Canon-of-Scripture witness — around 391-405
Jerome on the Hebrew canon
A Latin scholar who knew Hebrew argues for distinguishing the books of the Hebrew canon from the rest — and the Church did not follow him.
Jerome, translating the Old Testament from Hebrew, argued in his prefaces that books not found in the Hebrew should be distinguished from those that are. He called them books of the Church rather than of the canon: read for edification, not for establishing doctrine.
His view did not prevail in the Latin Church of his day — Augustine argued against it — and it was not the Orthodox position either. It was taken up much later, in a different form, at the Reformation.
What this witness says about particular books
| Book | Treatment | Note |
|---|---|---|
| The books of the Hebrew canon | Treated as Scripture | |
| Wisdom, Sirach, Judith, Tobit, Maccabees | Named as disputed | Jerome would read them for edification and not for establishing doctrine. The Orthodox Church receives them as the anagignoskomena. |
Sources for this page
- Tier C Theodoret, Jerome, Gennadius, Rufinus: Historical Writings Jerome, prefaces to the books of the Old Testament translated edition of primary texts Not archived here; recorded as a coverage gap. Source record (opens in a new tab)
Tiers are explained in the methodology. No page on this site has been reviewed or approved by any bishop, priest, synod or seminary.