How do internal evidences help us confirm that thirty-nine books comprise Old Testament canon?
Many religious books were written during the period of the Old and New Testaments. Which of these books rightfully belongs to the Bible, and which should be excluded from it? On what grounds are some writings to be accepted as Scripture and others to be rejected? The answers to these questions can be found in the study of what is known as the canon of the Scriptures. The English word canon goes back to the Greek word kanon and then to the Hebrew qaneh. Its basic meaning is reed, our English word cane being derived from it. Since a reed was sometimes used as a measuring rod, the word kanon came to mean a standard or rule. It was also used to refer to a list or index, and when so applied to the Bible denotes the list of books which are received as Holy Scripture. Thus if one speaks of the canonical writings, he is speaking of those books which are regarded as having divine authority and which comprise our Bible. The Old Testament was written in the Hebrew language many centuries before the birth and life of Jesus Christ. It contains events and prophecies long before He was born. Our current English Bibles have been translated from th
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That this could have happened by chance is so remote it would, for all practical purposes, be impossible. An apparent contradiction may arise from an inaccuracy in translation. For example, in the two Books of Maccabees, Antiochus Epiphanes is made to die three different deaths in three different places. Christ did show the finality and completeness of the Old Testament. They asserted that the apocryphal books together with unwritten tradition are of God and are to be received and venerated as the Word of God. ese two original languages, the Hebrew and Greek and most of the translations have accurately protected the original teachings. What is striking in the Old Testament is the fact that from the time this sacred record was commenced (inspired prophets and holy men adding to it in segments of time) until its completion, a period of approximately 3,550 years, we find a continuity of thought and purpose. But God cannot lie; therefore there can be no contradictions anywhere in the Bible. Here Christ clearly shows the three major divisions of the Old Testament, the Law/Historical Writings, which consist of 17 Books, the 5 Books of Poetry/Wisdom Literature, and the 17 Prophets books which consist, of 5 Major, and 12 Minor Writings that gives us a total of 39 Books. In reality, the Bible is the last source of truth for Catholics. The Bible is the only revelation of God’s will for our human family. The prophesies of future events do not end with the life of Jesus.
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1411
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6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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