Article 2: Catholic Classification of the Canon of the Old Testament

By Adrian Mathew 

Disclaimer – The following article is meant for educational purpose only and not for any commercial purpose.

The Catholic Church's classification of the Canon of the Old Testament is based on the Latin Vulgate by St. Jerome. As a note, the term "canon" is Latin derived from the Greek "kanon" which means "cane". In Early Christianity "canon" came to mean a rule, measure or authoritative standard against which to evaluate doctrine. The canonization of the Scriptures in the Catholic Church can be identified with formal decisions of Church Councils. By the end of the fourth century, the Churches in communion with Rome settled on the canon recognized by the Catholic Church today, as can be seen from the Council of Rome (382 AD). The Catholic Old Testament consists of 46 books, which are divided into four main sections: 

1) The Pentateuch/Torah/Law: The first five books of the Old Testament are known as the Pentateuch or the Torah. These books include the law that God established to govern Israel, including their worship and rituals. This section begins with creation and includes the stories of Abraham, Jacob and his sons, the Exodus of the people of Israel out of Egypt, and the Covenant made between God and His people at Mount Sinai. It concludes with the death of God's servant Moses in the book of Deuteronomy. The five books of the Pentateuch are: 

- Genesis 

- Exodus 

- Leviticus 

- Numbers 

- Deuteronomy 

2) The Historical Books: These books describe the history of the Israelites from the conquest of Canaan to the Babylonian exile. They include narratives about kings, prophets, and the struggles of the Israelites to maintain their faith and identity. The Historical Books are: 

- Joshua

- Judges

- Ruth 

- 1 Samuel 

- 2 Samuel 

- 1 Kings 

- 2 Kings 

- 1 Chronicles 

- 2 Chronicles 

- Ezra 

- Nehemiah 

- Tobit 

- Judith 

- Esther (with additions) 

- 1 and 2 Maccabees

3) The Wisdom Books: The Wisdom literature, is a diverse collection of books. Perhaps the greatest of these books is the Psalms, which functioned like a prayer hymnal for the people of Israel and, now also for the Church. Other types of Wisdom literature include proverbs and instructions on how to live righteously in the world according to God’s design for human persons. The book of Job, also in this category and written mostly in poetry, is a lengthy exploration of human suffering and its meaning. This group of books is not tied historically to any one person or period of time, but contains the long tradition of wisdom earned by the covenant people through their experiences of suffering, repentance and prayer. The Wisdom Books are: 

- Job 

- Psalms 

- Proverbs 

- Ecclesiastes 

- Song of Solomon 

- Wisdom of Solomon 

- Sirach (also known as Ecclesiasticus)

4) The Prophets: These books contain the writings of the prophets who spoke on behalf of God to the Israelites. They include messages of judgment and warning, as well as promises of redemption and restoration. The Prophets are divided into two groups: the Major Prophets and the Minor Prophets. The Major Prophets are:

 

- Isaiah 

- Jeremiah 

- Lamentations 

- Baruch 

- Ezekiel 

- Daniel 

The Minor Prophets are: 

- Hosea 

- Joel 

- Amos 

- Obadiah 

- Jonah 

- Micah 

- Nahum 

- Habakkuk 

- Zephaniah 

- Haggai 

- Zechariah 

- Malachi

It is worth noting that the Old Testament canon of the Catholic Church includes seven books not found in the Jewish canon of Scripture or in the Protestant Old Testament which are the deuterocanonical books. The deuterocanonical books are divinely inspired and are part of Scripture as decided by Church Councils. These books are not a separate genre/category by itself like the Pentateuch or the Prophets. Instead, they fall under different genre categories. Baruch is considered part of the prophets; Tobit, Judith, and 1-2 Maccabees are narratives or histories; Wisdom and Sirach are wisdom books. These books are: 

- Tobit 

- Judith 

- Wisdom of Solomon 

- Sirach (also known as Ecclesiasticus) 

- Baruch (including the Letter of Jeremiah) 

- 1 and 2 Maccabees 

In addition to the deuterocanonical books, the Catholic Church accepts as canonical the longer editions of certain biblical books such as the Book of Daniel and the Book of Esther as the Greek translation of these books received by the Church is considerably longer than the Hebrew text. 

  Comparison Table of Jewish, Protestant and Catholic Canons

         

The above content has been referenced and taken from the following sources: 

(A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament by John Bergsma and Brant Pitre)

Page Numbers: Opening para - [pg. 18], Comparison Table - [pg. 22] 

 

Classification of the 46 books –

https://www.simplycatholic.com/bible-101-a-brief-introduction-to-the-old-testament/