Matthew 24:14

Proofs that Canon was Compiled Under Ezra and Nehemiah

We have the testimony of Josephus, the Jewish historian, that the complete Old Testament was finally settled and established in the days of Artaxerxes, king of Persia (Against Apion, I, 8). By this, Josephus meant that the Old Testament canon was completed in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, for these two men of God lived in Artaxerxes' time.

Josephus also mentions that there had not been any prophet who had left any writings from the time of Artaxerxes until the New Testament Period (ibid). Even the writer of Maccabees recognized that up to his time the inspired prophets had ceased with Malachi. "And there was great stress in Israel [in 168 B.C], such as there had not been since the time when the prophets ceased to appear to them" (I Macc. 9:27). Without men of God in a prophetical office, it was impossible to have inspired writings. It is therefore plain that Josephus, who was one of the leading Pharisees of his day, and other prominent Jews, believed the canon of the Old Testament was completed under Ezra and Nehemiah.

The Three Divisions of the Old Testament

When Ezra and Nehemiah compiled the Old Testament books, they placed them in three general divisions. These are known as the Triparte Divisions. The first division was called The Law, and consisted of the first five books. The second was called The Prophets. The third division was called, in Christ's day, The Psalms, because this division commenced with the book of Psalms.

Thus, the inspired Old Testament, from Genesis to II Chronicles (the Hebrew order) , was divided into three divisions — The Law, The Prophets, and The Psalms. This arrangement of the books has always been reckoned by the Jews as having had its origin in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah (Ryle, Canon of the Old Testament, p. 252; Angus, Bible Handbook, p. 568). There is no question about this fact.

Historical References to the Triparte Divisions

There are several early references which show that the Old Testament was divided into the Triparte Divisions. One notable mention is that of Sirach's grandson — a Jewish religious leader who lived in the second century before Christ. He says in his prologue to the apocryphal book, Ecclesiasticus, that the recognized Scriptures of official Judaism were those books found in "The Law," "The Prophecies," and "The Rest of the Books." This is a clear reference to the authoritative Triparte Divisions established by Ezra and Nehemiah.

You will perhaps notice that the grandson of Sirach did not use the name "The Psalms" for the third division. This is easily explained. This third section did not have a proper name in the time of Sirach. It became propularly called "The Psalms" by the Jews of Christ's time because that particular book introduced the division. This is clearly indicated by Philo, a Jew who lived a few years before Christ. He said that the Triparte Divisions were then being called "The Law," "The Prophets," and "The Psalms" (On the Contemplative Life, 3). Later, in the third century AD., however, the Jews began to refer to the third division as "The Writings." This designation has been used by the Jews up to our own times.

Christ Sanctions the Triparte Divisions

It is important to realize that the Jews accepted only the books within the Triparte Divisions as inspired. No other books were ever recognized as being canonical. The Apocrypha were never accepted. But regardless of the beliefs of official Judaism, we have the testimony of much greater authority, telling us of what books the inspired Old Testament consisted. That witness is Christ Himself — the very One who inspired the prophets of the Old Testament (See Colossians 1:15-17).

After the resurrection of Christ, we are told in the Gospels, He began to teach His disciples many important truths from the Scriptures. On one occasion, mentioned in Luke 24:45, Christ referred to "the Scriptures" of the Old Testament and about the prophecies concerning Him. What books did Christ mean by the expression, "the Scriptures"? What was the Old Testament to Him? Notice what Christ Himself related:

"And He said unto them, these are the words I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me.

"Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand THE SCRIPTURES" (Luke 24:44, 45).

Yes, the inspired Old Testament Scriptures for Christ comprised those books found in "The Law, The Prophets, and The Psalms" — the Triparte Divisions. These were the very books compiled by Ezra and Nehemiah, and the very books which have come down to us today in the King James Version. We can assuredly know that our Old Testament is the complete Old Testament of God. Christ has told us this in the plainest of words.

The Arrangement of the Old Testament Books

You will notice that the Old Testament in the King James Bible begins with the book of Genesis and ends with the book of Malachi. However, in the original authoritative arrangement of the Old Testament books by Ezra and Nehemiah, this was not so. The Jews have never approved the King James arrangement because its origin was in Egypt. About 250 years before Christ there was a Greek translation made of the Hebrew Old Testament. This has become known as the Septuagint Version. The translators of this version decided to change the order of the books. Our King James Version follows the Latin which had this erroneous Egyptian arrangement of the books in it. The Latin translations followed the Septuagint Greek translation made in Egypt. The Septuagint does not follow the original Hebrew order established by Ezra and Nehemiah.

When the Jews of official Judaism recognized the corruptions in the Septuagint Version, they completely repudiated it. Notice how the early Jews looked on this translation: "The day on which the translation of the Bible into Greek was made was regarded as a great calamity, equal to that of the golden calf" (Sopherim, i, 7). "The day on which it was accomplished . . . was commemorated as a day of fasting and humiliation (ibid).

The Septuagint Version translators did not take away or add to the books of the Old Testament, but they did disrupt the Divine order of the books and faultily translated much of the original Hebrew into Greek (Prologue to Sirach).

It will be profitable for you to know what the authoritative order of the Old Testament books really is. And notice that originally, before printing, the number of scrolls were 22 — now subdivided in the King James Version into 39.

Notice that the first seven books are the same as in our King James version, but afterward there are considerable changes. You will notice that the so-called "Minor Prophets" — from Hosea to Malachi — are not really the last books of the Old Testament. These Minor Prophets really belong in the center. The last books are actually I and II Chronicles.

This authoritative arrangement of the Old Testament books is the one which the official Jewish community has always recognized as authoritative.

Other Books Rejected

Let us clearly understand that the books of the Apocrypha and all other spurious books never found a place in the official Triparte Divisions of the Jewish Old Testament. All these "outside" books were totally rejected by the Jews. You will recall that Josephus, the Jewish priest and historian, who represented the beliefs of official Judaism in the days of the Apostle Paul, said that the Jews never accepted any other books as inspired other than those compiled in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah.

"It is true," says Josephus, "our history has been written since the time of Artaxerxes [the time of Ezra and Nehemiah] very particularly, but has not been esteemed of the like authority with the former [writings] of our forefathers, since that time" (Against Apion, I, 8).

Yes, the last prophet to write an inspired book was Malachi — a contemporary of Ezra and Nehemiah.

Christ Used Only the Inspired Old Testament

Another proof that Christ used only the Scriptures recognized by official Judaism is the fact that He never once quoted from or alluded to any of the Apocrypha or other spurious books. Had He made even the slightest indication that the sources of His doctrines were from these unrecognized books, the Jews would have vehemently countered Him with all their intellectual might. They would have loudly and persistently pointed out to the people that Jesus could not possibly be the Messiah, for He was making use of uninspired books. But the Jews never had an opportunity of accusing Christ of such things. They railed Him for going contrary to the doctrines of the Jewish denominations of His day, but they never criticised Him for using uncanonical books. The silence of any Jewish censure on this point is definite proof that Christ utilized only the inspired books in the official Jewish Old Testament as the Scriptures.

Further Witness From the New Testament

We have further evidence throughout the New Testament that Christ and the Apostles recognized only the books of the Jewish Version as the complete Old Testament. Notice how it is taken for granted, in so many parts of the New Testament, that the Jews had the "Scripture" (John 10:35; 19:36; II Pet. 1:20), "the Scriptures" (Matt. 22:29; Acts 18:24), "Holy Scriptures" (Rom. 1:2, II Tim. 3:15), "the Law" (John 10:34), "the Law and Prophets" (Matt. 5:17; 22:40), and the Law, Prophets and Psalms (Luke 24:44). All the New Testament writers recognized the Jews to have had the complete Old Testament.

Paul was also careful to let the Romans know that unto the Jews, "were committed the oracles of God" — the Old Testament (Rom. 3:3; 9:4). Paul was fully aware that the oracles of the Jews were the inspired books of the Jewish canon — the same books that are in our King James Version today.

It is very clear, from secular history, and especially from the Word of God, that we have the complete Old Testament. All other books not found within the Bible as we have it are entirely worthless for teaching true doctrines, and are to be completely rejected in this respect. The Apocrypha, and all other books, are the writings of men, not of God.

With the canonization of the Old Testament Scriptures, the Jews of this time entered into a period of prosperity and happiness. They were keeping the Law and being taught by the Great Assembly. This period from about 430 B.C. to 331 B.C., until the overthrow of the Persian Empire by the Greeks, can be called a time when the Law of Moses was adhered to by the people.

We are now compelled to look to a period later than the time of Persian control for the origin of the confused and mixed-up condition of Judaism. The next installment will plainly reveal the source from whence Jewish denominationalism arose.