66-book Protestant canon; no deuterocanonical or apocryphal books accepted
The SBC accepts the 66 books of the Protestant Bible — 39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books — as the full and complete canon of Scripture. The deuterocanonical books (known as the Apocrypha), included in Catholic and some Orthodox Bibles, are not considered canonical. This is consistent with the broader Protestant Reformation tradition.
The BFM2000 does not elaborate extensively on the canonization process but treats the 66-book canon as self-evident and normative for Baptist faith and practice. SBC publishers, seminaries, and curricula all operate on this canonical assumption.
Southern Baptists hold that the canon is closed — that there is no revelation beyond the 66 canonical books that carries divine authority for doctrine and practice. This conviction underlies their cessationist tendencies (regarding ongoing prophetic gifts) and their rejection of Roman Catholic claims to continuing ecclesiastical authority over Scripture's interpretation.
Key Distinctions
- Ot canon:
- 39 books (Protestant canon)
- Deuterocanonical status:
- rejected as apocryphal — not canonical
- Additional scripture:
- none
- Canon open:
- closed — Scripture alone
Scripture References
Sources
- Baptist Faith and Message 2000, Article I: The Scriptures