Canon of the Old Testament
Lists and Catalogues of Old Testament Canon Collections

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God's providence gave us the 27 book New Testament Canon, not the church. God, not men decided the canon. This providence does not mean that church leaders were inspired in their selecting the canon, only that God had his eye on the scriptures the whole time and brought about His will to form the Bible we see today!

Lists and Catalogues of Old Testament Canon Collections Go to: "Canon of the Bible" Home Page

Lists and Catalogues of Old Testament Canon Collections

From: Lee Martin McDonald, James A. Sanders, Editors: The Canon Debate, Appendix C, D, p 585-597, 2002

Table C-1: Old Testament: Lists from the Eastern Churches

Melito Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 4.26.14 (ca. 320-325, Caesarea, Palestine).	Origen Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 6.25.2 (ca. 320-325, Caesarea, Palestine).	Athanasius Athanasius, Ep. fest. 39.4 (ca. 367, Alexandria, Egypt).	Cyri1 Cyril of Jerusalem, Catech. 4.35 (ca. 394, Bethlehem, Palestine).
Gen	Gen	Gen	Gen
Exod	Exod	Exod	Exod
Num	Lev	Lev	Lev
Lev	Num	Num	Num
Deut	Deut	Deut	Deut
Josh	Josh	Josh	Josh
Judg	Judg/Ruth	Judg	Judg/Ruth
Ruth	1-2 Kgs	Ruth	1-2 Kgs
1-4 Kgs	3-4 Kgs	1-2 Kgs	3-4 Kgs
1-2 Chr	1-2 Chr	3-4 Kgs	1-2 Chr
Pss	I-2 Esd	1-2 Chr	1-2 Esd
Prov	Pss	1-2 Esd	Esth
Eccles	Prov	Pss	Job
Song	Eccles	Prov	Pss
Job	Song	Eccles	Prov
Isa	Isa	Song	Eccles
Jer	Jer/Lam/Ep	Job	Song
Dan	(Twelve omitted)	Twelve	Twelve
Esd	Dan	Isa	Isa
(Esth omitted)	Ezek	Jer/Bar/Lam/Ep	Jer/Lam/Ep/Bar
	Job	Ezek	Ezek
	Esth	Dan	Dan

(Table C-1, continued)

Epiphanius Haer. 1.1.8 (ca. 374-377, Salamis, Western Syria).	Epiphanius Mens. 4 (ca. 374-377, Salamis, Western Syria).	Epiphanius Mens. 23 (ca. 374-377, Salamis, Western Syria).	Gregory Gregory of Nazianzus, Carm. 1.12.5 (ca. 390, Cappadocia, Asia Minor).	Amphilochius Amphilochius, Iambi ad Seleucum 2.51-88 (ca. 396, Iconium, Asia Minor).
Gen	Gen	Gen	Gen	Gen
Exod	Exod	Exod	Exod	Exod
Lev	Lev	Lev	Lev	Lev
Num	Num	Num	Num	Num
Deut	Deut	Deut	Deut	Deut
josh	Job	josh	josh	josh
Judg	Pss	Job	Judg/Ruth	Judg
Ruth	Prov	Judg	1-4 Kgs	Ruth
Job	Eccles	Ruth	1-2 Chr	1-4 Kgs
Pss	Song	Pss	1-2 Esd	1-2 Chr
Prov	Josh	1 Chr	job	1-2 Esd
Eccles	Judg/Ruth	2 Chr	Pss	Job
1 Kgs	1-2 Chr	I Kgs	Eccles	Pss
2 Kgs	1-2 Kgs	2 Kgs	Song	Prov
3 Kgs	3-4 Kgs	3 Kgs	Prov	Eccles
4 Kgs	Twelve	4 Kgs	Twelve	Song
1 Chr	Isa	Prov	Isa	Twelve
2 Chr	Jer	Eccles	Jer	Isa
Twelve	Ezek	Song	Ezek	Jer
Isa	Dan	Twelve	Dan	Ezek
Jer/Lam/Ep/Bar	1-2 Esd	Isa		Dan
Ezek	Esth	Jer		Esth
Dan		Ezek
1 Esd		Dan
2 Esd		1 Esd
		2 Esd
		Esth

 C-2: Old Testament Lists from the Western Churches

Hilary Hilary, Prolog. in Lib. Ps. 15 (ca. 350-365, Poitiers).	Jerome Jerome, Ep. 53.8 (ca. 394, Bethlehem, Palestine).	Jerome Jerome, Praef in Lib. Sam. et Mal. (ca. 394, Bethlehem, Palestine).	Ruftnus Rufinus, Comm. in Symb. Apost. 35 (ca. 404, Rome, Italy).	Augustine Augustine, Doct. chr. 2.13 (ca. 395, Hippo Regius, North Africa).	Carthage Council of Carthage (397 C.E.), canon 26.
Moses (5)	Gen	Gen	Gen	Gen	Gen
Josh	Exod	Exod	Exod	Exod	Exod
Jdgs/Ruth	Lev	Lev	Lev	Lev	Lev
1-2 Kgs	Num	Num	Num	Num	Num
3-4 Kgs	Deut	Deut	Deut	Deut	Deut
1-2 Chr	job	josh	josh	josh	josh
1-2 Esd	Josh	Judg/Ruth	Judg/Ruth	Judg	Judg
Pss	Judg	1-2 Kgs	1-2 Kgs	Ruth	Ruth
Prov	Ruth	3-4 Kgs	3-4 Kgs	1-4 Kgs	1-4 Kgs
Eccles	Sam	Isa	1-2 Chr	1-2 Chr	1-2 Chr
Song	3-4 Kgs	Jer	1-2 Esd	Job	Job
Twelve	Twelve	Ezek	Esth	Tob	Pss
Isa	Isa	Twelve	Isa	Esth	1-5 Sol (It is likely, but not definitely known, that 1-5 Sol is Prov, Eccl, Song, Sir, and Wis.)
Jer/Lam/Ep	Jer	Job	Jer	Jdt	Twelve
Dan	Ezek	Pss	Ezek	1-2 Macc	Isa
Ezek	Dan	Prov	Dan	1-2 Esd	Jer
Job	Pss	Eccles	Twelve	Pss	Ezek
Esth	Song	Song	Job	Prov	Dan
job)	Sol	Dan	Pss	Song	Tob
(Jdt)	Esth	1-2 Chr	Prov	Eccles	Jdt
	1-2 Chr	1-2 Esd	Eccles	Wis	Esth
	Ezra-Neh	Esth	Song	Sir	1-2 Esd
				Twelve	1-2 Macc
				Isa
				Jer
				Dan
				Ezek

Table C-3: Old Testament Lists from Important Uncial Manuscripts

Ellipses (. . .) indicate losses or omissions in the manuscript.

Vaticanus (B)	Sinaiticus (N)	Alexandrinus (A)
(4th cent.)	(4th cent.)	(5th cent.)
Gen	Gen...'	Gen
Exod	...	Exod
Lev	...	Lev
Deut	Num ...	Num
josh	...	Deut
Judg	...	Josh
Ruth	...	Judg
1-4 Kgs	...	Ruth
1-2 Chron	1 Chron ...	1-4 Kgs
1-2 Esd	... 2 Esd	1-2 Chron
Ps ...	Esth	Hos
Prov	Tob	Amos
Eccles	Jdt ...	Mic
Song	1-4 Macc	Joel
Job	Isa	Obad
Wis	Jer	Jon
Sir	Lam ...	Nah
Esth	Joel	Hab
Jdt	Obad	Zeph
Tob	Jon	Hag
Hos	Nah	Zech
Amos	Hab	Mal
Mic	Zeph	Isa
Joel	Hag	Jer
Obad	Zech	Bar
Jon	Mal	Lam
Nah	Ps	Ep Jer
Hab	Prov	Ezek
Zeph	Eccles	Dan
Hag	Song	Esth
Zech	Wis	Tob
Mal	Sir	Jdt
Isa	Job	1-2 Esd
Jer		1-4 Macc
Bar		Ps^(Before the Psalms there is a letter of Athanasius to Marcellinus about the Psalter and a summary of the contents of the Psalms by Eusebius.)
Lam		Ps 151^(After the Psalms, there are a number of canticles (called Odes) extracted from other parts of the Bible.)
Ep Jer		Job
Ezek		Prov
Dan		Song
		Wis
		Sir

Table C-4: Current Canons of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament

This table is based on Appendix D of The SBL Handbook of Style (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1999), 168-71

Jewish The traditional number of books in the Jewish canon is twenty-four.	Orthodox "Orthodox" here refers to the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, the Slavonic Bible being the traditional text of the latter. In Orthodox Bibles, 4 Maccabees and the Prayer of Manasseh-and in Slavonic, 3 Esdras-are in an appendix.	Roman Catholic The traditional number of books in the Roman Catholic canon is forty-nine. The order of books in Roman Catholic Bibles varies. This order reflects current editions, such as the Jerusalem Bible and the New American Bible. The appendix of the Latin Vulgate contains 3 Esdras, 4 Esdras, and the Prayer of Manasseh.	Protestant
Torah:	Historical Books:	Pentateuch:	Pentateuch:
Genesis	Genesis	Genesis	Genesis
Exodus	Exodus	Exodus	Exodus
Leviticus	Leviticus	Leviticus	Leviticus
Numbers	Numbers	Numbers	Numbers
Deuteronomy	Deuteronomy	Deuteronomy	Deuteronomy
	Joshua
Prophets: 'The two subgroupings of the Prophets are traditionally known as the Former Prophets and the Latter Prophets. The Book of the Twelve counts as one of the Latter Prophets.	Judges	Historical Books:	Historical Books:
Joshua	Ruth	Joshua	Joshua
Judges	1 Kingdoms [1 and 2 Kingdoms are the books of Samuel; 3 and 4 Kingdoms are the books of Kings.]	Judges	judges
1-2 Samuel	2 Kingdoms	Ruth	Ruth
1-2 Kings	3 Kingdoms	1 Samuel	1 Samuel
	4 Kingdoms	2 Samuel	2 Samuel
Isaiah	1 Chronicles	1 Kings	1 Kings
Jeremiah	2 Chronicles	2 Kings	2 Kings
Ezekiel	1 Esdras [This 1 Esdras is called 2 Esdras in Slavonic Bibles. The 2 Esdras in this canon is equivalent to the book of Ezra in the NRSV; in some Bibles it also includes Nehemiah.]	1 Chronicles	1 Chronicles
The Twelve	2 Esdras	2 Chronicles	2 Chronicles
Hosea	Nehemiah	Ezra	Ezra
Joel	Tobit	Nehemiah	Nehemiah
Amos	Judith	Tobit	Esther
Obadiah	Esther [Includes six additions.]	Judith
Jonah	1 Maccabees	Esther [Includes six additions.]	Poetic Books:
Micah	2 Maccabees	1 Maccabees	Job
Nahum	3 Maccabees	2 Maccabees	Psalms
Habakkuk			Proverbs
Zephaniah	Poetic and Didactic Books:	Wisdom Books:	Ecclesiastes
Haggai	Psalms [Includes Psalm 151]	Job	Song of Songs
Zechariah	Job	Psalms
Malachi	Proverbs	Proverbs	Prophetic Books:
	Ecclesiastes	Ecclesiastes	Isaiah
Writings:	Song of Songs	Song of Songs	Jeremiah
Psalms	Wisdom of Solomon	Wisdom of Solomon	Lamentations
Proverbs	Wisdom of Sirach	Ecclesiasticus	Ezekiel
Job			Daniel
Song of Songs	Prophetic Books:	Prophetic Books:	Hosea
Ruth	Hosea	Isaiah	Joel
Lamentations	Amos	Jeremiah	Amos
Ecclesiastes	Micah	Lamentations	Obadiah
Esther	Joel	Baruch [Includes Epistle of Jeremiah.]	Jonah
Daniel	Obadiah	Ezekiel	Micah
Nehemiah	Jonah	Daniel [Includes Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Young Men, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon.]	Nahum
1-2 Chronicles	Nahum	Hosea	Habakkuk
	Habakkuk	Joel	Zephaniah
	Zephaniah	Amos	Haggai
	Haggai	Obadiah	Zechariah
	Zechariah	Jonah	Malachi
	Malachi	Micah
	Isaiah	Nahum
	Jeremiah	Habakkuk
	Baruch	Zephaniah
	Lamentations of Jeremiah	Haggai
	Epistle of Jeremiah	Zechariah
	Ezekiel	Malachi
	Daniel [Includes Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Young Men, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon.]

By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections.

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