Old Testament Canon

Criteria for Canonicity

  1. Did Author Claim Divine Inspiration
  2. Was the Author a Prophet
  3. Does it Agree with the Other Writings
  4. Was the Book Accepted as Authoritative
  5. Did the Writings Preserve Through Time

Old Testament Rejected Books

  1. Apocrypha (Doubtfult Books)
    • I Esdras (The “Greek Ezra”)
    • II Esdras (The “Ezra Apocalypse”)
    • The Book of Tobit
    • The Book of Judith
    • The Rest of the Chapters of the Book of Esther
    • The Wisdom of Solomon
    • Ecclesiasticus
    • Baruch
    • The Epistle of Jeremy
    • The Song of the Three Holy Children
    • The History of Susanna
    • Bel and the Dragon
    • The Prayer of Manasses
    • The First Book of Maccabees
    • The Second Book of Maccabees
  1. Pseudepigrapha (False Books)
    • THE LIFE OF ADAM AND EVE (APOCALYPSE OF MOSES) (ARABIC)
    • THE TESTAMENT OF ADAM (SYRIAC AND ARABIC)
    • THE CAVE OF TREASURES (SYRIAC AND ARABIC)
    • THE CONFLICT OF ADAM AND EVE WITH SATAN (ARABIC)
    • ​THE BOOK OF ADAM (CODEX NAZARAEUS; MANDEAN FRAGMENT) (SYRIAC)
    • LIFE OF ABEL, BY SYMMACHUS (SYRIAC)
    • SYRIAC BOOK OF SETH (SYRIAC)
    • 1 ENOCH (SYRIAC)
    • APOCALYPSE OF ENOCH (SYRIAC)
    • TRACTATE OF SHEM (SYRIAC)
    • THE TESTAMENT OF ABRAHAM (ON THE DEATH OF ABRAHAM) (ARABIC)
    • HISTORY OF MELCHIZEDEK (SYRIAC AND ARABIC)
    • JOSEPH AND ASENATH (RECENSION TWO) (SYRIAC)
    • HISTORY OF JOSEPH (SYRIAC)
    • HISTORY OF JOSEPH, SON OF JACOB [VERSION A] (ARABIC)
    • HISTORY OF JOSEPH, SON OF JACOB [VERSION B] (ARABIC)
    • HISTORY OF JOSEPH (ARABIC)
    • DORMITION OF JOSEPH, THE SON OF JACOB (ARABIC)
    • TESTAMENT OF THE TWELVE PATRIARCHS (SYRIAC)
    • THE NAMES OF THE WIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS (SYRIAC)
    • THE CONVERSATION OF MOSES WITH GOD (SYRIAC AND ARABIC)
    • THE BOOK OF JUBILEES (SYRIAC)
    • THE LIFE OF MOSES (ARABIC)
    • INSTRUCTION OF DAVID TO SOLOMON (ARABIC)
    • THE PALACE OF SOLOMON (ARABIC)
    • QUESTIONS OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA TO SOLOMON (SYRIAC)
    • TESTAMENT OF SOLOMON TO REHOBOAM HIS SON (ARABIC)
    • THE FINAL COUNSEL OF SOLOMON (ARABIC)
    • THE DEATH OF SOLOMON (ARABIC)
    • APHIKIA (2 RECENSIONS) (ARABIC)
    • HISTORY OF THE RECHABITES (SYRIAC AND ARABIC)
    • HISTORY OF THE PROPHET ELIJAH (ARABIC)
    • ​HISTORY OF THE PROPHET ELIJAH AND THE SON OF THE WIDOW (ARABIC)
    • ​​HISTORY OF THE PROPHET ELIJAH AND HIS ASCENSION (ARABIC)
    • SERMON OF ELISHA THE PROPHET ON SINNERS (ARABIC)
    • ​​​SERMON OF THE PROPHET ELISHA ON THE NECESSITY OF PURIFICATION (ARABIC)
    • ​​​PRAYER OF MANASSEH (SYRIAC AND ARABIC)
    • ​​​PRAYER OF MANASSEH (CITED FROM THE APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTIONS) (SYRIAC AND ARABIC)
    • ​​​​PRAYER OF MANASSEH (FROM THE BYZANTINE HOROLOGION) (CHRISTIAN PALESTINIAN ARAMAIC AND SYRIAC)
    • ​​​4 ESDRAS (THE APOCALYPSE OF EZRA) (SYRIAC AND ARABIC)
    • ​​​​​THE APOCALYPSE OF EZRA ON THE REIGN OF THE ARABS (SYRIAC)
    • ​HISTORY AND WISDOM OF AHIQAR (SYRIAC AND ARABIC)
    • ​​5 MACCABEES (SYRIAC)
    • ​​HISTORY OF ST. SHAMUNI (ARABIC)
    • ​​SYRIAC APOCRYPHAL PSALMS (SYRIAC)
    • ​​ODES OF SOLOMON (SYRIAC)
    • ​​HISTORY OF JOB (ARABIC)
    • ​PSALMS OF SOLOMON (SYRIAC)
    • THE LIVES OF THE PROPHETS (SYRIAC AND ARABIC)
    • THE HISTORY OF JONAH (SYRIAC AND ARABIC)
    • HABAKKUK APOCRYPHON (ARABIC)
    • ​​HISTORY OF ISAIAH THE PROPHET (ARABIC)
    • ​​APOCRYPHON OF JEREMIAH ON THE CAPTIVITY OF BABYLON (ARABIC)
    • ​SYRIAC APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH (2 BARUCH) (SYRIAC AND ARABIC)
    • EPISTLE OF BARUCH (SYRIAC)
    • ​​APOCALYPSE OF PSEUDO-METHODIUS (SYRIAC AND ARABIC)
    • ​​​ON OUR LORD AND ON THE END WRITTEN BY THE YOUTH DANIEL (SYRIAC)
    • ​​FOURTEENTH VISION OF DANIEL (ARABIC)
    • ​​​APOCALYPSE OF DANIEL (ARABIC)
    • ON DANIEL AND THE BOY CALEB (ARABIC)
    • CONVERSATION OF JOSEPH AND NEBUCHADNEZZAR (ARABIC)
    • ​​​​THE TIBURTINE SIBYL (SYRIAC AND ARABIC)