Catholics use Deuterocanonical Books, like Maccabees, Baruk, Wisdom of Solomon, etc...
Are these books part of the Bible or not ?
This question deserve a long explanation.
Some beleived that only Catholics used these books, but many Protestants
and Orthodox Churches also use these books. For example, the French Bible
TOB is an ecumenical version made between Protestants and Catholics.
At the beginning
The Torah (old testament) was written in Hebrew, but because the Hebrews
sinned so heavily against God, they were deported in many different countries :
Assyria, Babylon and many others where they prospered and multiplied.
In 330 BC, Alexander the Great conquered the inhabited world, and the world
started to speak Greek as international language. Like the others nations,
the Hebrews of all Diaspora started to speak Greek, and even children forgot
their own language the Hebrew, speaking only Greek.
In the third century, Pharaoh Ptolemy VI ( a Greek pharaoh) created a wonderful
library in Alexandria (Egypt). This library was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
He was desirous to get an exemplary of the sacred Book of Hebrews (the Torah),
but in Greek, that all the people of the nation be able to read it.
Ptolemy send his secretary to Jerusalem, to ask the Great Priest for translators.
After having enquired the Great priest sent to the Pharaoh 6 translators by tribe,
so 6X12=72 translators.
Ptolemy separated the translators and them to translate the Hebrew testament in
Greek. When they have finished, the King was marvelled about a so beautiful and
precise translation. He decided to applied the law of God in all his country: Egypt.
At this moment, the people was very happy under the God’s Law. The very big
Hebrew community living in Alexandria decided to use this so good translation for
themselves, and very soon, nearly all the Hebrews of the world used this translation.
Because 72 translators were used to translate the translation was called : ‘The
Septuagint, and because the translation was made in Alexandria, it was called
the “Bible of Alexandria”.
In the time of Christ
In Jesus'time , only this translation was used by the Jews, and by Jesus and his
apostles, because very few Jews were able to speak Hebrew. It’s why also only
the book of Matthew was first written in
Hebrew then translated in Greek. All the others books written by the apostles were
written first in Greek.
But when Jesus Died, accomplishing all prophesies written on the Septuagint
(Old Testament), the Jews were angry and furious. Around 100 AC. some of
Them : Aquila, Theodothion and Symaque first, decided to modified the holy
scriptures, specially on all passages to precise about the Jesus’ divinity.
For example, in the passage were it is written “The virgin will become
pregnant” the Jews change for “The young woman will become pregnant”(Isai 7,14).
By the time, they give-up totaly the Greek version for the New modified
Hebrew version.
The first mistake
In the dark period of 382 AC, because the Roman Empire had spread all over
the world, It became necessary to translate - this time - the Bible in Latin.
Jerome, a roman translator, supposed by mistake that the Hebrew manuscripts
were older than the Greek and used the modified manuscript to translate his
Latin Bible. This Latin Bible was called the “Vulgate”.
Later, the next translators translated the “Vulgate” in different languages like :
Indian, French, English etc…
It’s why when we read in the New-Testament one quotation of the Old-Testament,
we can see sometimes big differences (eg. Psaumes 8,4-9 and Hebrews 26-8)
The second mistake
Then, in 1521 AC come the reformation and the Protestantism. Luther decided
that some books must be withdraw from the Bible : Maccabees, Judith, Some
potion of the book of Daniel, Siracyde, etc.
These books are called "Apocritical" by Protestants, but "Deuterocanonical"
by Catholics and Orthodoxs.
The discovery
In 1948, Archaeologists, made a very important discovery, on the side of the
Dead Sea, in Palestine. They discovered hundreds old manuscripts very well
protected from the third century BC. (250 years before the coming of Jesus).
Because they have been lost and now recover, these manuscripts were
untouched. Many of them were translation of the original Septuagint. It was
really and very important discovery.
Today the manuscripts of the Septuagint are used to correct our vulgate translations.
These manuscripts contain the books withdrawn by Luther. In fact, these books
are very interesting and important. For example, it’s nearly impossible to
understand plentifully the book of Daniel, if we don’t have first read the historical
books of Maccabees.
For us we use frequently the Good News Bible with Deuterocanonical books.
Brother Francis
