The Hebrew Canon Vs the Greek Septuagint

The debate between the Hebrew Canon and the Greek Septuagint is one of the most consequential theological battles in history. It determined which books made it into the Old Testament, and is the reason Catholic and Protestant Bibles today have a different number of books.

Here is a summary of the conflict, the key players, and the lasting result.

1. The Tale of Two Bibles

To understand the debate, you have to understand that by the time of Jesus, there were essentially two versions of the "Old Testament" circulating:

• The Hebrew Canon (Palestinian Canon): Used by Jews in Judea/Palestine. It was written in Hebrew and was generally shorter. It evolved into the modern Jewish Tanakh.   

• The Septuagint (Alexandrian Canon): A Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures produced in Alexandria, Egypt (c. 250 BC) for Jews who no longer spoke Hebrew. 

  • The Difference: The Septuagint contained 7 extra books (plus additions to Daniel and Esther) that were not in the Hebrew version. These are now called the Deuterocanon (by Catholics) or Apocrypha (by Protestants).  

2. The Early Church Context

The first Christians (including the Apostles) primarily used the Septuagint because they wrote in Greek. When the New Testament quotes the Old Testament, roughly 80% of the citations are from the Septuagint, not the Hebrew text.  

However, as the split between Jews and Christians grew, Jewish leaders (around 90 AD, possibly at the "Council of Jamnia") rejected the Septuagint and the extra books, solidifying the shorter Hebrew canon. This forced the Church to decide: Do we follow the Jewish decision or keep the books the Apostles used?

3. The "Main Event": Jerome vs. Augustine

The debate reached its peak in the late 4th century between two titans of the Church: St. Jerome and St. Augustine.  

St. Jerome: The "Hebrew Truth" (Hebraica Veritas)

Jerome was commissioned to translate the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate). He moved to Bethlehem, learned Hebrew, and was shocked to find that the "extra books" in the Christian Bible were not in the Jewish Bible.  

• His Argument: He believed the Church should only accept books that were found in the original Hebrew "truth." He argued that if the Jews (the guardians of the OT) didn't accept them, neither should Christians.

• His Label: He was the first to call these extra books "Apocrypha" (hidden) and argued they should be read for history but not used to establish doctrine.

St. Augustine: The Authority of Usage

Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, vehemently disagreed with Jerome.  

• His Argument: He argued that the Septuagint was inspired by God for the Gentiles. He pointed out that the Apostles used it and that the universal Church had been reading these books as scripture for centuries. He felt that removing them would sever the link between the Church and the Apostolic tradition.  

• The "Language Barrier": He also worried that if Jerome translated from a Hebrew text that no one else could read, it would cause confusion when Christians argued with Jews or Greeks.

4. The Result: Augustine Wins (Initially)

The Church Councils of Hippo (393 AD) and Carthage (397 AD) sided with Augustine.  

• They ratified the longer canon (including the 7 extra books: Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Sirach, Wisdom, 1 & 2 Maccabees).   

• Jerome submitted to the Church's decision and included the books in his Latin Vulgate, though he left grumpy "prologues" attached to them reminding readers they weren't in the Hebrew.  

5. The Rematch: The Reformation

For over 1,000 years, the West followed Augustine's view. But in the 16th century, Martin Luther revived Jerome's arguments.   

• Luther needed to debate Catholic opponents on doctrines like Purgatory, which were supported by the "extra books" (specifically 2 Maccabees).

• By adopting Jerome's "Hebrew Canon" standard, Luther could dismiss those books as non-scriptural "Apocrypha."

• The Split: This created the modern divide:

  • Protestant Bibles follow the Hebrew Canon (39 OT books).   

  • Catholic/Orthodox Bibles follow the Septuagint/Augustinian tradition (46+ OT books).  

  • Summary of the differences:

  • Feature	Hebrew Canon (Jerome/Protestant)	Septuagint (Augustine/Catholic/Orthodox)
    Language	Hebrew	Greek
    Scope	Shorter (39 Books)	Longer (46+ Books)
    Key Argument	"Go back to the original source."	"Use what the Apostles used."
    Status of Extra Books	Apocrypha: Useful but not Scripture.	Deuterocanon: Fully Scripture.
    Champion	St. Jerome (4th Century)	St. Augustine (4th Century)