Catholic canon including deuterocanonical books; Septuagint used liturgically
Eastern Catholic churches accept the same biblical canon as the Latin Catholic Church, which includes the deuterocanonical books (Tobit, Judith, 1–2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and portions of Daniel and Esther) rejected by Protestants as apocryphal. The canon was definitively confirmed for the Catholic Church at the Councils of Florence (1442) and Trent (1546).
A distinctive feature of Eastern practice is the liturgical use of the Septuagint (LXX)—the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures—as the primary Old Testament text. The New Testament is read in Greek. This reliance on the Septuagint, which is also the version quoted most frequently in the New Testament, is an important aspect of Eastern Christian biblical heritage.
Key Distinctions
- Ot canon:
- follows Catholic canon (46 books); some Eastern rites include additional LXX books
- Deuterocanonical status:
- fully canonical
- Additional scripture:
- none
- Canon open:
- closed
Scripture References
- Sirach (prologue)
Sources
- Council of Florence, Cantate Domino (1442)
- Council of Trent, Session IV (1546)
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, §§120–127
- Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO, 1990)