Deuterocanonical Books

The word deuterocanonical means "second canon," and the books labeled as such were originally widely accepted by Christians. Nearly all of the books were written by Hellenistic Jews during the so-called "intertestamental period" (roughly 330 BCE to 40 CE). Nearly all of the books exist only in Greek, although some have been found in Hebrew and others were probably written in Hebrew before being copied into Greek.

Topping the list are additions to books that are regarded as canonical by all Christian groups. Daniel and Esther were not yet in final form, and Hellenists added sections to them as time passed. Esther gained ten sections, with a number of references to God--the canonical Esther contains none. Daniel was supplimented by three sections, including the story of Susanna, the tale of Bel and the Dragon, and a prayer and song said in the fiery furnace by the boys we know as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Due in part to a belief that genuine prophecy had ended before the books were written and in part in an attempt to exclude Christian (Jewish) literature from being read in the synagogues, all of the Hellenistic literature was excluded by Palestinian Jews (from 65 to 90 CE), along with the "books of the heretics" (i.e., the Christian writings). Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai declared, "the gospels and the books of the heretics do not defile the hands," which signified that they were to be regarded as ordinary, uninspired literature. Rabbi Aqiba denounced anyone who read "outside books," including the writings of the Hellenists most likely, but mainly directed at Christian writings. Ben Zakkai went on to declare, "the writings of Ben Sira and whatever books have been written since his time do not defile the hands." His statement was decisive and became the normative view among Palestinian Jews.

In some cases, the rabbis discussed their reasons for rejecting a particular book. Sirach (or Ben Sira) was expressly excluded because of the belief that prophecy had ceased. Interestingly, though, the original form of the work may have been written early enough that it might otherwise have been included. Tobit was excluded because including it would have meant modifying the current cultural practices regarding arranging a marriage, according to Zeitlin. Susanna was excised from Daniel by the Palestinians for similar reasons: current practice regarding how to punish false witnesses disagreed with statements in the book. Canonizing the book would have meant changing the current practice.

Still, this removal from the Jewish canon happened during the latter part of the first century. Consequently, Christians were not a part of the councils that declared the books "outside" and closed the canon. They accepted the books below and read them in their meetings. Later on, after Latin was becoming the dominant language in the Roman world, Jerome sought to create a definitive Latin translation of the Bible. Because he could find no Hebrew copies of the Deuterocanonical books, he collected them separately, although they were mixed in with the Old Testament books in the Septuagint. Following Jerome, most translations since then have collected the Deuterocanonical books into a separate collection.

It was Martin Luther who expressed his opinion strongly that the books did not belong in the Bible. (He also opposed the inclusion of James and disliked Revelation.) Still, Luther translated them into German and included them (separately) in his Bible. But Luther's opposition to the books was strong enough that protestant resistance to them strengthened, prompting the Catholic Church to officially canonize them (at the Council of Trent). By the seventeenth century, enough protestants believed that the deuterocanonical books should be excluded that later editions of the King James Version of the Bible excluded them. Since then, there has been a rift between Protestants and Catholics over their inclusion.