Early Judaism- A Comprehensive Overview

tions of that book. Thus, the Masoretic texts must be judged on a par with

and according to the same criteria by which the LXX, the SP, the scrolls, the

versions, and all other texts are judged, word by word.

From Collection of Scriptures to the Canon of Scripture

The discussion thus far has centered on individual texts, since the books

developed separately and were written on separate scrolls during the Sec-

ond Temple period. By the third or fourth centuryc.e.,however,thecol-

lection of texts coalesced into a single text. Books considered to have di-

vine authority formed a special group distinct from other works. The

group of five books seen as the revelation to Moses became “the book of

Moses” (4QMMT C10), though the authoritative status ofJubileesin cer-

tain circles raises the question whether the category of Torah was strictly

confined to the five books. The book of Moses together with an undefined

collection of prophetic books (including, for most Jewish groups, Psalms

and Daniel) formed a special collection of authoritative Scripture — “the

Law and the Prophets” — during the late Second Temple period and New

Testament times. Many other works, some of which would, and others of

which would not, become part of the Writings, or Poetic and Wisdom

books, were still finding their place in the first centuryc.e.By approxi-

mately the third century, though the scroll format apparently continued in

Jewish circles, at least for Christians the codex gradually supplanted the

scroll as the preferred form, and the texts that had been placed only in a

mental category were now transformed into a physical unity, a single text:

the Old Testament. Thus, the idea of a collection of sacred texts originated

in Judaism, but explicit discussion of a canon of sacred Scriptures and

physical reproduction of it apparently arose in Christian circles.

“Canon” is a theologicalterminus technicusdenoting the definitive, of-

ficial list of inspired, authoritative books that constitute the recognized

and accepted body of sacred Scripture which forms the rule of faith for a

major religious group, that definitive list being the result of inclusive and

exclusive decisions after serious deliberation. Jews, Catholics, Protestants,

Orthodox, and others have differing lists of books as their canon, but the

definition of “the canon of Scripture” remains the same for all, and the

process leading up to the establishment of the canon was an analogous

process for each.

There is no solid evidence from the Second Temple period regarding

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The Jewish Scriptures: Texts, Versions, Canons

EERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
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