Bible Canon Timeline: A Journey Through Scriptural History
The Formation of the Old Testament Canon
The Old Testament canon, the first part of the Christian Bible, developed over centuries. The earliest written portions of the Old Testament date back to the 10th century BCE, with the majority of the Old Testament being written between the 10th and 5th centuries BCE.
The Old Testament canon was not officially established until the Council of Jamnia in 90 CE. Before this council, there were several different collections of Old Testament books in circulation. The Council of Jamnia standardized the Old Testament canon, establishing the 39 books that are considered canonical today.
The Formation of the New Testament Canon
The New Testament canon, the second part of the Christian Bible, developed later than the Old Testament canon. The earliest New Testament writings date back to the mid-1st century CE, with the majority of the New Testament being written in the late 1st and early 2nd centuries CE.
The New Testament canon was not officially established until the 4th century CE. There were several different collections of New Testament books in circulation before this time, and the canon was not definitively established until the Council of Rome in 382 CE.
The Apocrypha and Deuterocanonical Books
In addition to the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments, there are a number of other books that were included in some early versions of the Bible. These books are known as the Apocrypha (in the Protestant tradition) or the Deuterocanonical books (in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions).
The Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical books were written between the 3rd century BCE and the 1st century CE. They were included in the Greek Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, and were considered canonical by some early Christian writers. However, they were not included in the Hebrew Bible, and were eventually excluded from the Protestant canon.
The Bible canon is a collection of books that have been accepted by the Christian church as authoritative Scripture. The Old Testament canon was developed over centuries, and was officially established at the Council of Jamnia in 90 CE. The New Testament canon was developed later, and was officially established at the Council of Rome in 382 CE. In addition to the canonical books, there are a number of other books that were included in some early versions of the Bible, but were eventually excluded from the Protestant canon.
