to Midian for another 40 years.
Jasher 81:3-4 claims that the Israelites sojourned in Egypt for 210 years whereas the Scripture says in Exodus 12:40-41 it was 430 years.
Jasher 81:40-41says that all but Pharaoh perished in the Red Sea. Pharaoh thanks the Lord and the Lord sends an angel who casts him upon the land of Ninevah where Pharaoh reigned for a long time. Scripture (Exodus 14:23 & 2 states that all perished.
Jasher 32:1-40 -- Esau comes to harm Jacob but angels of the Lord scare Esau, v.55 Esau fears Jacob. Genesis 33:3 Jacob bows seven times to Esau.
Jasher 43:35 -- Isaac went from Hebron to comfort Jacob, his son, because Joseph is dead (sold). Gen. 35:27-29 Isaac died before Joseph even dreamed his dreams.
Jasher 81:38 -- "And the Waters of the sea were divided into twelve parts…." Exodus 14:22 "And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left."

Therefore, like the other Apocrypha books such as Tobit, Wisdom, Judith, 1 & 2 Macabees they contradict the books of the divinely inspired Bible canon and 2 Macabees even promotes the un-scriptural practice of the worship of the dead. So while it is the only Apocrypha book ever quoted in the Bible it clearly is not divinely inspired like the other books of the Apocrypha and does NOT belong in the Bible; whereas the Apocrypha books the apostate church saw fit at their Council of Trent to add to their Bible have much less to recommend them.

Your Friend Iris89,

[iris89]

Bible Canon – A Second Look Including The Thinking of Jerome:

INTRODUCTION

In my other two writings on Bible canon, I have brought out many important facts, but failed to deal with the thinking or thoughts of (Saint?) Jerome, the greatest Catholic Bible scholar of all times, and the Council of Jamnia. This article will deal with both of these and the realistic closing of Bible canon in the minds of ancient Jews around 425 B.C. just after the finishing of the last inspired book of the old testament, Malachi.

We shall look at this subject through the ‘eyes’ of many scholars, both Biblical and secular, and what they wrote including the great ancient historian Flavious Josephus.

COUNCIL OF JAMNIA

First, what was the Council of Jamnia and why was it held:

The International Encyclopedia of the Bible has this to say of the Council of Jamnia, “[ section11]. The Councils of Jamnia (90 and 118 AD):
According to the traditions preserved in the Mishna, two councils of Jewish rabbis were held (90 and 118 AD respectively) at Jabne, or Jamnia, not far South of Joppa, on the Mediterranean coast, at which the books of the Old Testament, notably Ecclesiastes and Canticles, were discussed and their canonicity ratified. Rabbi Gamaliel II probably presided. Rabbi Akiba was the chief spirit of the council. What was actually determined by these synods has not been preserved to us accurately, but by many authorities it is thought that the great controversy which had been going on for over a century between the rival Jewish schools of Hillel and Shammai was now brought to a close, and that the canon was formally restricted to our 39 books. Perhaps it is within reason to say that at Jamnia the limits of the Hebrew canon were officially and finally determined by Jewish authority. Not that official sanction created public opinion, however, but rather confirmed it. [The International Encyclopedia of the Bible, CANON OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, II, Part 11]

However, IBRI Research Report #13 (1983) reports, “It was at Jamnia in the famous school of Johanan ben Zakkai that the council met about A.D. 90 to decide which books belonged to the canon. Pointing, no doubt, to the actual rolls brought from the Temple, the scribes and learned men of the council argued the merits of the various books. At length, they established the Hebrew canon in which the Writings were included, but the Apocrypha was left out. ][ Edward Robertson, “Jamnia,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1970, XII, p. 871.]

…. We do not possess myriads of inconsistent books, conflicting with each other. Our books, those which are justly accredited, are but two and twenty, and contain the record of all time. Of these, five are the books of Moses, comprising the laws and the traditional history from the birth of man down to the death of the lawgiver. This period falls only a little short of three thousand years. From the death of Moses until Artaxerxes, who succeeded Xerxes as king of Persia, the prophets subsequent to Moses wrote the history of the events of their own times in thirteen books. The remaining four books contain hymns to God and precepts for the conduct of human life. From Artaxerxes to our own time the complete history has been written, but has not been deemed worthy of equal credit with the earlier records, because of the failure of the exact succession of the prophets. [2 Josephus, Against Apion, 1,8 (38—41).] [IBRI Research Report #13 (1983) , THE COUNCIL OF JAMNIA AND THE OLD TESTAMENT CANON, by Robert C. Newman, Biblical Theological Seminary, Hatfield, Pennsylvania][ Edward Robertson, “Jamnia,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1970, XII, p. 871.]

**Note, We will later see where several of these twenty two (22) books recognized as canonical by the Jews were later sub-divided into two or more books to give the present thirty nine books now recognized by all as divinely inspired canonical books making up our present day Bible canon.

Why was this council held in the small city of Jamnia rather than in Jerusalem? Well for an answer to that we turn to, Edward Robertson, “Jamnia,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1970, XII, p. 871., which roughly states, “After the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans (A.D. 70) Jamnia became the home of the Great Sanhedrin. A meeting of Rabbis held there,” since Jerusalem had been laid waste by the Romans in 70 A.D.

FIXING OF BIBLE CANON

The International Encyclopedia of the Bible has this to say with regard the fixing of Bible canon:

The New Testament as a Witness (circa 50-100 AD):
The evidence furnished by the New Testament is of the highest importance. When summed up, it gives the unmistakable impression that when the New Testament was written (circa 50-100 AD) there was a definite and fixed canon of Old Testament Scripture, to which authoritative appeal could be made. And first, too much importance can scarcely be attached to the names or titles ascribed to the Old Testament writings by the authors of the New Testament:
thus, "the scripture" (John 10:35; 19:36; 2 Peter 1:20), "the scripture s" (Matthew 22:29; Acts 18:24), "holy scriptures" (Romans 1:2), "sacred writings" (2 Timothy 3:15), "the law" (John 10:34; 12:34; 15:25; 1 Corinthians 14:21), "law and prophets" (Matthew 5:17; 7:12; 22:40; Luke 16:16; 24:44; Acts 13:15; 28:23). Such names or titles, though they do not define the limits of the canon, certainly assume the existence of a complete and sacred collection of Jewish writings which are already marked off from all other literature as separate and fixed. One passage (John 10:35) in which the term "scripture," is employed seems to refer to the Old Testament canon as a whole; "and the scripture cannot be broken." In like manner the expression "law and prophets" is often used in a generic sense, referring to much more than merely the 1st and 2nd divisions of the Old Testament; it seems rather to refer to the old dispensation as a whole; but the term "the law" is the most general of all. It is frequently applied to the entire Old Testament, and apparently held in Christ's time among the Jews a place akin to that which the term "the Bible" does with us. For example, in John 10:34; 11:34; 15:25, texts from the prophets or even from the Ps are quoted as part of "the Law"; in 1 Corinthians 14:21 also, Paul speaks of Isaiah 28:11 as a part of "the law." These names and titles, accordingly, are exceedingly important; they are never applied by New Testament writers to the Apocrypha.
One passage (Luke 24:44) furnishes clear evidence of the threefold division of the canon. But here again, as in the Prologue of Sirach, there is great uncertainty as to the limits of the 3rd division. Instead of saying "the law, the prophets and the writings," Luke says, "the law, the prophets and the psalms." But it is obvious enough why the Psalms should have been adduced by Jesus in support of His resurrection. It is because they especially testify of Christ:
they were, therefore, the most important part of the 3rd division for His immediate purpose, and it may be that they are meant to stand a potiori for the whole of the 3rd division (compare Budde, Encyclopedia Biblica, col. 669).
Another passage (Matthew 23:35; compare Luke 11:51) seems to point to the final order and arrangement of the books in the Old Testament canon. It reads:
"That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar." Now, in order to grasp the bearing of this verse upon the matter in hand, it must be remembered that in the modern arrangement of the Old Testament books in Hebrew, Chronicles stands last; and that the murder of Zachariah is the last recorded instance in this arrangement, being found in 2 Chronicles 24:20,21. But this murder took place under Joash king of Judah, in the 9th century BC. There is another which is chronologically later, namely, that of Uriah son of Shemaiah who was murdered in Jehoiakim's reign in the 7th century BC (Jeremiah 26:23). Accordingly, the argument is this, unless Ch already stood last in Christ's Old Testament, why did He not say, "from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Uriah"? He would then have been speaking chronologically and would have included all the martyrs whose martyrdom is recorded in the Old Testament. But He rather says, "from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zachariah," as though He were including the whole range of Old Testament Scripture, just as we would say "from Genesis to Malachi." Hence, it is inferred, with some degree of justification also, that Chronicles stood in Christ's time, as it does today in the Hebrew Bible of the Massorets, the last book of an already closed canon. Of course, in answer to this, there is the possible objection that in those early days the Scriptures were still written by the Jews on separate rolls.
Another ground for thinking that the Old Testament canon was closed before the New Testament was written is the numerous citations made in the New Testament from the Old Testament. Every book is quoted except Esther, Ecclesiastes, Canticles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Obadiah, Nahum, and Zephaniah. But these exceptions are not serious. The Twelve Minor Prophets were always treated by the Jews en bloc as one canonical work; hence, if one of the twelve were quoted all were recognized. And the fact that 2 Chronicles 24:20,21 is quoted in Matthew 23:35 and Luke 11:51 presupposes also the canonicity of Ezra-Nehemiah, as originally these books were one with Chronicles, though they may possibly have already been divided in Jesus' day. As for Esther, Ecclesiastes, and Canticles, it is easy to see why they are not quoted:
they probably failed to furnish New Testament writers material for quotation. The New Testament writers simply had no occasion to make citations from them. What is much more noteworthy, they never quote from the Apocryphal books, though they show an acquaintance with them. Professor Gigot, one of the greatest of Roman Catholic authorities, frankly admits this. In his General Introduction to the Study of the Scriptures, 43, he says: "They never quote them explicitly, it is true, but time and again they borrow expressions and ideas from them." As a matter of fact, New Testament writers felt free to quote from any source; for example, Paul on Mars' Hill cites to the learned Athenians an astronomical work of the Stoic Aratus of Cilicia, or perhaps from a Hymn to Jupiter by Cleanthes of Lycia, when he says, "For we are also his off-spring" (Acts 17:28). And Jude 1:14,15 almost undeniably quotes from Enoch (1:9; 60:8)--a work which is not recognized as canonical by any except the church of Abyssinia. But in any case, the mere quoting of a book does not canonize it; nor, on the other hand, does failure to quote a book exclude it. Quotation does not necessarily imply sanction; no more than reference to contemporary literature is incompatible with strict views of the canon. Everything depends upon the manner in which the quotation is made. In no case is an Apocryphal book cited by New Testament authors as "Scripture," or as the work of the Holy Spirit. And the force of this statement is not weakened by the fact that the authors of New Testament writings cited the Septuagint instead of the original Hebrew; for, "they are responsible only for the inherent truthfulness of each passage in the form which they actually adopt" (Green, Canon, 145). As a witness, therefore, the New Testament is of paramount importance. For, though it nowhere tells us the exact number of books contained in the Old Testament canon, it gives abundant evidence of the existence already in the 1st century AD of a definite and fixed canon. [The International Encyclopedia of the Bible, CANON OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, II, Part 8]

It should be noted from the above, “In like manner the expression "law and prophets" is often used in a generic sense, referring to much more than merely the 1st and 2nd divisions of the Old Testament; it seems rather to refer to the old dispensation as a whole; but the term "the law" is the most general of all. It is frequently applied to the entire Old Testament, and apparently held in Christ's time among the Jews a place akin to that which the term "the Bible" does with us. For example, in John 10:34; 11:34; 15:25, texts from the prophets or even from the Ps are quoted as part of "the Law"; in 1 Corinthians 14:21 also, Paul speaks of Isaiah 28:11 as a part of "the law." These names and titles, accordingly, are exceedingly important; they are never applied by New Testament writers to the Apocrypha.” Which brings up the important point for distinguishing between Apocrypha and genuine canonical books, Jesus and the Apostles clearly never referred to them with respect prophecy nor with respect to Almighty God’s laws and principles; however, some will make the claim that they did since some of the unknown writers [only one is known] copied parts of the inspired canonical scripture when putting together their spurious writings so on the surface it might appear that the Apostles were quoting from then when in reality they were quoting only from the divinely inspired Jewish canon of the old testament.

The name canon may properly be applied to the books that seem to have been adopted by the assembly of rabbis at Jamnia about A.D. 90 or 100 under the leadership of Rabbi Akiba. Until then, apparently, the status of Song of Solomon and of Ecclesiastes remained doubtful, but at Jamnia they were definitely included in the canon . . . Some of the Hagiographa (including apparently Daniel) were still in dispute until the assembly at Jamnia. [Jaroslav Pelikan, “Bible,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1970, III, p. 576.]

Among the oldest sources which give numbers for the books in the Old Testament, at least two different enumerations are found. A twenty-two book count is given by Josephus [Midrash Rabbah, Num. 18. 21], as well as by several church fathers (Melito, Origen, Eusebius, Cyril of Jerusalem, Epiphanius, Jerome and Augustine) who seem to be reporting Jewish enumerations. [Babylonian Talmud , Meg. 17b].

See Part 2 - Thinking of Jerome

[iris89]

Part 2 - Thinking of Jerome

FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS ON THE BIBLE CANON

The International Encyclopedia of the Bible has this to say with regard to Flavius Josephus writings on Bible Canon:

Josephus' "Contra Apionem" (circa 100 AD):
Flavius Josephus, the celebrated Jewish historian, was born 37 AD. He was a priest and a Pharisee. About 100 AD, he wrote a controversial treatise, known as Contra Apionem, in defense of the Jews against their assailants, of whom Apion is taken as a leading representative, Now Apion was a famous grammarian, who in his life had been hostile to the Jews. He had died some 50 years before Contra Apionem was written. Josephus wrote in Greek to Greeks. The important passage in his treatise (I, 8) reads as follows:
"For it is not the case with us to have vast numbers of books disagreeing and conflicting with one another. We have but twenty-two, containing the history of all time, books that are justly believed in. And of these, five are the books of Moses, which comprise the laws and the earliest traditions from the creation of mankind down to the time of his (Moses') death. This period falls short but by a little of three thousand years. From the death of Moses to the reign of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, the successor of Xerxes, the prophets who succeeded Moses wrote the history of the events that occurred in their own time; in thirteen books. The remaining four documents comprise hymns to God and practical precepts to men. From the days of Artaxerxes to our own time every event has indeed been recorded. But these recent records have not been deemed worthy of equal credit with those which preceded them, because the exact succession of the prophets ceased. But what faith we have placed in our own writings is evident by our conduct; for though so great an interval of time (i.e. since they were written) has now passed, not a soul has ventured either to add, or to remove, or to alter a syllable. But it is instinctive in all Jews at once from their very birth to regard them as commands of God, and to abide by them, and, if need be, willingly to die for them."
The value of this remarkable passage for our study is obviously very great. In the first place Josephus fixes the number of Jewish writings which are recognized as sacred at 22, joining probably Ru to Jud and La to Jer. He also classifies them according to a threefold division, which is quite peculiar to himself:
5 of Moses, 13 of the prophets, and 4 hymns and maxims for human life. The 5 of Moses were of course the Pentateuch; the 13 of the prophets probably included the 8 regular Nebhi'im plus Daniel, Job, Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Esther; the "4 hymns and maxims" would most naturally consist of Psalms, Proverbs, Canticles and Ecclesiastes. There is little doubt that his 22 books are those of our present Hebrew canon.
Another very remarkable fact about Josephus' statement is the standard he gives of canonicity, namely, antiquity; because, as he says, since Artaxerxes' age the succession of prophets had ceased. It was the uniform tradition of Josephus' time that prophetic inspiration had ceased with Malachi (circa 445-432 BC). Hence, according to him, the canon was closed in the reign of Artaxerxes (465-425 BC). He does not pause to give any account of the closing of the canon; he simply assumes it, treating it as unnecessary. Prophecy had ceased, and the canon was accordingly closed; the fact did not require to be officially proclaimed. As remarked above. the value of Josephus as a witness is very great. But just here an important question arises:
How literally must we interpret his language? Was the Old Testament canon actually closed before 425 BC? Were not there books and parts of books composed and added to the canon subsequent to his reign? Dr. Green seems to take Josephus literally (Canon, 40, 78). But Josephus is not always reliable in his chronology. For example, in his Antiquities (XI, vi, 13) he dates the story of Esther as occurring in the reign of Artaxerxes I (whereas it belongs to Xerxes' reign), while in the same work (XI, v, 1) he puts Ezra and Nehemiah under Xerxes (whereas they belong to the time of Artaxerxes). On the whole, it seems safer on internal grounds to regard Josephus' statements concerning the antiquity of the Jewish canon as the language not of a careful historian, but of a partisan in debate. Instead of expressing absolute fact in this case, he was reflecting the popular belief of his age. Reduced to its lowest terms, the element of real truth in what he says was simply this, that he voiced a tradition which was at that time universal and undisputed; one, however, which had required a long period, perhaps hundreds of years, to develop. Hence, we conclude that the complete Old Testament canon, numbering 22 books, was no new thing 100 AD. [The International Encyclopedia of the Bible, CANON OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, II, Part10]

It should be noted that Flavius Josephus recognized the same Bible canon ot twenty two (22) books of which some were later divided into two or more to come up with our present thirty nine, as the ancient Jews, as Jesus and the Apostles, and the Council of Jamnia, Which brings up the important point for distinguishing between Apocrypha and genuine canonical books, Jesus and the Apostles clearly never referred to them with respect prophecy nor with respect to Almighty God’s laws and principles; however, some will make the claim that they did since some of the unknown writers [only one is known] copied parts of the inspired canonical scripture when putting together their spurious writings so on the surface it might appear that the Apostles were quoting from then when in reality they were quoting only from the divinely inspired Jewish canon of the old testament.

EARLY CATHOLIC COUNCILS AND BIBLE CANON

Many believe that the Council of Nicea, held in 325 A.D., determined what books should constitute the Bible. This council did not determine the canon. So far as is known, the first church council which acted upon this question was the Synod of Laodicea which met in 365. This council rejected the Apocryphal books contained in Augustine's list, but admitted Baruch and the Epistle of Jeremiah. It excluded Revelation. [www.mbdojo.com/~rssl/canon.html ]

The actions of none of these councils were unanimous or decisive. The list of books adopted was adopted simply by a majority vote. A large minority of every council refused to accept the list of the majority. Some advocated the admission of books that were rejected; others opposed the admission of books that were accepted. As late as the seventh century (629), at the sixth Council of Constantinople, many different canonical lists were presented for ratification. [www.mbdojo.com/~rssl/canon.html ]

EARLY CHURCH FATHERS AND SAINTS? ON THE APOCRYPHA

The International Encyclopedia of the Bible has this to say about the thoughts of some so called early church fathers and saints?:

The Old Testament books under consideration were not in the Hebrew Canon and they were originally designated as apocryphal. The Septuagint contained many of the apocrphyal books, and among these were most of those which we have designated deutero-canonical. The Septuagint was perhaps the Greek Bible of New Testament times and it continued to be the Old Testament of the early church, and hence, these books were widely distributed. It seems, however, that they did not continue to hold their place along with the other books, for Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, in his Festal Epistle in 367 gave a list of the books of the Bible which were to be read, and at the close of this list he said:

"There are also other books besides these, not canonized, yet set by the Fathers to be read to those who have just come up and who wish to be informed as to the word of godliness: Wisdom, Sirach, Esther, Judith, Tobit, the so-called Teaching of the Apes, and the Shepherd of Hermas." Jerome also made a distinction between the apocryphal books and the others. In his Preface, after enumerating the books contained in the Hebrew Canon, he adds: "This prologue I write as a preface to the books to be translated by us from the Hebrew into Latin, that we may know that all the books which are not of this number are apocrphyal; therefore Wisdom, which is commonly ascribed to Solomon as its author, and the book of Jesus the son of Sirach, Judith, Tobit and the Shepher are not in the Canon." Rufinus made the same distinction as did Jerome. He declared that "these books are not canonical, but have been called by our forefathers ecclesiastical." Augustine included these books in his list which he published in 397. He begins the list thus: "The entire canon of Scripture is comprised in these books." Then follows a list of the books which includes Tobit, Judith, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, 2 Esdras, Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus, and it closes with these words: "In these 44 books is comprised all the authority of the Old Testament." Inasmuch as these books were regarded by the church at large as ecclesiastical and helpful, and Augustine had given them canonical sanction, they rapidly gained in favor and most of them are found in the great manuscripts. . [The International Encyclopedia of the Bible, DEUTERO-CANONICAL, Part 1]


As can clearly be seen from the above, Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, in his Festal Epistle in 367 gave a list of the books of the Bible which were to be read, and at the close of this list he said: "There are also other books besides these, not canonized, yet set by the Fathers to be read to those who have just come up and who wish to be informed as to the word of godliness: Wisdom, Sirach, Esther, Judith, Tobit, the so-called Teaching of the Apes, and the Shepherd of Hermas." Jerome also made a distinction between the apocryphal books and the others. In his Preface, after enumerating the books contained in the Hebrew Canon, he adds: "This prologue I write as a preface to the books to be translated by us from the Hebrew into Latin, that we may know that all the books which are not of this number are apocrphyal; therefore Wisdom, which is commonly ascribed to Solomon as its author, and the book of Jesus the son of Sirach, Judith, Tobit and the Shepher are not in the Canon." Also, as brought out above, Rufinus made the same distinction as did Jerome.

ON (Saint?) JEROME AND BIBLE CANON

St. Jerome's Vulgate translation did contain the Vetus Itala deuteros, however it is well known he was opposed to their use as regards the confirmation of dogmatic teaching; rather he regarded them useful for edification. He was persuaded to include them by the prevailing thought at the time which accepted all the deuteros. The Council of Rome (382), that of Hippo (393) and those of Carthage (393, 397 and 419) all accepted all the deuteros. So too did Pope Innocent I in a letter to Bishop Exuperius of Toulouse in 405. While these were not ecumenical councils, still it was clear that the teaching authority of the Church lay on the side of the deuteros. St. Jerome was critical of these works because of his over-rigid idea of canonicity: in his view they had to be accepted by all of Jewish antiquity to make it into the canon. The Catholic Encyclopedia entry on "Canon of the Old Tesetament" reports that "in his "Prologus Galeatus" or preface to his translation of Samuel and Kings he declares that everything not Hebrew should be classed with the apocrypha, ans explicitly states that Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Tobias and Judith are not on the Canon." However, note that since 1 Macchabees and Baruch were written in Hebrew, so Jerome had to admit them on this basis. Remember also that the issue of the canon of Scripture was not an issue that divided Christendom at this time, and while there was agreement at the various coiuncils and papal teaching (382 and 419) the canon was not actually defined until Trent in 1546. But this does not mean there was disagreement until this time, quite the contrary, it was decided at the end of the fourth and beginning of the fifth century. [www.saint-mike.org/apolog...chard.html]

As can be seen from the above, and as previous noted, (Saint?) Jerome was the greatest Catholic Bible scholar of all times. Many say he was the one who split the original twenty two (22) canonical books of the ancient Jewish canon into our present thirty nine (39), but this although alleged to him is not all that certain. However what is certain, (Saint?) Jerome did not consider the Apocrypha divinely inspired canonical books, “St. Jerome was critical of these works because of his over-rigid idea of canonicity: in his view they had to be accepted by all of Jewish antiquity to make it into the canon.” [The Catholic Encyclopedia].

The early Church had many scholars, but none so learned or prolific as Jerome. Born around 345 C.E. near modern day Rijeka, Croatia to Christian parents, he was given a fine classical education. In his late 20's Jerome made a pilgrimage to Antioch, where he learned Greek and pursued Biblical studies.
Jerome was ordained a priest, and at the age of 37 he became secretary to Pope Damasus. Damasus selected Jerome to make a new Latin translation of the Greek New Testament which was badly needed (Jerome later expanded his assignment to include the Old Testament, which he translated from the Hebrew). Jerome eventually moved to Bethlehem, where he studied Hebrew under Jewish scholars.

Jerome was a meticulous scholar, familiarizing himself with both the Greek and Hebrew Texts. Jerome spoke out decidedly for the Hebrew canon, declaring unreservedly that books that were outside the canon should be classed as "apocryphal" anticipating by 1000 years the reformers. The causes for which Jerome fought were three:
1. The provision of as accurate a text as possible of the Bible through recourse to the original languages and previous translations.
2. The biblical text should be illuminated by sound exegesis.
3. Monastic life should be based on a systematic lectio divina (meditative reading of Scripture, commentaries. and spiritual writings that leads to prayer), a prayerful but serious study of Scripture and the fathers. [www.mbdojo.com/~rssl/canon.html ]

As can be seen from the above, and as previous noted, (Saint?) Jerome was the greatest Catholic Bible scholar of all times. Many say he was the one who split the original twenty two (22) canonical books of the ancient Jewish canon into our present thirty nine (39), but this although alleged to him is not all that certain. However what is certain, (Saint?) Jerome did not consider the Apocrypha divinely inspired canonical books, “Jerome was a meticulous scholar, familiarizing himself with both the Greek and Hebrew Texts. Jerome spoke out decidedly for the Hebrew canon, declaring unreservedly that books that were outside the canon should be classed as "apocryphal" anticipating by 1000 years the reformers.”

It was Jerome who introduced the term apocrypha (Greek for "hidden") for the extra books in the Septuagint not included in the Hebrew canon. Jerome tried to persuade the Roman Church to reject the apocrypha but without any success. Jerome worked on the translation for fifteen years and finally produced the version known as the Vulgate (vulgata = Latin forwidespread). The Vulgate included the books from the Apocrypha. The difference in opinion between the Roman Church and Jerome regarding what constitute canonicity was to be repeated throughout the history of Christendom. [Livingstone, Dictionary of the Christian Church: p27-28, Parmalee, Guidebook to the Bible: p83]

Martin Luther resurrected Jerome’s objections to the Apocrypha. He felt, as Jerome did, that it was proper to use the Apocrypha as a liturgical resource or for moral instruction, but not as a source of doctrine. This is the way that fundamentalist churches use the writings of Bill and Gloria Gaither or C. S. Lewis, for example. To this day, Anglicans, Methodists, and Lutherans use the Apocrypha in this way. However, the Pope responded to Luther by proclaiming the Apocrypha to be scripture on a par with the rest of the Old Testament, over the protests of some Roman Catholic scholars. Today, the Roman Catholic Church considers the Apocrypha to be deuterocanonical, which means secondarily canonical. This term refers to the order of acceptance and not to the degree of authority. [www.kencollins.com/bible-p1.htm]

“St. Jerome distinguished between canonical books and ecclesiastical books. The latter he judged were circulated by the Church as good spiritual reading but were not recognized as authoritative Scripture. The situation remained unclear in the ensuing centuries...For example, John of Damascus, Gregory the Great, Walafrid, Nicolas of Lyra and Tostado continued to doubt the canonicity of the deuterocanonical books. According to Catholic doctrine, the proximate criterion of the biblical canon is the infallible decision of the Church. This decision was not given until rather late in the history of the Church at the Council of Trent. The Council of Trent definitively settled the matter of the Old Testament Canon. That this had not been done previously is apparent from the uncertainty that persisted up to the time of Trent” (The New Catholic Encyclopedia, The Canon). [www.justforcatholics.org/a108.htm]. A clear admission in obfuscating terms by Catholic authorities that (Saint?) Jerome, the greatest Catholic Bible scholar of all times, did not recognize the books of the Apocrypha as canonical books, but only as ecclesiastical books. This is also shown in the excerpt above this one from the Livingstone, Dictionary of the Christian Church.

In later life, strong pressure was applied to (Saint?) Jerome to change his views and he caved into the pressure so as to avoid church punishment, “Saint Jerome originally considered these deuterocanonical books of the Old Testament as uninspired, however he later changed his mind. He was commissioned by the Pope to put all the books of the Bible into one collected work during the fourth century. His work is called the "Vulgate" which means the vernacular because it was a translation of the Bible into Latin which was the come language of that time in the Roman Empire. In the beginning of his translations Jerome included the reason that the Jews rejected these books, however it can be clearly seen that he considered these books to be equally inspired by looking at his letter to Rufinius as well as the fact that he included them in his Bible translation, the Latin Vulgate.” [members.aol.com/johnprh/d...0%20JEROME]

The above proves the Catholic church is not interested in fact, but in getting their way regardless of reality, i.e., ‘do not confuse me with fact, my mind is made up.’

THE JEWISH – JESUS WAS BORN A JEW - VIEW OF THE APOCRYPHA

The Jewish Encyclopedia has the following to say about the Apocrypha:

"Outside" Books.
The canonical books, therefore, needed no special designation, since originally all were holy. A new term had to be coined for the new idea of non-holy books. The latter were accordingly called ("outside" or "extraneous books"); that is, books not included in the established collection (Mishnah Sanh. x. 1)—a distinction analogous to that afterward made, with reference to the oral law itself, between "Mishnah" and "Outside-Mishnah" ( and , or its Aramaic equivalent , "Baraita"). Possibly this designation was due to the fact that the Apocrypha, which in popular estimation ranked nevertheless with religious works, were not included in the libraries of the Temple and synagogues (for illustration of this see Books, and Blau, "Zur Einleitung in die Heilige Schrift," i. et seq.). Another designation, ("that which is read"), applied to the whole of Scripture, is founded upon the custom of reading the Holy Scriptures to the people on Sabbaths and holidays: it is a term frequently opposed to and , which designate oral teaching (Ned. iv. 3; Ḳid. i., end; Abot v., end). A third designation

Your Friend in Christ Iris89

[iris89]

STANDARDS ARE PROMULGATED NOT PROVEN BUT USED:

There is a great misunderstanding with regard to exactly what standards are and how they are to be used. Some feel standards are to be proven; whereas, NIST [National Institute of Standards and Technology - a US governmental agency] and the ANSI [American National Standards Institute - a private technical organization in the US] both make clear that the purpose of standards is to unify or codify what is or is not in accordance to a standard. Standards are either made by a recognized standards setting body and/or other authoritative source. Their main intent is to bring unity in what ever is being judged or standardized. Standards are put into effect through promulgated to the users or affected parties and are made available through a variety of sources.

Some standards have an extensive history of application and additions/revisions. Some standards cover basic technical entities such as the SI that covers the metric standard of measurements and weights and these types of standards often intersect with other scientific systems of weights and measures. These types of standards are intended to codify a system so everyone has a standard or uniform way to compare measurements or ways of viewing specific items or situations. In other words, they give a way of proving what is right or correct against a base which is the standard.

The oldest known standard that has frequently been revised up until approximately 96 A.D. is the Holy Bible. It has been translated into more languages than any other standard. In effect it is the ultimate standard due to its promulgated by the Supreme authority of the entire universe, Almighty God (YHWH). However, it like all other standards is intended to codify a system of living or belief which is acceptable to this Supreme authority.

THE BIBLE IS UNIQUE AMONG STANDARDS:

First, the Bible was written over a period exceeding a millennium and one/half by over 40 different divinely inspired writers.

Second, it is far older than all other standards in use in the western world.

Three, it is the only standard written at the direction of Almighty God (YHWH); therefore is the ultimate standard.

Is there a way to prove inspiration or, at least, intelligently present evidence for its inspiration? The answer is "Yes!" One of the best ways to prove inspiration is by examining prophecy. There are many religious books in the world that have many good things to say. But only the Bible has fulfilled prophecies--with more fulfillments to come. The Bible has never been wrong in the past, and it won't be wrong in the future. It claims inspiration from God, “ All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (2 Timothy 3:16 AV). Since God is the creator of all things “ Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;” (Isaiah 44:24 AV), then He (YHWH) is also the creator of time. It is under His control. Only God, then, would always be right about what is in the future, our future.

Fulfilled prophecy is strong evidence that God is the author of the Bible because when you look at the mathematical odds of prophecy being fulfilled, you quickly see a design, a purpose, and a guiding hand behind the Bible. If just one prophecy failed, then we would know that God is not the true God, because the creator of all things, which includes time, would not be wrong about predicting the future. “ When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:22 AV). And “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me; 10 declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure;” (Isaiah 46:9-10 American Standard Version of 1901).

One writer and mathmatician, Peter Stoner has figured out the possibilities of the fulfillment of just eight (8) prophecies happening, let alone 100 having been fulfilled, and had this to say:

The following probabilities are taken from Peter Stoner in Science Speaks (Moody Press, 1963) to show that coincidence is ruled out by the science of probability. Stoner says that by using the modern science of probability in reference to eight prophecies, 'we find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 1017." That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. In order to help us comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing that "we take 1017 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep.
"Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man."
Stoner considers 48 prophecies and says, "we find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10157.

The estimated number of electrons in the universe is around 1079. It should be quite evident that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies by accident." [ excerpt from book Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell.]

EXAMPLES OF A FEW OF THE PROPHECIES FULFILLED IN JESUS (YESHUA OR YHWH SAVES):

Prophecy Fulfilled When Jesus Was Crucified

[ 1. Betrayed by a friend - Psalms 41:9 - John 13:18-27 - 460 BCE ]]

[ 2. Thirty (30) of silver thrown in Temple - Zechariah 11:13 - Matthew 27:3-5 - 518 BCE ]

[ 3. Betrayed for thirty (30) pieces of silver - Zechariah 11:12 - Matthew 26:14-15 - 518 BCE ]

[ 4. Potters field bought for thirty (30) pieces of silver&Zechariah 11:13 - Matthew 27:6-10 - 518 BCE ]

[ 5. Forsaken by His disciples - Zechariah 13:7 - Mark 14:27-50 - 518 BCE ]

[ 6. Falsely accused by false witnesses - Psalms 35:11-21 - Matthew 26:59-61 - 460 BCE ]

[ 7. Remained silent before accusers - Isaiah 53:7 - Matthew 27:12-14 - 732 BCE ]

[ 8. Was wounded and bruised - Isaiah 53:4-6 - 1 Peter 2:21-25 - 732 BCE ]

[ 9. Spit upon and beaten - Isaiah 50:6 - Matthew 26:67-68 - 732 BCE ]

[ 10. Was mocked - Psalms 22:6- 8 - Matthew 27:27- 31 - 460 BCE ]

[ 11. Fell under the cross (stauros) - Psalms 109:24- 25 - John 19:17, Luke 23:26 - 460 BCE]

[ 12. Had hands and feet pierced - Psalms 22:16 - John 20:24-28 - 460 BCE ]

[ 13. Was crucified with thieves - Isaiah 53:12 - Matthew 27:38 - 732 BCE ]

[ 14. Prayed for His enemies - Isaiah 53:12 - Luke 23:34 - 732 BCE ]

[ 15. His own people rejected him - Isaiah 53:3 - John 19:14-15 - 732 BCE]

[ 16. Was hated without cause - Psalms 69:4 - John 15:25 - 460 BCE ]

[ 17. Friends stood aloof - Psalms 38:11 -Luke 22:54; Luke 23:49 - 460 BCE ]

[ 18. People wag their heads - Psalms 22:7; Psalms 109:25 - Matthew 27:39 - 460 BCE]

[19. He was stared at by people - Psalms 22:17 - Luke 23:35 - 460 BCE]

[ 20. Gamblers divided his clothes - Psalms 22:18 - John 19:23-24 - 460 BCE ]

[ 21. He became very thirsty - Psalms 22:15 - John 19:28 - 460 BCE ]

[ 22. He was given gall & vinegar - Psalms 69:21 - Matthew 27:34 - 460 BCE ]

[ 23. He committed himself to God - Psalms 31:5 - Luke 23:46 - 460 BCE ]

[ 24. His forsaken cry - Psalms 22:1 - Matthew 27:46 - 460 BCE ]

[ 25. His bones not broken - Psalms 34:20 - John 19:32-36 - 460 BCE ]

[ 26. Was buried in tomb of a rich man - Isaiah 53:9 - Matthew 27:56-60 - 732 BCE ]

[ 27. A darkness came over the land - Amos 8:9 - Luke 23:44-45 - 804 BCE ]

[ 28. His heart was broken - Psalms 69:20;Psalms 22:14 - 460 BCE ]

[ 29. His side pierced - Zechariah 12:10 - John 19:34-37 - 648 BCE ]

PROPHECIES FULFILLED CONCERNING HIS BIRTH

[ 1. Born of the seed of women - Genesis 3:15 - Galatians 4:4 - 1513 BCE ]

[ 2. Born to a virgin Hebrew - Isaiah 7:14 - Matthew 1:18-25 - 732 BCE ]

[ 3. Children are killed by Herod - Jeremiah 31:15 - Matthew 2:16-18 - 580 BCE ]

[ 4. Born of the family line of Jesse - Isaiah 11:1 - Luke 3:32 - 732 BCE ]

[ 5. Born into the Tribe of Judah - Genesis 49:10 - Revelations 5:5 - 1513 BCE ]

[ 6. Born in Bethlehem - Micah 5:2 - Matthew 2:1-6 - 717 BCE ]

[ 7. Seed of David - Jeremiah 23:5 - Luke 3:31 - 580 BCE ]

[ 8. Seed of Jacob - Numbers 24:17 - Luke 3:34 - 1473 BCE ]

[ 9. Seed of Isaac - Genesis 21:12 - Luke 3:23-34 - 1513 BCE ]

[ 10. Seed of Abraham - Genesis 22:18 - Matthew 1:1 - 1513 BCE ]

PROPHECIES ON HIS PERSONALITY

[ 1. His zeal for this Father (YHWY) - Psalms 69:9 - John 2:15-17 - 460 BCE ]

[2. His existence before creation - Micah 5:2 - 1 Peter 1:20 - 717 BCE ]

[ 3. He shall be called Lord - Psalms 110:1 - Acts 2:36 - 460 BCE ]

[ 4. Called Immanuel (God with us) - Isaiah 7:14 - Matthew 1:22-23 - 732 BCE ]

[ 5. Anointed by the Spirit (HS) - Isaiah 11:2 - Matthew 3:16-17 - 732 BCE ]

[ 6. He is a Prophet - Deuteronomy 18:18-19 - Acts 3:18-25 - 1473 BCE ]

[ 7. He will be a Priest - Psalms 110:4 - Hebrews 5:5-6 - 460 BCE ]

[ 8. He will be a Judge - Isaiah 33:32 - John 5:22-23 - 732 BCE ]

[ 9. He will be a King - Psalms 2:6 - John 18:33-37 - 460 BCE ]

PROPHECIES CONCERNING HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY

[ 1. Will be preceded by a messenger - Isaiah 40:3 - Matthew 3:1-3 - 732 BCE ]

[ 2. He would perform miracles - Isaiah 35:5-6 - Matthew 9:35 & 11:4 - 732 BCE ]

[ 3. Ministry to begin in Galilee - Isaiah 9:1-2 - Matthew 4:12-17 - 732 BCE ]

[ 4. Would teach with parables - Psalms 78:1-4 - Matthew 13:34-35 - 460 BCE ]
[ 5. He would preach in temple - Malachi 3:1 - Matthew 21:10-12 - 443 BCE ]

[ 6. Enter Jerusalem on a donkey - Zechariah 9:9 - Matthew 21:1-7 - 518 BCE ]

[ 7. Stone of stumbling to Jews - Isaiah 28:16; Psalms 118:22 - 1 Peter 2:6-8 - 732 BCE ]

[ 8. Light to Gentiles - Isaiah 49:6 - Acts 13:46-48 - 732 BCE ]

PROPHECIES CONCERNING HIS RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION

[ 1. Raised from the dead - Psalms 16:8-11 - Acts 2:24-31 - 460 BCE ]

[ 2. Only begotten Son of God (YHWH) - Psalms 2:7 - Acts 13:32-35 - 460 BCE ]

[ 3. Ascended to God (YHWH) - Psalms 68:18 - Ephesians 2:8-10; John 6:26 - 460 BCE ]

[ 4. Seated at the Right Hand of God (YHWH) - Psalms 110.1 - Hebrews 1:3-13 - 460 BCE]

CONCLUSION:


Unique among all books ever written, the Bible accurately foretells specific events -- in detail -- many years, sometimes centuries, before they occur. Approximately 2500 prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2000 of which already have been fulfilled to the letter -- no errors. (The remaining 500 or so reach into the future and may be seen unfolding as days go by.) Since the probability for any one of these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance averages less than one in ten (figured very conservatively) and since the prophecies are for the most part independent of one another, the odds for all these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance without error is less than one in 102000 (that is 1 with 2000 zeros written after it)!
God is not the only one, however, who uses forecasts of future events to get people's attention. Satan does too. Through clairvoyants (such as Jeanne Dixon and Edgar Cayce), mediums, spiritists, and others, come remarkable predictions, though rarely with more than about 60 percent accuracy, never with total accuracy. Messages from Satan, furthermore, fail to match the detail of Bible prophecies, nor do they include a call to repentance.

The acid test for identifying a prophet of God is recorded by Moses in (Deuteronomy 18:21-22). According to this Bible passage (and others), God's prophets, as distinct from Satan's spokesmen, are 100 percent accurate in their predictions. There is no room for error. As economy does not permit an explanation of all Biblical prophecies that have been fulfilled, what follows [is] a discussion of a few that exemplify the high degree of specificity, the range of projection, and/or the "supernature" of the predicted events. Readers are encouraged to select others, as well, and to carefully examine their historicity.

(1) Some time before 500 B.C. the prophet Daniel proclaimed that Israel's long-awaited Messiah would begin his public ministry 483 years after the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25) . He further predicted that the Messiah would be "cut off," killed, and that this event would take place prior to a second destruction of Jerusalem. Abundant documentation shows that these prophecies were perfectly fulfilled in the life (and crucifixion) of Jesus Christ. The decree regarding the restoration of Jerusalem was issued by Persia's King Artaxerxes to the Hebrew priest Ezra in 458 B.C., 483 years later the ministry of Jesus Christ began in Galilee. (Remember that due to calendar changes, the date for the start of Christ's ministry is set by most historians at about 26 A.D. Also note that from 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. is just one year.) Jesus' crucifixion occurred only a few years later, and about four decades later, in 70 A.D. came the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. (Probability of chance fulfillment -- 1 in 105.)
* The estimates of probability included herein come from a group of secular research scientists. As an example of their method of estimation, consider their calculations for this first prophecy cited:

Since the Messiah's ministry could conceivably begin in any one of about 5,000 years, there is, then, one chance in about 5,000 that his ministry could begin in 26 A.D.

Since the Messiah is a God in human form, the possibility of his being killed is considerably low, say less than one chance in 10.

Relative to the second destruction of Jerusalem, this execution has roughly an even chance of occurring before or after that event, that is, one chance in 2.

Hence the probability of chance fulfillment for this prophecy is 1 in 5,000 x 10 x 2, which is 1 in 100,000, or 1 in 105.
(2) In approximately 700 B.C. the prophet Micah named the tiny village of Bethlehem as the birthplace of Israel's Messiah (Micah 5:2). The fulfillment of this prophecy in the birth of Christ is one of the most widely known and widely celebrated facts in history. (Probability of chance fulfillment -- 1 in 105.)

(3) In the fifth century B.C. a prophet named Zechariah declared that the Messiah would be betrayed for the price of a slave -- thirty pieces of silver, according to Jewish law -- and also that this money would be used to buy a burial ground for Jerusalem's poor foreigners (Zechariah 11:12-13). Bible writers and secular historians both record thirty pieces of silver as the sum paid to Judas Iscariot for betraying Jesus, and they indicate that the money went to purchase a "potter's field," used -- just as predicted -- for the burial of poor aliens (Matthew 27:3-10), (Probability of chance fulfillment -- 1 in 1011.)

(4) Some 400 years before crucifixion was invented, both Israel's King David and the prophet Zechariah described the Messiah's death in words that perfectly depict that mode of execution. Further, they said that the body would be pierced and that none of the bones would be broken, contrary to customary procedure in cases of crucifixion (Psalm 22) and (34:20); (Zechariah 12:10). Again, historians and New Testament writers confirm the fulfillment: Jesus of Nazareth died on a Roman cross, and his extraordinarily quick death eliminated the need for the usual breaking of bones. A spear was thrust into his side to verify that he was indeed, dead. (Probability of chance fulfillment -- 1 in 1013).

(5) The prophet Isaiah foretold that a conqueror named Cyrus would destroy seemingly impregnable Babylon and subdue Egypt along with most of the rest of the known world. This same man, said Isaiah, would decide to let the Jewish exiles in his territory go free without any payment of ransom (Isaiah 44:28); (45:1) and (45:13). Isaiah made this prophecy l50 years before Cyrus was born, 180 years before Cyrus performed any of these feats (and he did, eventually, perform them all), and 80 years before the Jews were taken into exile. (Probability of chance fulfillment -- 1 in 1015.)

(6) Mighty Babylon, 196 miles square, was enclosed not only by a moat, but also by a double wall 330 feet high, each part 90 feet thick. It was said by unanimous popular opinion to be indestructible, yet two Bible prophets declared its doom. These prophets further claimed that the ruins would be avoided by travelers, that the city would never again be inhabited, and that its stones would not even be moved for use as building material (Isaiah 13:17-22) and (Jeremiah 51:26, 43). The description is, in fact, the well-documented history of the famous citadel. (Probability of chance fulfillment -- 1 in 109.)

(7) The exact location and construction sequence of Jerusalem's nine suburbs was predicted by Jeremiah about 2,600 years ago. He referred to the time of this building project as "the last days," that is, the time period of Israel's second rebirth as a nation in the land of Palestine (Jeremiah 31:38-40) . This rebirth became history in 1948, and the construction of the nine suburbs has gone forward precisely in the locations and in the sequence predicted. (Probability of chance fulfillment -- 1 in 1018.)

(8) The prophet Moses foretold (with some additions by Jeremiah and Jesus) that the ancient Jewish nation would be conquered twice and that the people would be carried off as slaves each time, first by the Babylonians (for a period of 70 years), and then by a fourth world kingdom (which we know as Rome). The second conqueror, Moses said, would take the Jews captive in ships, selling them or giving them away as slaves to all parts of the world. Both of these predictions were fulfilled to the letter, the first in 607 B.C. and the second in 70 A.D. God's spokesmen said, further, that the Jews would remain scattered throughout the entire world for many generations, but without becoming assimilated by the peoples or of other nations, and that the Jews would one day return to the land of Palestine to re-establish for a second time their nation (Deuteronomy 29; Isaiah 11:11-13; Jeremiah 25:11: Hosea 3:4-5; and Luke 21:23-24). This prophetic statement sweeps across 3,500 years of history to its complete fulfillment -- in our lifetime. (Probability of chance fulfillment -- 1 in 1020.)

(9) Jeremiah predicted that despite its fertility and despite the accessibility of its water supply, the land of Edom (today a part of Jordan) would become a barren, uninhabited wasteland (Jeremiah 49:15-20; Ezekiel 25:12-14). His description accurately tells the history of that now bleak region. (Probability of chance fulfillment -- 1 in 105.)

(10) Joshua predicted that Jericho would be rebuilt by one man. He also said that the man's eldest son would die when the reconstruction began and that his youngest son would die when the work reached completion (Joshua 6:26). About five centuries later this prophecy found its fulfillment in the life and family of a man named Hiel (1 Kings 16:33-34). (Probability of chance fulfillment -- 1 in 107.)

(11) The day of Elijah's supernatural departure from Earth was predicted unanimously -- and accurately, according to the eye-witness account -- by a group of fifty prophets (2 Kings 2:3-11). (Probability of chance fulfillment -- 1 in 10.)

(12) Jahaziel prophesied that King Jehoshaphat and a tiny band of men would defeat an enormous, well-equipped, well-trained army without even having to fight. Just as predicted, the King and his troops stood looking on as their foes were supernaturally destroyed to the last man (2 Chronicles 20). (Probability of chance fulfillment -- 1 in 108.)

(13) One prophet of God (unnamed, but probably Shemiah) said that a future king of Judah, named Josiah, would take the bones of all the occultic priests (priests of the "high places") of Israel's King Jeroboam and burn them on Jeroboam's altar (1 Kings 13:2 and 2 Kings 23:15-18). This event occurred approximately 300 years after it was foretold. (Probability of chance fulfillment -- 1 in 1013.)

Since these thirteen prophecies cover mostly separate and independent events, the probability of chance occurrence for all thirteen is about 1 in 10138 (138 equals the sum of all the exponents of 10 in the probability estimates above). For the sake of putting the figure into perspective, this probability can be compared to the statistical chance that the second law of thermodynamics will be reversed in a given situation (for example, that a gasoline engine will refrigerate itself during its combustion cycle or that heat will flow from a cold body to a hot body) -- that chance -- 1 in 1080. Stating it simply, based on these thirteen prophecies along, the Bible record may be said to be vastly more reliable than the second law of thermodynamics. Each reader should feel free to make his own reasonable estimates of probability for the chance fulfillment of the prophecies cited here. In any case, the probabilities deduced still will be absurdly remote.
Given that the Bible proves so reliable a document, there is every reason to expect that the remaining 500 prophecies, those slated for the "time of the end," also will be fulfilled to the last letter (see Signs of the End, Tribulation Dooms, and The Rapture Promise). Who can afford to ignore these coming events, much less miss out on the immeasurable blessings offered to anyone and everyone who submits to the control of the Bible's author, Jesus Christ? Would a reasonable person take lightly God's warning of judgment for those who reject what they know to be true about Jesus Christ and the Bible, or who reject Jesus' claim on their lives?
Now is the day of salvation! Now is the time of God's favor! Please do not let it go by without further consideration. [International Encyclopedia of the Bible ]

Your Friend in Christ Iris89

[iris89]

Discourse on a Lost Book of the Bible:

INTRODUCTION:

There have been many claims for lost books of the Bible, but in reality all but one of these claims is just plain spurious. What is usually being referred to are books that were not divinely inspired nor legitimate, but not actually lost. These will be dealt with in three sections, (1) The Aprocypha or deuterocanonical books, (2) The external books actually quoted in the Bible by inspired writers, (3) History books that some count as part of the Aprocypha, i.e., the 4 Books of Maccabees, the strangest case of all!

But there actually is one lost book, although obviously very short, that we do NOT have today, and I call it 4 th. John.

THE APROCYPHA OR DEUTERCANONICAL BOOKS:

First, let's consider what they are as defined by the Columbia Encyclopedia, sixth edition, by Columbia University Press. This encyclopedia defines the Apocrypha as, "(pk´rf) (KEY) [Gr.,=hidden things], term signifying a collection of early Jewish writings excluded from the canon of the Hebrew scriptures. It is not clear why the term was chosen." In reality they were nothing but uninspired writings, many purporting to be written by other than who was actually their author, or basically illegitimate and lacking credence. In fact, the real author of only one of the Apocrypha is actually known. Some religions, unfortunately, have included some of the Apocrypha in their Bibles, but even these were few in number. A list of most of the Apocrypha follows:

1 Clement, 1st Apocalypse of James, 2 Clement, 2nd Apocalypse of James, 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, Acts of Andrew, Acts of Apollonius, Acts of Carpus, Acts of John,Acts of Paul, Acts of Perpetua and Felicitas, Acts of Peter, Acts of Peter and the Twelve, Acts of Pilate, Acts of the Apostles, Acts of Thomas, Additions to the Book of Esther, Anonymous Anti-Montanist. Anti-Marcionite Prologues, Apelles, Apocalypse of John, Apocalypse of Peter, Apocryphon of John, Apollonius, Apology of Aristides, Aristo of Pella, Ascension of Isaiah, Athenagoras of Athens, Authoritative Teaching, Bardesanes, Baruch, Basilides, Eel and the Dragon, Book of Elchasai, Book of Thomas the Contender, Books of Jeu, Caius, Celsus, Christian Sibyllines, Claudius Apollinaris, Clement of Alexandria, Colossians, Coptic Apocalypse of Paul, Coptic Apocalypse of Peter, Dialogue of the Savior, Diatessaron, Didache, Didascalia, Dionysius of Corinth, Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth, Dura-Europos Gospel Harmony, Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach, Egerton Gospel, Epiphanes On Righteousness, Epistle of Barnabas, Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus, Epistula Apostolorum, Excerpts of Theodotus, Fayyum Fragment, Fifth and Sixth Books of Esra, Fronto, Galen, Gospel of Judas, Gospel of Mary, Gospel of Peter, Gospel of Philip, Gospel of the Ebionite, Gospel of the Egyptians, Gospel of the Hebrews, Gospel of the Nazoreans, Gospel of the Savior, Gospel of Thomas
Gospel of Truth, Hegesippus, Heracleon, Hippolytus of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Infancy Gospel of James, Infancy Gospel of Thomas, Inscription of Abercius, Irenaeus of Lyons, Isidore, Judith, Julius Cassianus, Justin Martyr, Kerygmata Petrou, Letter from Vienna and Lyons, Letter of Jeremiah, Letter of Peter to Philip, Lost Sayings Gospel Q, Lucian of Samosata, Mara Bar Serapion, Marcion, Marcus Aurelius, Martyrdom of Polycarp, Maximus of Jerusalem, Melchizedek, Melito of Sardis, Muratorian Canon, Naassene Fragment, Octavius of Minucius Felix, Odes of Solomon, Ophite Diagrams, Origen, Oxyrhynchus 1224 Gospel, Oxyrhynchus 840 Gospel, Pantaenus, Papias, Passion Narrative, Passion of the Scillitan Martyrs , Philostratus, Pistis Sophia, Pliny the Younger, Polycarp to the Philippians, Polycrates of Ephesus, Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews, Prayer of Manasseh, Preaching of Peter, Ptolemy, Quadratus of Athens, Rhodon, Secret Book of James, Secret Mark, Serapion of Antioch, Shepherd of Hermas, Signs Gospel, Sophia of Jesus Christ, Suetonius, Susanna, Tacitus, Tatian's Address to the Greeks, The Additions to the Book of Daniel, Tertullian, Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, Theophilus of Antioch, Theophilus of Caesarea, Tobit, Traditions of Matthias, Treatise on the Resurrection, Trimorphic Protennoia, Urantia, Valentinus, Victor I, Wisdom of Solomon, etc.

As can be seen many of these none illegitimate books try to give themselves credence by closely mimicking the names of actual legitimate canonical books of the Bible. These books are often called the pseudepigrapha? The term is a transliteration of the Greek plural noun that literally means "with false superscription". According to Webster's Third New International Dictionary (p. 1830), the term can be defined as, "spurious works purporting to emanate from biblical characters". The Random House Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language defines the term as, "Certain writings (other than the canonical books and the Apocrypha) professing to be Biblical in character, but not considered canonical or inspired. These are NOT lost books, just NOT legitimate books of Bible cannon.

THE EXTERNAL BOOKS QUOTED IN THE BIBLE:

There are many external books quoted by inspired Bible writers as references. Many are, "not aware that the Old Testament authors depended upon other writings as their sources which they freely admit. Among these are: the Book of the Wars of Yahweh (Num. 21:14), the Book of the Jashar (Josh 10:13; 2 Sam. 1:18), the Book of the Acts of Solomon (1 Ki 14:19; 2 Chr 33:18), the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah (1 Ki 14:29, 15:7), the Annals of Samuel the Seer (1 Chr 29:29), the History of Nathan the Prophet (2 Chr 9:29), the Annals of Shemaiah the Prophet and Iddo the Seer (2 Chr. 12:15), the Annals of Jehu the Son of Hanani (2 Chr. 20:34), and others. Some teach that Moses compiled the Book of Genesis from other writings that surely had to have been handed down and preserved by his forefathers. Genesis can be broken down into eleven separate history books, each being separated by colophons at the conclusion of the books. This is known to have been a popular style for such ancient writings. ...According to this theory we have eleven separate books having the following authors: Adam, Noah, and eight other authors which Moses merely compiled into one book. [source= Ronald G. Fanter Cutting Edge Ministries].

One of these books is still existent today, the Book of Jashar or as it is sometimes called the Book of the Just, and another, the Book of the Wars of Yahweh, is actually thought my most scholars to actually be the Book of Jashar. The Book of Jashar is quite interesting, but one must be careful in obtaining a copy as there are counterfeit books masquerading as the Book of Jashar which are not. Also, there is a counterfeit Book of the Wars of Yahweh which is of course a fake since as previously said, this book is thought to just be another name for the Book of Jashar.

THE 4 BOOKS OF MACCABEES:

This is by far the strangest case of all. The 4 Books of Maccabees are ranked by many as part of the Apocrypha; however, they should be ranked as history books of the 1 st. and 2 nd. Century roughly before the incarnation of our leader and savior, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ. Very strange is the fact that the Catholic church accepted only two of them into their Canon of Bible Books; whereas, there are four of them. The Greek Orthodox, however, accepted three of them, and only the Cathars accepted the fourth. Strange to say the least, but none should have been accepted as canonical as they are history books, and one would NOT THINK of accepting H. G. Wells, 'Outline of History," into the Bible cannon; we are getting into the absurd. However, they make excellent reading as history books that fill in the history of these two centuries.

THE REAL LOST BOOK OF 4 JOHN:

However as testified to in the Bible there is a book that is totally legitimate having been written by none other than the Apostle John as a letter to a congregation just as were The First Epistle of John, The Second Epistle of John, and The Third Epistle of John. It is the lost Fourth Epistle of John referred to in The Third Epistle of John that the Revised Standard Version states at 3 John 9, "have written something to the church; but Diot'rephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge my authority." (Revised Standard Version; RSV).

Let's look at this text in context in the Douay Rheims Catholic Bible, 3 John 9-14, and get a better understanding of the circumstances that existed at the time that the Apostle John wrote this letter (epistle):

9 I had written perhaps to the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, doth not receive us. 10 11 Dearly beloved, follow not that which is evil: but that which is good. He that doth good is of God: he that doth evil hath not seen God. 12 To Demetrius, testimony is given by all, and by the truth itself: yea and we also give testimony. And thou knowest that our testimony is true. 13 I had many things to write unto thee: but I would not by ink and pen write to thee. 14 But I hope speedily to see thee: and we will speak mouth to mouth. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Salute the friends by name.

Let's also look at this text in context in the Good News Translation, 3 John 9-14:

I wrote a short letter to the church; but Diotrephes, who likes to be their leader, will not pay any attention to what I say. 10 When I come, then, I will bring up everything he has done: the terrible things he says about us and the lies he tells! But that is not enough for him; he will not receive the Christians when they come, and even stops those who want to receive them and tries to drive them out of the church! 11 My dear friend, do not imitate what is bad, but imitate what is good. Whoever does good belongs to God; whoever does what is bad has not seen God. 12 Everyone speaks well of Demetrius; truth itself speaks well of him. And we add our testimony, and you know that what we say is true. 13 I have so much to tell you, but I do not want to do it with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and then we will talk personally. 15 Peace be with you.

This letter was directed to the church (congregation) of which Gaius was a member as shown at 3 John 1-2, "To my dear Gaius, whom I truly love. 2 My dear friend, I pray that everything may go well with you and that you may be in good health-as I know you are well in spirit." (the Good News Translation; GNT), but due to Diotrephes it failed in its purpose since Diotrephes loved to be pre-eminent in the congregation and not a servant as a minister should be according to Matthew 20:25-26, " But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 Not so shall it be among you: but whosoever would become great among you shall be your minister;" (American Standard Version; ASV). The facts presented are affirmed in 100s of different translations. A. Plummer, in the book, "The Epistles of Saint John," made the following comment, "Perhaps the meaning is that Diotrephes meant to make his Church independent; hitherto it had been governed by Saint John from Ephesus, but Diotrephes wished to make it autonomous to his own glorification." [source="The Epistles of Saint John," by A. Plummer, Cambridge: The University Press, 1886, page 149].

As all can see, this is really a lost book that should be in our Bible, but is not due to the fact that it was not preserved. Whereas, all the so called other lost books of the Bible are not lost; they exist, but have no place in the Word of God (YHWH), the Bible, as they were NOT written under divine inspiration, hence not legitimate with respect belonging to Bible canon.

Your Friend in Christ Iris89

[iris89]

Civilization and the Bible

1) Our entire civilization as we know it is actually built on the ability to store information in one form or another and to pass it on to others for their use. This storage can take many different forms such as books, memory cores and disks, scrolls, clay tablets, writings on stones and artifacts, etc. Storage of the repository of human knowledge and better reasoning ability are the things that set humankind apart from all other species that inhabits this planet. We know what happened in the past and can learn from the past because of our store of knowledge. Without this ability to store knowledge we would not know anything about the Roman Empire, the various ancient dynasties of the Chinese or the scientific findings of the past that we have built on and developed on in a synergistic way to continually advance. This sets us apart from all the other concurrent inhabiting species of this planet; take the common cat, this animal has coexisted with mankind during are entire existence, but it lacks the ability to pass on anything more than the most rudimentary information to the next generation and it has NOT advanced; we see no great cat cities or developments by this species and we never will.

2) Our advancement was made possible by this ability to build on our collective knowledge in a continuing progressive upward path. We name things and this name is accepted as valid my others and our knowledge is added to. Take for example the color we call red, why is it red? It is red only because we collectively decide to use this term for it and to reference it to artifacts such as color chips, vases, etc. that are that color. Could we prove anything is red apart from our collective knowledge of what is red and our artifacts? Definitely not since it is only red due to our collective knowledge and our artifacts. Without our collective knowledge and our artifacts we would be just like the lesser animals having only a here and now existence. Of course there are those among us that differ with our collective knowledge and question the obvious of what we know or have learned as a society. The Flat Earth Society (London and California) maintain that the earth is flat and not round and there are still some primitive people that believe the earth is not only flat but carried by a great turtle through the cosmos and also those who maintain man has never gone to the moon. However, are their beliefs reasonable in the light of knowledge accumulated by society and the artifacts now possessed by society, the answer is a resounding NO.

3) Also, are advancement is built on our ability to classify our knowledge. Many things are as we classify them. These classifications are not intrinsically right or wrong, but a method of ordering our collective knowledge into a coherent form for better understanding. In other words it is humanities attempt to take a group of disconnected information and put it into some order so we can better understand it. Of course one can disagree with classifications used and maintain that standard classifications are inadequate in one way or another, but he/she does thins strictly on the basis of the collective body of human knowledge. For example, take the classifications of several forms of deviant sex, pedophile, homosexual, and heterosexual deviant sex practitioner. Our collective knowledge is that a heterosexual relates to one who has sexual desires toward a member of the opposite gender; a homosexual relates to one who has sexual desires toward a member of his own gender; Pedophilia relates to a sexual perversion in which children, either sex, are the preferred sexual object. Now one could maintain that pedophilias are neither homosexual or heterosexual deviant sex practitioners as they are driven by different behavior motivations, i.e., power and control in addition to sex, than deviant sex practitioners who prefer adults. While their behavior motivations are different, they, depending on the gender of the victim and the perpetrator would be either heterosexual pedophiles or homosexual pedophiles; note, as previously mentioned this classification is apart from the differences in underlying motivation due to how we have collectively set up the classification in our collective body of knowledge.

4) Since God created us and everything else in the universe and new our makeup since he had made us, he caused men under his direction or inspiration to write a collective body of information to tell us of his requirements, laws and principles; of the history of his people with whom he had concluded a covenant with; to tell us salient items to occur in the future, prophecy; and to inspire us. For example, the history given in the Bible was intended to show how when his people kept his laws and principles all went well with them and when they disobeyed how he brought punishment on them. This history also showed how punishment was executed on wicked nations before our modern era. All this was for the purpose of adding to our collective knowledge so we could learn from it and act in an intelligent manner on it if we were so disposed. Whereas, prophecy, the foretelling of history in advance, had basically a two fold purpose of first advising us of what would happen in the future and in most cases why and the second was so we would indeed know that his addition to our collective knowledge was indeed from him and the writers of it were indeed inspired. In fact, one mathematician once took the hundred of scriptures in the old testament concerning Jesus, prophecy related to him, and calculated that the possibility of them all being fulfilled by coincidence was so great as to be mathematically impossible.

In addition to prophecy to show the Bible is inspired and from God is the many recorded eyewitness accounts recorded in the Bible and elsewhere that relate to the life and times of Jesus. For example, the accounts written by Josephus, a first century Jewish historian employed by the Romans, clearly acknowledge Jesus (see “The Jewish Antiguities” by Josephus) and many of his activities/accomplishments as do other contemporary historians such as Tacitus, a Roman historian in “The complete works of Tacitus, “ and numerous others. “The New Encyclopedia Britannica states: “These independent accounts prove that in ancient times even the opponents of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus.” The Jews, however, did not accept Jesus and the “Encyclopaedia Judaica says, “The Jews of the Roman period believed [the Messiah] would be raised up by God to break the yoke of the heather…” but they did admit his existance and many of the powerful works he did.

5) Some specific examples of its inspiration were the prophecy at Jeremiah 49:17-18 17 “Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof. 18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.” Note, Jeremiah’s recording was finished by 580 B.C. The prophecy was fulfilled when the Edomites were driven from Palesting during the 2nd century B.C. by Judam Maccabaeus, “The New Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia. There are many more examples such as this that can be found in reference books in all major libraries for any who should care to do further research in the repository of collective knowledge of our civilization.

6) Therefore the Bible is proved as reliable by are repository of collective artifacts, many from archeological discoveries, that verify Biblical facts and details, and our collective repository of recorded knowledge external to the Bible. As previously noted this can be checked out at any major library with a little research on the part of any interested individual who wishes to do his/her homework.

Your Friend in Christ Iris89