The Old Testament Canon of the New Testament Church: and its Background in Early Judaism

by Roger T. Beckwith

This new study of the Old Testament canon by Roger Beckwith is on a scale to match H. E. Ryle's classic work, which was first published in 1892. But Beckwith has the advantage of writing after the Qumran (and other) discoveries; and he has also made full use of all the available sources, including biblical manuscripts and rabbinical and patristic literature, taking into account the seldom studied Syriac material as well as the Greek and Latin material. The result of many years of study, this book is a major work of scholarship on a subject which has been neglected in recent times. It is both historical and theological, but Beckwith's first consideration has been to make a thorough and unprejudiced historical investigation. One of his most important concerns - and one that is crucial for all students of Judaism, and Christians in particular - is to decide when the limits of the Jewish canon were settled. In the answer to this question lies an important key to the teaching of Jesus and his apostles, and the resultant beliefs of the New Testament church. Furthermore, any answers to questions about the state of the canon in the New Testament period would help to open a way through the present ecumenical (and interfaith) impasse on the subject. With its meticulous research and evenhanded approach, this book is sure to become the starting point for study of the Old Testament canon in the years to come.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity, Church History, Religion, Canon, Biblical Studies

544 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 1986

Reviews

[Ben James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by no means an affordable or exciting book, and at times it moves quite slowly, and is very dense. But it is unrivaled in its helpfulness for defending the Old Testament Canon.

There exists a number of recent, solid works on the text and canonicity of the New Testament (e.g. Michael Kruger). There are also a handful of books that address the subject of Canon overall (e.g. FF Bruce, Wenham). But often those books (such as Bruce’s The Canon of Scripture) are pretty brief when it comes to the Old Testament.

But for anyone looking for a detailed, and exhaustive, well-researched, 500 page, Protestant defense of the 39 books of the Old Testament, this is it. Beckwith addressed misconceptions, and laid the groundwork that the Scriptures of the Jews were settled and established before the time of Christ, and correspond to the same 39 books of the Protestant Old Testament and Hebrew Tanak today that exist today.
It was written in 1985, but hasn’t been topped to date. Hopefully some OT scholar will pick up the mantle and build upon Beckwith’s monumental work.

[Mark Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really foundational work and the starting place for OT canonical studies. However, he places too much emphasis on Maccabaeus “storing up” the documents in the temple as a turning point in OT canonization.

[Simon Wartanian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent scholarly work. Extensive. Love the fact that he references within the text and in the endnotes to previous discussions in his work, making it easy to navigate and remember what he earlier argued and said in the work.

[Jeremy Fodge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and thought-provoking. It can drag, but only because he is so thorough. This is probably the definitive work on the evidence for the Old Testament Canon, an exhaustive demonstration that the Hebrew Canon *is* the OT canon.

[GIBIN MATHEW]

good one

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding study on the Old Testament canon.

[James Dickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for Christians trying to understand the canonization process of the Old Testament.

[Carlos Montijo]

https://youtu.be/LVVRfu1eLSU?si=PZQm-...

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tour de force.

[James Stroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars, because Beckwith occasionally reads post-2nd temple Judaism back into the time of Christ and his apostles, which is a precarious procedure. Otherwise, excellent and comprehensive.