Case for the Deuterocanon

by Gary G. Michuta

If one can demonstrate that Jesus and His inspired Apostles bequeathed the Deuterocanon to the Church as inspired Scripture, the case is made. There's no need to jump through arbitrary hoops or anything like that. For the Christian, the question is settled. And that is precisely the path that we will follow in this work, namely, to demonstrate that the Deuterocanon was an authentic part of the original deposit of Scriptures bequeathed to the Church by Christ and His Apostles.

The term Deuterocanon first appeared in the sixteenth century. It literally means "second canon." The "first canon" (or Protocanon) consists of all of the Old Testament books (and sections of books) that Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox, and most modern Protestant Bibles have in common. The "second canon" consists of those books and sections of books that Catholic and Orthodox Bibles share, but Jewish Bibles and most modern Protestant Bibles omit, namely the book of Sirach (sometimes called Ecclesiasticus or Ben Sira), Wisdom (sometimes called the Wisdom of Solomon), Tobit, Judith, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees. The Deuterocanon also includes two chapters in the book of Daniel, several Greek sections of the book of Esther, and the Epistle of Jeremiah.

Therefore, when I argue that the Deuterocanon is Scripture, I am arguing that the Deuterocanon is Scripture in its fullest sense, namely, that it has the Holy Spirit as its primary author (it is inspired) and that, being inspired, it is capable of confirming doctrine ("teaching") and refuting opponents (i.e., "for reproof," and "for correction").

The canon, as it is used today, refers to an authoritative list of the books of Scripture. Because divine authorship is what makes a writing Scripture, the canon of Scripture is largely seen as co-extensive with inspiration. If the Holy Spirit inspired a work, it is canonical. If He did not inspire a work (i.e. was not its primary author), it is not canonical. The modern definition of canon thus does not permit categories like "uninspired canonical books" or "inspired non-canonical books." It's either inspired (canonical) or it is not.

The meaning of term "apocrypha" has changed over time. So varied are its meanings that even a brief historical sketch would go beyond the scope of this book. The word means "hidden" or perhaps "not recognized." It is generally used today to refer to any non-inspired religious writing that is closely associated with Scripture. Because Protestantism rejects the inspiration and authority of the Deuterocanon, they generally call it "Apocrypha."

Another topic that needs to be addressed is the burden of proof. What is the status quo for Christian Bibles? Christian Bibles in antiquity included the Deuterocanon. The earliest extant complete copies of Scripture, the Great Codices, included the Deuterocanon intermixed among the other books of the Old Testament without distinction or qualification.[4] Moreover, the early Christian fathers, with a few notable exceptions, likewise held the Deuterocanon to be inspired Scripture distinct from works that were truly apocryphal. The first father to insist that the Deuterocanon was apocrypha was St. Jerome at the end of the fourth century. The saint's opinion was met with immediate opposition by way of a series of North African councils that re-affirmed the Deuterocanon as Scripture. Nevertheless, Jerome's opinion continued to circulate in the West through various prefaces included in the Vulgate (Jerome's new Latin translation of the Bible). By the Middle Ages, the Vulgate had become the Bible translation in the Latin West and Jerome's prefaces (together with his other works) were part of every Bible scholar's education. It is no surprise, therefore, that several prominent medieval Catholic scholars echoed their master's words in their own works.

Christ knew which books the Holy Spirit authored. No Christian can doubt that. Equally certain is that Christ would have made this crucial datum known to His inspired Apostles, whether through common practice, verbal instruction, the illumination of the Holy Spirit, or a combination of these. In turn it was the Apostles' duty to hand on this authentic and normative collection of Old Testament Scripture to the Church (Matthew 28:20). Therefore, the most important question to be answered is this: Was the Deuterocanon part of that normative collection of inspired writings? I believe it was and in the present work I will offer several reasons for my belief.

The New Testament's use of the deuterocanonical books provides probative grounds to believe that it's inspired authors accepted these books as inspired, prophetic, and authentic members of sacred Scripture.

Where are these heroes' faith "attested?" Given that (1) the chapter is recounting sacred history (concerning supernatural faith), not secular history, (2) Hebrews explicitly states three times that these men and women are "attested to" somewhere; and (3) the order given corresponds roughly to the order in which they appear in Scripture, there is little reason to doubt that the characters come from Scripture. Specifically, they come from an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint or LXX.

Hebrews 11:35 provides three identifying marks or traits for them: (1) they were Jews who were tortured, (2) they did not accept release [from torture], and (3) their motivation for choosing martyrdom was that “they might obtain a better resurrection.”

“And when he was at his last breath, he said, ‘You accursed wretch, you dismiss us from this present life, but the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws.’”

“When he was near death, he said, ‘One cannot but choose to die at the hands of mortals and to cherish the hope God gives of being raised again by him. But for you there will be no resurrection to life!’”

The reference to the Maccabean martyrs in Hebrews 11:35 is not a general recollection, but a description taken directly from the text of Second Maccabees. We know this because Hebrews 11:35 uses a unique word (tympanizō) to describe these martyr's torture. In the Greek Septuagint (LXX), this word usually refers to drumming or beating a musical instrument (e.g., 1 Samuel 21:13 [14] LXX). Only three times in the entire Greek Bible is it used to describe torture, twice in Second Maccabees (2 Maccabees 6:19, 28) and once in Hebrews 11:35. Not surprisingly, both instances in Second Maccabees refer to the torture of the martyrs mentioned above: 2 Maccabees 6:19 – “But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement, he spat out the meat, and went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture [to tympanon]." 2 Maccabees 6:28 – “…and I will leave to the young a noble example of how to die willingly and generously for the revered and holy laws.” He spoke thus, and went immediately to the instrument of torture [to tympanon].”

Given the fact that the Maccabean martyrs fulfill all three identifying traits listed in Hebrews 11:35 and the linguistic contacts of tympanizō and empaigmon with Second Maccabees, there can be no doubt that Hebrews 11:35 is referring to the Maccabean martyrs as described in the deuterocanonical book of Second Maccabees. Several early Protestant Bibles recognized this by placing a cross-reference to Second Maccabees in this passage.

Hebrews 11:35 shows us that the normative Christian Old Testament included Second Maccabees. Moreover, it shows us something else. The Protestant Old Testament begins with the book of Genesis and ends with Malachi (Modern rabbinical Bibles end with Second Chronicles). The inclusion of Second Maccabees, in the context of chapter 11, shows that the author of the Letter to the Hebrews' understood the Bible to begin with Genesis (Hebrews 11:4-22) and ended with Second Maccabees (Hebrews 11:35), and this corresponds to the first and last books of the Catholic Bible.

Then why discuss the book of Second Maccabees? First, it is to establish that Hebrews 11:35 is referencing the Maccabean martyrs. Second, it is to show that Hebrews 11:35 is not a vague recollection about these ancients, but rather the author's description is taken from the text of Second Maccabees. Once these two points are established, the conclusion naturally follows: Hebrews considered the Maccabean martyrs to be biblical characters. Therefore, these martyrs must have been included in the inspired author's Bible. We then may ask the question: If the Maccabean martyrs were in the inspired author's Bible, where were they found? Since Hebrews 11:35 was dependent upon Second Maccabees, we have no reason to doubt that his Bible included Second Maccabees.

Hebrews 1:3 shows a clear literary and linguistic dependence on Wisdom 7:26 for its description of the relationship of the Son to the Father. The use of the deuterocanonical Book of Wisdom to formulate such a precise and important Christological doctrine, which can be known only through divine revelation, shows that the author believed the Book of Wisdom to be capable of confirming Christian doctrine (i.e., inspired).

TEXT “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.’" (John 6:35) THE ARGUMENT Christ applies Sirach 24:19-22 to Himself to both identify himself with and distinguish Himself from God's Wisdom as written in the Law. This use suggests that Sirach was well known and accepted, and possessed some religious gravity, to be used in such a way. Therefore, Christ's use could be seen as tacit approval of Sirach. ANALYSIS Speaking in the voice of God's Wisdom, Sirach 24:19-22 [18-22] reads: “Come unto me, all ye that be desirous of me, and fill yourselves with my fruits…They that eat me shall yet be hungry, and they that drink me shall yet be thirsty. He that obeyeth me shall never be confounded, and they that work by me shall not do amiss. All this is true of the book of the Most High’s covenant, the law which Moses commanded us as an inheritance for the community of Jacob.” (Sirach 24:19-23 [18-22])