Deuterocanonical OT books included; Septuagint used; standard Christian NT
The Coptic Orthodox Church accepts a biblical canon that includes the deuterocanonical books of the Old Testament (Tobit, Judith, 1–2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and the additions to Esther and Daniel) alongside the protocanonical books. The Septuagint (LXX)—the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures—serves as the authoritative Old Testament text in liturgical and theological use. The New Testament canon is the standard 27-book canon common to all mainstream Christian traditions.
Some ancient Coptic manuscript traditions include 1 Clement and other early Christian texts as of devotional or canonical significance, though these are not universally treated as fully canonical scripture. The Coptic liturgical tradition quotes Scripture extensively from the Septuagint and uses the Epistle, Gospel, and Psalms at every Divine Liturgy in a pattern continuous with ancient practice. The Scriptures are central to Coptic daily prayer through the Agpeya (Canonical Hours).
Key Distinctions
- Ot canon:
- LXX-based; includes deuterocanonical books; 1 Clement and Didache accepted in some lists
- Deuterocanonical status:
- canonical
- Additional scripture:
- none
- Canon open:
- closed
Scripture References
- Sirach (Prologue)
Sources
- Council of Nicaea I (325)
- Athanasius, Festal Letter 39 (367) — defining the NT canon
- Canons of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate