If you were in Sunday School last week and you are well familiar with the history of the Old Testament canon, you may have been puzzled that I never mentioned the Council of Jamnia. (On the other hand, you may have never heard of it!) While it is not an absolutely crucial detail in the history of OT canonization, it does come up occasionally in apologetic settings, so I’ll cover it here.
The Council of Jamnia is said to have taken place around 90AD. A liberal Jewish scholar named H.H. Graetz claimed in 1871 that the Old Testament canon was not closed until this council. There are a couple of reasons to reject this claim.
First, the New Testament at the time of its writing shows no evidence of an unsettled Old Testament. Yet, this is precisely what would be required if Graetz was correct. The NT was written between about 40-100AD. If as Graetz claimed a council in Jamnia only settled the OT canon in 90AD, most of the NT books were written during an unsettled OT.
However, the NT authors do not seem to refer to “the sacred writings” or quote them as if they are unknown or in question.
First, Jesus Himself in Luke 24:44 refers to the three sections of the OT as “the law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms [Writings].” The text then refers to these sections as “all the Scriptures.” This coincides with the OT divisions known for centuries by Jesus’ day.
Second, all but three OT books (Ruth, Ezra, Songs) are quoted in the NT, suggesting the settled status of at least 36 OT books during the writing of the NT. (There is plenty of evidence substantiating the other three books prior to that time.)
Third, the NT routinely refers to the OT Scriptures assuming a known canon. Here are few examples:
- Luke 24:27: And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. “All the Scriptures” implies a known body of works.
- Hebrews 1:1–2a: Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son… These phrases indicate that God had communicated in many ways, we have identified those communications, and that era is concluded.
- Acts 17:2, 11: And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures… 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Verse 2 refers to Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica. Verse 11 refers to Berea. The flow of the passage suggests that Jews in the two cities had a common body of Scripture from which Paul could make his case for Christ and those interested could investigate the veracity of his claims.
All this is to say that one does not read the New Testament with the sense that the OT Scriptures are in question.
Second, historical evidence does not support the claim that Jamnia settled the OT canon.
It’s helpful to note that Graetz was the first person to make such a claim about Jamnia. Again, he did so in 1871. This is extraordinarily late. There was an approximately 1800-year gap between the supposed council and the first claim that the council made any formal pronouncement about the boundaries of the Jewish canon. When one looks deeper into the facts of Jamnia, it is clear why Graetz was the first.
- After the destruction of the temple, the rabbi R. Johanan ben Zakkai settled in Jamnia (near Jaffa) and continued to study Scripture. Eventually, Jamnia was simply the location of a typical rabbinic school.
- “The Council of Jamnia” is a misnomer. There is no evidence that there was ever anything like a “council” making authoritative pronouncements on behalf of Jewish authorities. Rather, the rabbinic school did what rabbinic schools do: it engaged in discussions regarding Scripture, which occasionally pertained to the authority of particular books already recognized as canonical.
- These discussions were informal, though perhaps helping to more firmly fix Jewish tradition.
- The date of 90AD is nowhere attested in ancient texts. Long discussions did take place between 70-135AD regarding five OT books, but the citing of any one particular date wrongly implies that official decisions were made and/or were made at specific meetings.
The several books that received attention at Jamnia over the years were:
- Ezekiel: Some held that this book contradicted the Pentateuch in to the dimensions of the temple depicted in chapters 40-48. Over time, this was determined to be a matter of interpretation rather than of inspiration. (People are still wrestling with Ezekiel 40-48!)
- Proverbs: Some argued that this book also contained contradiction. For example, the famous Proverbs 26:4-5: Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes. However, it was deemed odd that anyone would place truly contradictory verses side-by-side. The consensus then, as today, is that wisdom is inherently a matter of discernment in application.
- Esther: Some found it objectionable that God is never mentioned. Most rabbis agreed though that God’s presence in the book is obvious through Esther’s faith and the people’s providential deliverance.
- Ecclesiastes: Some complained that the book was too pessimistic. However, clearly the purpose of the book is to show the meaninglessness of life without God.
- Song of Songs: This book was viewed to be too graphicly sexual. However, the majority interpreted it as an allegory for the love of God for Israel.
It must be understood that while these books were discussed at Jamnia over the decades, their canonicity was never imperiled. These discussions were similar to the scholarly debates that take place in universities and seminaries today. They were scholarly and informal, carrying no official authority in Judaism. Unfortunately, these discussions combined with the proliferation of the misnomer “Council of Jamnia” and the arbitrary and unattested date of 90AD have led to the unfortunate result that many believe the OT was canonized by an authorized body on a particular date in the first century AD.
The majority of modern scholars hold that there was no official council that recognized the canonical status of the OT books. Rather, the Hebrew Scriptures were recognized as such by the people of God in each successive generation as they were written. Again, the full OT was recognized as authoritative by the Jews several hundred years before Christ.
Comments