The Canonization of the Bible

The Bible, a collection of 66 books, often raises questions: Who decided which books to include or exclude? How can we be sure there aren’t “lost” books of the Bible? And how do we know the ones we have truly belong?

When we use the word “canon,” we mean that something has been accepted, approved, and deemed genuine. Canonization is the act of endorsing and formally recognizing certain writings as authoritative scripture. So, when we say someone canonized the books of the Bible, it means they gave their endorsement to those books.

Canonization doesn’t make a book authoritative; rather, it recognizes the authority those books already have. The canon is simply a way of declaring what has been accepted as God’s word. Let’s explore how this process unfolded for the Old Testament.

The Books of Moses

The first five books of the Bible—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—were written by Moses. Before Moses, these stories were passed down orally through Abraham’s family: from Abraham to Isaac, from Isaac to Jacob (later called Israel), and beyond. These oral traditions were deeply cherished and preserved.

Most people know the story of how Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt. So, I will assume you are aware of it. If not, then you can open the Bible and start reading.

These five books are called the Torah and are also known as the Pentateuch or the Law of Moses. They record not only the history of creation and God’s covenant with His people but also the laws that governed Israel.

One important thing to note is that when he wrote the Torah, he was on a mountain with God Himself. It wasn’t just oral tradition being recorded, but God’s own words given to His prophet. This is important because some may object to the Bible’s accuracy based on the fact that before Moses, it was just oral traditions of men. But in reality, it was now God Himself giving the story to Moses.

The Torah was preserved by the Levitical priests and regularly read in public. From its beginning, it was treated as the Word of God and recognized as authoritative. In this sense, God Himself canonized these books through Moses, making them the foundational texts of the Old Testament.

The Books of the Prophets

The second section of the Old Testament is the Nevi’im, or the Prophets. This includes books like Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings, as well as the writings of major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel) and the twelve minor prophets (Hosea through Malachi).

The prophets were often rejected, seen as troublemakers rather than messengers of God. However, their writings gained authority when their prophecies came true—most notably during the Babylonian exile. For example, Jeremiah’s warnings of exile became reality, leading the Jewish community to recognize him and others as true prophets.

During the exile, leaders like Ezra, a priest and scribe, began compiling and preserving these writings. Ezra is traditionally credited with formally organizing the Nevi’im into a recognized collection. These books, already seen as authoritative by many, were now formally endorsed as scripture. Together with the Torah, they formed the second part of what we now call the Old Testament.

The Writings

The final section of the Old Testament is the Ketuvim, or the Writings. This diverse collection includes Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, and 1 and 2 Chronicles.

The Ketuvim took longer to gain acceptance because these books were more about worship, wisdom, and reflection—rather than establishing laws or prophecies. They also sparked debate. For example, Ecclesiastes was questioned for its apparent cynicism, and Song of Solomon for its romantic imagery. Despite these debates, these books were widely used and valued by the community, gradually becoming recognized as scripture over time.

The Council of Yavneh (Jamnia) around 90 AD is often associated with the formal endorsement of the Ketuvim. However, this council did not create their authority—it merely affirmed what many already believed. The Ketuvim’s status as scripture was solidified, completing the Old Testament canon.

But a greater endorsement was given much earlier.

By placing His own words on the same level as scripture, Jesus affirmed the authority of the Old Testament. At that time, the Torah, Nevi’im, and Ketuvim were already recognized as sacred writings. Jesus’ endorsement highlights their divine inspiration and authority, making Him the ultimate witness to their validity.

I can think of no greater endorsement of this canon than His. The Council of Yavneh (Jamnia) basically just added their stamp of approval later to what was already canon.

The Complete Old Testament

The Torah, Nevi’im, and Ketuvim together form the Tanakh, or the Hebrew Bible. Their canonization was a gradual process that happened alongside the events of the Bible itself. This shows part of God’s active role in the creation of the scriptures.

These books were written and copied in their original languages. They were passed down through the priests all the way to the time of Jesus and beyond. Eventually, this set of books passed down directly through the priests would be translated into other languages. One of those languages was English.

Note that the entire history is accounted for. The books all the way up until they were translated into English were copies in the original language, not translations. These were known as the Masoretic Texts.

It is the Masoretic Texts that were used to translate from the original language into English by the KJV writers. This is where the KJV Old Testament comes from. I will explain why I am specifically saying it was the KJV in a later study. But for now, let’s learn about how the New Testament came to be written in English.

The Canonization of the Bible – New Testament

The New Testament is just a continuation of the story told in the Old Testament. Jesus had come and fulfilled what was written of Him. Now the story continued with the apostles.

The New Testament was written around 50-100 AD. It was written by the apostles or their close associates. Paul was also among those writers as a late apostle. These texts were originally written mainly in Greek. They were widely circulated and read from among the early church.

Since these books were easily traced to the apostles, including Paul, they were basically considered authoritative from the very beginning. They were widely read, used, and known. In short, they were trusted because people knew where they came from.

The earliest known official canon of the New Testament books comes from the Muratorian Fragment (also known as the Muratorian Canon). It was discovered by Ludovico Antonio Muratori in the 18th century in a manuscript from the Ambrosian Library in Milan, Italy.

It is thought to have been written around 170-200 AD. It lists most of the New Testament books including the Gospels, Acts, the Pauline Epistles, and some General Epistles. It also includes the Book of Revelation. Hebrews, James, and 1 and 2 Peter were not mentioned in it, but this is likely due to it being an incomplete fragment.

Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria in 367 AD, listed the 27 books of the New Testament as we have them today and declared them authoritative. This list was already known for quite some time. But this was a final official declaration. Thus, the New Testament canon was complete as we have it today.

The History of the KJV (New Testament)

Much of the New Testament was written in Greek. In time, much of the Greek world began to speak Latin. As a result, there were many Latin translations made. These are what we call the Vetus Latina (Old Latin).

The problem is that the Vetus Latina were not all the same. They were written by different translators in various regions over time, resulting in changes to the texts due to language differences. People in the south talk differently than people in the north, for example. So eventually, Pope Damasus I in 382 AD commissioned St. Jerome to sort it all out. They needed a standard Latin version of the New Testament.

So Jerome used the Vetus Latina as a reference. But he did not translate from it. Instead, he went to the original Greek. Using these Greek copies of the originals (not translations… direct copies), he formed the Latin Vulgate.

Eventually, an English version of the Bible was also needed. It was commissioned by King James I in 1604-1611 AD. Many have mistakenly said that it was translated from the Latin Vulgate to form the KJV. Which is why I thought it was important to give you information about it.

The Latin Vulgate was only used as a reference when they needed clarification. The reason they referenced it was likely because Jerome may have had more of the originals than they did. Since there was less time for them to have been lost when he wrote the Vulgate.

So, both the Latin and the English versions of the Bible came from the Masoretic Texts and Textus Receptus. This is how the KJV came into being. It was translated from copies (not translations) of the originals.

Copies of Copies, Not Translations

There is a popular objection used against the Bible that it is a translation of a translation of translations. This is not the case, though.

The KJV translators used copies of the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, not from translations of those texts. The Old Testament was translated from the Masoretic Text, while the New Testament was translated from the Textus Receptus, which contained the Greek copies of the New Testament. So, the entire KJV came from copies of the originals, not translations.

Simply put, we have plenty of history that can be traced all the way to Moses. The Bible has been handled with great care through history, and we can be sure it (at least the KJV) is as accurate to the originals as possible.

Earlier Translations

Other early translations into English include the Tyndale translation and the Geneva Bible. These were also translated from the same texts as the KJV. The Tyndale version came first.

As with many people attempting to share the word of God, Tyndale was executed, and his translation was outlawed. This was because he challenged the monopoly the Catholic Church held over the scriptures and theology. This didn’t sit well with the Catholic king, and therefore, Tyndale was killed.

The Geneva Bible came next and was heavily influenced by it. But it improved upon it by adding chapters and verses, study aids, and annotations. Due to its ability to be understood by the common man, the helpful tools, and the fact that the new Queen was favorable to it, this Bible quickly replaced the Tyndale version.

While these new study tools were helpful, King James I did not like the marginal notes because they undermined the concept of the “divine right of kings.” So, he commissioned the KJV to remove that kind of commentary (not change the scriptures).

Today, the KJV is the best-known English Bible still in use that was based on the original copies of the Hebrew and Greek. Newer Bibles such as the NIV are based on more questionable texts. We will discuss that in the next study.

Unit 1:10 – History of the Bible OR

Return To Christianity 101 Unit 1 – The Bible and Faith in God