Scripture
Canon of Scripture
We have labored that the Holy Scriptures and the books left to us by the Church Fathers be multiplied by means of modern printing techniques and be distributed to all�. O Christians, let us arise and, with the spiritual zeal and earnestness which characterized the Apostles and early Christians, let us labor to lead out brothers and sisters to our Savior Jesus Christ, Who only can give life in its fullest sense! (Haile Selassie I, Address to the World Evangelical Congress, 10/28/66)
I affirm the ancient canon of holy Scripture: 46 books in the Old Testament, 27 in the New Testament, 73 books total. All Christian churches with ancient roots, including the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Catholic Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and the Assyrian Church of the East accept the following 73 books as Scripture.
These 73 books of Scripture have been handed down to us by the apostolic tradition.
The Church in Africa was an important defender of the canon of Scripture. Major African witnesses to the Old Testament canon, for example, include Augustine of Hippo, the Council of Hippo in 393 A.D., and the Councils of Carthage from 397-419 A.D.
The following books are also regarded as beneficial reading: 3Maccabees, 4Maccabees, Psalm 151(+), 1(3)Esdras, 2(4)Esdras, Epistle of Jeremiah, Prayer of Manasseh. Some Oriental Orthodox Christians would also include Jubilees, 1Enoch, the Shepherd of Hermas, 1Clement, and the Acts of Paul among their scriptures, while other Christians would simply count Shepherd of Hermas, 1Clement, and the Acts of Paul among the writings of the Pre-Nicene Church Fathers.
The 66-book canon used by many Protestants, which subtracts at least seven whole books and portions of others, is not the whole canon of apostolic Christian tradition. No Christian church with ancient roots affirms such a small canon. The Eastern Orthodox Churches, Catholic Church, Assyrian Church of the East, and Oriental Orthodox Churches all testify to a canon of Scripture of at least 73 boooks.