Samaritan Pentateuch
The Torah alone - five books, no Prophets and no Writings. The narrowest Abrahamic canon.
Canon — books in and out
Which books each Abrahamic scripture includes, and which it does not. Book inclusion only — not translations, editions or imprints.
The Council of Nicaea (325) did not decide the canon. It settled the Arian controversy, the Creed and the date of Easter, and issued twenty disciplinary canons. No canon list was produced there and no book was voted out. The canon was formed before, alongside and long after it — mostly by regional councils ratifying what congregations were already reading.
Rows here are only the books that at least one tradition includes and at least one excludes. A row of identical ticks tells you nothing about what moved. The 24 books of the Tanakh — 39 in Christian ordering, Genesis through Malachi — are in every Christian canon in this grid, and in the Jewish and Greek columns. The 27 New Testament books are in every Christian canon in this grid. The Syriac column is the one exception, and the five books it omitted appear as rows below.
- Canonical — Received as scripture
- Apocrypha — Printed, in a section marked Apocrypha
- Appendix — Printed as an appendix or explicitly subordinate
- Dropped — Formerly included, later removed
- Not included — Not part of this canon
| Book | Samaritan 0 | Tanakh 0 | LXX 16 | Catholic 17 | Orthodox 21 | Slavonic 22 | Ethiopian 25 | Syriac 10 | Armenian 20 | KJV 1611 5 | Modern 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deuterocanon / Apocrypha | |||||||||||
| Tobit c. 225–175 BC In every ancient Christian canon; removed from Protestant Bibles at the Reformation. | Tobit — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Tobit — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Tobit — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Canonical | Tobit — Roman Catholic: Canonical | Tobit — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | Tobit — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | Tobit — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | Tobit — Syriac Peshitta: Canonical | Tobit — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | Tobit — King James Version, 1611 printing: Apocrypha | Tobit — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Judith c. 2nd c. BC | Judith — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Judith — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Judith — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Canonical | Judith — Roman Catholic: Canonical | Judith — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | Judith — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | Judith — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | Judith — Syriac Peshitta: Canonical | Judith — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | Judith — King James Version, 1611 printing: Apocrypha | Judith — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Wisdom of Solomon c. 1st c. BC | Wisdom of Solomon — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Wisdom of Solomon — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Wisdom of Solomon — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Canonical | Wisdom of Solomon — Roman Catholic: Canonical | Wisdom of Solomon — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | Wisdom of Solomon — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | Wisdom of Solomon — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | Wisdom of Solomon — Syriac Peshitta: Canonical | Wisdom of Solomon — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | Wisdom of Solomon — King James Version, 1611 printing: Apocrypha | Wisdom of Solomon — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) c. 180 BC | Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Canonical | Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) — Roman Catholic: Canonical | Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) — Syriac Peshitta: Canonical | Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) — King James Version, 1611 printing: Apocrypha | Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Baruch c. 2nd c. BC | Baruch — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Baruch — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Baruch — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Canonical | Baruch — Roman Catholic: Canonical | Baruch — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | Baruch — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | Baruch — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | Baruch — Syriac Peshitta: Canonical | Baruch — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | Baruch — King James Version, 1611 printing: Apocrypha | Baruch — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Letter of Jeremiah c. 4th–2nd c. BC Not a disagreement about inclusion but about COUNTING: Catholic Bibles carry it as Baruch ch. 6, Orthodox ones as a separate book. Same text, different totals. | Letter of Jeremiah — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Letter of Jeremiah — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Letter of Jeremiah — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Canonical | Letter of Jeremiah — Roman Catholic: Canonical | Letter of Jeremiah — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | Letter of Jeremiah — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | Letter of Jeremiah — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | Letter of Jeremiah — Syriac Peshitta: Canonical | Letter of Jeremiah — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | Letter of Jeremiah — King James Version, 1611 printing: Apocrypha | Letter of Jeremiah — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| 1 Maccabees c. 100 BC | 1 Maccabees — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | 1 Maccabees — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | 1 Maccabees — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Canonical | 1 Maccabees — Roman Catholic: Canonical | 1 Maccabees — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | 1 Maccabees — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | 1 Maccabees — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | 1 Maccabees — Syriac Peshitta: Canonical | 1 Maccabees — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | 1 Maccabees — King James Version, 1611 printing: Apocrypha | 1 Maccabees — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| 2 Maccabees c. 124 BC | 2 Maccabees — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | 2 Maccabees — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | 2 Maccabees — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Canonical | 2 Maccabees — Roman Catholic: Canonical | 2 Maccabees — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | 2 Maccabees — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | 2 Maccabees — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | 2 Maccabees — Syriac Peshitta: Canonical | 2 Maccabees — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | 2 Maccabees — King James Version, 1611 printing: Apocrypha | 2 Maccabees — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Additions to Esther c. 2nd–1st c. BC Integrated into Esther in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles; printed as a free-standing unit in the 1611 Apocrypha. | Additions to Esther — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Additions to Esther — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Additions to Esther — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Canonical | Additions to Esther — Roman Catholic: Canonical | Additions to Esther — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | Additions to Esther — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | Additions to Esther — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | Additions to Esther — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | Additions to Esther — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | Additions to Esther — King James Version, 1611 printing: Apocrypha | Additions to Esther — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Prayer of Azariah & Song of the Three c. 2nd c. BC Daniel 3 in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles. | Prayer of Azariah & Song of the Three — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Prayer of Azariah & Song of the Three — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Prayer of Azariah & Song of the Three — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Canonical | Prayer of Azariah & Song of the Three — Roman Catholic: Canonical | Prayer of Azariah & Song of the Three — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | Prayer of Azariah & Song of the Three — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | Prayer of Azariah & Song of the Three — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | Prayer of Azariah & Song of the Three — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | Prayer of Azariah & Song of the Three — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | Prayer of Azariah & Song of the Three — King James Version, 1611 printing: Apocrypha | Prayer of Azariah & Song of the Three — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Susanna c. 2nd c. BC Daniel 13 in Catholic Bibles. | Susanna — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Susanna — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Susanna — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Canonical | Susanna — Roman Catholic: Canonical | Susanna — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | Susanna — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | Susanna — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | Susanna — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | Susanna — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | Susanna — King James Version, 1611 printing: Apocrypha | Susanna — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Bel and the Dragon c. 2nd c. BC Daniel 14 in Catholic Bibles. | Bel and the Dragon — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Bel and the Dragon — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Bel and the Dragon — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Canonical | Bel and the Dragon — Roman Catholic: Canonical | Bel and the Dragon — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | Bel and the Dragon — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | Bel and the Dragon — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | Bel and the Dragon — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | Bel and the Dragon — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | Bel and the Dragon — King James Version, 1611 printing: Apocrypha | Bel and the Dragon — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Additional in Orthodox canons | |||||||||||
| 1 Esdras c. 2nd c. BC Canonical for the Orthodox; relegated to a Vulgate appendix by Rome and so NOT canonical at Trent. | 1 Esdras — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | 1 Esdras — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | 1 Esdras — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Canonical | 1 Esdras — Roman Catholic: Appendix | 1 Esdras — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | 1 Esdras — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | 1 Esdras — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | 1 Esdras — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | 1 Esdras — Armenian Apostolic: Not included | 1 Esdras — King James Version, 1611 printing: Apocrypha | 1 Esdras — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| 2 Esdras (4 Ezra) c. 1st–2nd c. AD Numbering differs by tradition - 4 Ezra in Latin reckoning, 3 Esdras in Slavonic. Never in Greek Orthodox Bibles, which is why that column is blank. | 2 Esdras (4 Ezra) — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | 2 Esdras (4 Ezra) — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | 2 Esdras (4 Ezra) — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | 2 Esdras (4 Ezra) — Roman Catholic: Appendix | 2 Esdras (4 Ezra) — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Not included | 2 Esdras (4 Ezra) — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | 2 Esdras (4 Ezra) — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | 2 Esdras (4 Ezra) — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | 2 Esdras (4 Ezra) — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | 2 Esdras (4 Ezra) — King James Version, 1611 printing: Apocrypha | 2 Esdras (4 Ezra) — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Prayer of Manasseh c. 2nd–1st c. BC | Prayer of Manasseh — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Prayer of Manasseh — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Prayer of Manasseh — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | Prayer of Manasseh — Roman Catholic: Appendix | Prayer of Manasseh — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | Prayer of Manasseh — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | Prayer of Manasseh — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | Prayer of Manasseh — Syriac Peshitta: Canonical | Prayer of Manasseh — Armenian Apostolic: Not included | Prayer of Manasseh — King James Version, 1611 printing: Apocrypha | Prayer of Manasseh — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Psalm 151 c. 3rd–1st c. BC Found in Hebrew among the Dead Sea Scrolls (11QPs-a), so not a Greek invention. | Psalm 151 — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Psalm 151 — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Psalm 151 — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Canonical | Psalm 151 — Roman Catholic: Not included | Psalm 151 — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | Psalm 151 — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | Psalm 151 — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | Psalm 151 — Syriac Peshitta: Canonical | Psalm 151 — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | Psalm 151 — King James Version, 1611 printing: Not included | Psalm 151 — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| 3 Maccabees c. 1st c. BC Despite the name, not a sequel - a separate story about Egyptian Jews under Ptolemy IV. | 3 Maccabees — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | 3 Maccabees — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | 3 Maccabees — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Canonical | 3 Maccabees — Roman Catholic: Not included | 3 Maccabees — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | 3 Maccabees — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | 3 Maccabees — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Not included | 3 Maccabees — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | 3 Maccabees — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | 3 Maccabees — King James Version, 1611 printing: Not included | 3 Maccabees — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| 4 Maccabees c. 1st c. AD | 4 Maccabees — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | 4 Maccabees — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | 4 Maccabees — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Canonical | 4 Maccabees — Roman Catholic: Not included | 4 Maccabees — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Appendix | 4 Maccabees — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Not included | 4 Maccabees — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Not included | 4 Maccabees — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | 4 Maccabees — Armenian Apostolic: Appendix | 4 Maccabees — King James Version, 1611 printing: Not included | 4 Maccabees — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Additional in the Ethiopian canon | |||||||||||
| 1 Enoch c. 3rd c. BC – 1st c. AD Quoted as prophecy by name in Jude 14–15, yet canonical today only in Ethiopia. Survived complete in Ge’ez alone; the Greek and Aramaic are fragmentary. | 1 Enoch — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | 1 Enoch — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | 1 Enoch — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | 1 Enoch — Roman Catholic: Not included | 1 Enoch — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Not included | 1 Enoch — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Not included | 1 Enoch — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | 1 Enoch — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | 1 Enoch — Armenian Apostolic: Not included | 1 Enoch — King James Version, 1611 printing: Not included | 1 Enoch — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Jubilees c. 160–150 BC Found in multiple copies at Qumran, so it was in serious use in Second Temple Judaism before it fell out everywhere except Ethiopia. | Jubilees — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Jubilees — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Jubilees — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | Jubilees — Roman Catholic: Not included | Jubilees — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Not included | Jubilees — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Not included | Jubilees — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | Jubilees — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | Jubilees — Armenian Apostolic: Not included | Jubilees — King James Version, 1611 printing: Not included | Jubilees — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| 1–3 Meqabyan uncertain Ethiopic books entirely distinct from 1–4 Maccabees despite the similar name - a common confusion. | 1–3 Meqabyan — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | 1–3 Meqabyan — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | 1–3 Meqabyan — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | 1–3 Meqabyan — Roman Catholic: Not included | 1–3 Meqabyan — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Not included | 1–3 Meqabyan — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Not included | 1–3 Meqabyan — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | 1–3 Meqabyan — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | 1–3 Meqabyan — Armenian Apostolic: Not included | 1–3 Meqabyan — King James Version, 1611 printing: Not included | 1–3 Meqabyan — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| 4 Baruch (Paralipomena of Jeremiah) c. 1st–2nd c. AD | 4 Baruch (Paralipomena of Jeremiah) — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | 4 Baruch (Paralipomena of Jeremiah) — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | 4 Baruch (Paralipomena of Jeremiah) — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | 4 Baruch (Paralipomena of Jeremiah) — Roman Catholic: Not included | 4 Baruch (Paralipomena of Jeremiah) — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Not included | 4 Baruch (Paralipomena of Jeremiah) — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Not included | 4 Baruch (Paralipomena of Jeremiah) — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | 4 Baruch (Paralipomena of Jeremiah) — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | 4 Baruch (Paralipomena of Jeremiah) — Armenian Apostolic: Not included | 4 Baruch (Paralipomena of Jeremiah) — King James Version, 1611 printing: Not included | 4 Baruch (Paralipomena of Jeremiah) — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Josippon (Zena Ayhud) c. 10th c. AD Part of the broader Ethiopian listing, which the sources do not fully agree on. | Josippon (Zena Ayhud) — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Josippon (Zena Ayhud) — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Josippon (Zena Ayhud) — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | Josippon (Zena Ayhud) — Roman Catholic: Not included | Josippon (Zena Ayhud) — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Not included | Josippon (Zena Ayhud) — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Not included | Josippon (Zena Ayhud) — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Appendix | Josippon (Zena Ayhud) — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | Josippon (Zena Ayhud) — Armenian Apostolic: Not included | Josippon (Zena Ayhud) — King James Version, 1611 printing: Not included | Josippon (Zena Ayhud) — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| New Testament books that moved | |||||||||||
| 2 Peter c. 1st–2nd c. AD One of the five omitted from the original Peshitta; supplied to Syriac Bibles later. | 2 Peter — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | 2 Peter — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | 2 Peter — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | 2 Peter — Roman Catholic: Canonical | 2 Peter — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | 2 Peter — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | 2 Peter — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | 2 Peter — Syriac Peshitta: Dropped | 2 Peter — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | 2 Peter — King James Version, 1611 printing: Canonical | 2 Peter — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Canonical |
| 2 John c. 1st–2nd c. AD | 2 John — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | 2 John — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | 2 John — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | 2 John — Roman Catholic: Canonical | 2 John — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | 2 John — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | 2 John — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | 2 John — Syriac Peshitta: Dropped | 2 John — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | 2 John — King James Version, 1611 printing: Canonical | 2 John — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Canonical |
| 3 John c. 1st–2nd c. AD | 3 John — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | 3 John — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | 3 John — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | 3 John — Roman Catholic: Canonical | 3 John — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | 3 John — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | 3 John — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | 3 John — Syriac Peshitta: Dropped | 3 John — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | 3 John — King James Version, 1611 printing: Canonical | 3 John — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Canonical |
| Jude c. 1st c. AD Its quotation of 1 Enoch is part of why both books were disputed - accepting Jude raised the question of what Jude was citing. | Jude — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Jude — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Jude — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | Jude — Roman Catholic: Canonical | Jude — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | Jude — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | Jude — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | Jude — Syriac Peshitta: Dropped | Jude — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | Jude — King James Version, 1611 printing: Canonical | Jude — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Canonical |
| Revelation c. 95 AD The most contested book in the New Testament. Omitted from the original Peshitta AND from the Synod of Laodicea’s list (363); the Armenian church accepted it only around the 12th century. | Revelation — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Revelation — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Revelation — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | Revelation — Roman Catholic: Canonical | Revelation — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Canonical | Revelation — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Canonical | Revelation — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Canonical | Revelation — Syriac Peshitta: Dropped | Revelation — Armenian Apostolic: Canonical | Revelation — King James Version, 1611 printing: Canonical | Revelation — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Canonical |
| 3 Corinthians c. 2nd c. AD Historically printed in Armenian Bibles; no longer treated as canonical. | 3 Corinthians — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | 3 Corinthians — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | 3 Corinthians — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | 3 Corinthians — Roman Catholic: Not included | 3 Corinthians — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Not included | 3 Corinthians — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Not included | 3 Corinthians — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Not included | 3 Corinthians — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | 3 Corinthians — Armenian Apostolic: Dropped | 3 Corinthians — King James Version, 1611 printing: Not included | 3 Corinthians — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Epistle to the Laodiceans c. 3rd–4th c. AD Carried in many Latin Vulgate manuscripts through the Middle Ages and in early German Bibles, then dropped. | Epistle to the Laodiceans — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Epistle to the Laodiceans — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Epistle to the Laodiceans — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | Epistle to the Laodiceans — Roman Catholic: Dropped | Epistle to the Laodiceans — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Not included | Epistle to the Laodiceans — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Not included | Epistle to the Laodiceans — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Not included | Epistle to the Laodiceans — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | Epistle to the Laodiceans — Armenian Apostolic: Not included | Epistle to the Laodiceans — King James Version, 1611 printing: Not included | Epistle to the Laodiceans — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Early Christian books bound with Bibles but not canonised | |||||||||||
| Shepherd of Hermas c. 2nd c. AD Physically bound into Codex Sinaiticus (4th c.) - one of the two oldest complete Bibles in existence. | Shepherd of Hermas — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Shepherd of Hermas — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Shepherd of Hermas — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | Shepherd of Hermas — Roman Catholic: Not included | Shepherd of Hermas — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Not included | Shepherd of Hermas — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Not included | Shepherd of Hermas — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Not included | Shepherd of Hermas — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | Shepherd of Hermas — Armenian Apostolic: Not included | Shepherd of Hermas — King James Version, 1611 printing: Not included | Shepherd of Hermas — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Epistle of Barnabas c. 70–132 AD Also bound into Codex Sinaiticus. | Epistle of Barnabas — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Epistle of Barnabas — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Epistle of Barnabas — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | Epistle of Barnabas — Roman Catholic: Not included | Epistle of Barnabas — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Not included | Epistle of Barnabas — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Not included | Epistle of Barnabas — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Not included | Epistle of Barnabas — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | Epistle of Barnabas — Armenian Apostolic: Not included | Epistle of Barnabas — King James Version, 1611 printing: Not included | Epistle of Barnabas — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| 1 & 2 Clement c. 96 AD / 2nd c. AD Bound into Codex Alexandrinus (5th c.). The Ethiopian broader listing carries an Ethiopic Clement, which is a different text. | 1 & 2 Clement — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | 1 & 2 Clement — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | 1 & 2 Clement — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | 1 & 2 Clement — Roman Catholic: Not included | 1 & 2 Clement — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Not included | 1 & 2 Clement — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Not included | 1 & 2 Clement — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Appendix | 1 & 2 Clement — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | 1 & 2 Clement — Armenian Apostolic: Not included | 1 & 2 Clement — King James Version, 1611 printing: Not included | 1 & 2 Clement — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Didache c. 1st–2nd c. AD Listed among disputed books by Eusebius; related material sits in the Ethiopian Sinodos. | Didache — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Didache — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Didache — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | Didache — Roman Catholic: Not included | Didache — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Not included | Didache — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Not included | Didache — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Appendix | Didache — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | Didache — Armenian Apostolic: Not included | Didache — King James Version, 1611 printing: Not included | Didache — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
| Apocalypse of Peter c. 2nd c. AD Named in the Muratorian Fragment (c. 170–200) as read by some, with the note that others refuse it - a canon dispute recorded as it happened. | Apocalypse of Peter — Samaritan Pentateuch: Not included | Apocalypse of Peter — Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic): Not included | Apocalypse of Peter — Septuagint (Greek Old Testament): Not included | Apocalypse of Peter — Roman Catholic: Not included | Apocalypse of Peter — Greek / Eastern Orthodox: Not included | Apocalypse of Peter — Russian / Slavonic Orthodox: Not included | Apocalypse of Peter — Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Not included | Apocalypse of Peter — Syriac Peshitta: Not included | Apocalypse of Peter — Armenian Apostolic: Not included | Apocalypse of Peter — King James Version, 1611 printing: Not included | Apocalypse of Peter — Modern Protestant Bible (2026): Not included |
Column figures count how many of the 35 contested books that tradition receives as canonical — not its total book count, since the books every tradition shares are not rows here.
The canons
Jewish Tanakh (Masoretic)
24 books. The deuterocanon was never part of it; the rabbinic tradition transmitted these books and not the Greek additions.
Septuagint (Greek Old Testament)
The Greek collection used by Greek-speaking Jews and by the early church. It is where the deuterocanonical books enter Christian use - the reason Catholic and Orthodox Bibles have them and the Tanakh does not.
Roman Catholic
73 books. Hippo (393) and Carthage (397) ratified this list; Trent made it dogma in answer to the Reformation.
Greek / Eastern Orthodox
Everything Catholic has, plus 1 Esdras, Prayer of Manasseh, Psalm 151 and 3 Maccabees. 4 Maccabees is printed in an appendix.
Russian / Slavonic Orthodox
As Greek Orthodox, and additionally carries 2 Esdras (3 Esdras in Slavonic numbering).
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo
The broadest canon in Christianity and the only living tradition that never lost 1 Enoch or Jubilees. Both are scripture here, not apocrypha.
Syriac Peshitta
Notable for what it LACKED: the original Peshitta New Testament had 22 books, omitting 2 Peter, 2-3 John, Jude and Revelation. Those were supplied later from Greek.
Armenian Apostolic
Accepted Revelation later than any other major tradition, and historically printed 3 Corinthians.
King James Version, 1611 printing
The original KJV contained the Apocrypha, set between the Testaments as its own section - neither integrated like a Catholic Bible nor absent like a modern one.
Modern Protestant Bible (2026)
66 books. Westminster (1647) declared the Apocrypha non-canonical; the British and Foreign Bible Society stopped PRINTING it in 1826, which is the practical reason it is missing from the Bible on the shelf today.
Islam — a recension, not a council
The Qur’an is not a collection of separable books that councils voted in or out, so it has no column in the grid above. Putting it there would produce a row of dashes beside Tobit and Judith and imply a comparison that does not exist. Its canon history is no less real, only differently shaped.
The text was fixed by recension rather than by council. Under the caliph Uthman, c. 650 AD, a single authoritative consonantal text was compiled and variant codices — those associated with Ibn Mas’ud and Ubayy ibn Ka’b among them — were withdrawn from circulation. What changed afterwards was the reading tradition, not the inventory: the seven (later ten) canonical qira’at were formalised by Ibn Mujahid in the 10th century, and the 1924 Cairo edition standardised the printed text now in general use.
Islam does recognise earlier scriptures by name — the Tawrat given to Moses, the Zabur to David, and the Injil to Jesus. It does not, however, identify them with the Torah, Psalms and Gospels as those now stand: the doctrine of tahrif holds that the received texts have been altered. So the relationship to the other canons on this page is neither inclusion nor exclusion, but a distinct third position — the books are affirmed as revealed and their surviving versions are not accepted as those revelations.
Still to come: the timeline — every canon-forming event from the Muratorian Fragment (c. 170) to the British and Foreign Bible Society dropping the Apocrypha in 1826, in date order, with the books that moved at each one.