When and how did the Catholic Church settle the 73-book Canon of the Bible?
The Bible did not fall from the sky complete with a table of contents; it was the Catholic Church that discerned which ancient writings were inspired by the Holy Spirit. Early local councils under the authority of Rome—Council of Rome (382 AD under Pope Damasus I), Council of Hippo (393 AD), and Council of Carthage (397 AD)—established the list of 73 inspired books. This same list was reaffirmed at the Ecumenical Council of Florence (1442) and dogmatically defined against Protestant deletions at the Council of Trent (1546).
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 120
- 2 Peter 3:15-16
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.