[malakhi]

No, the reason why Maccabees didn't make the Jewish canon was that it supported the Hasmonean regime, which was anathema to the Pharisees. Josephus shared the same prejudice.

First, looking at how the Hasmoneans ended up, it is no wonder that the Pharisees in the first century C.E. did not wish to be seen as supporting them. Second, there were other reasons the Maccabees were not canonized, which you seem completely to overlook.

[RobbyS]

... there were other reasons the Maccabees were not canonized, which you seem completely to overlook. Whatever reasons there were, their critique began with their program. The Catholic Church rejected III, and IV. All biblical canons are based on authority. So long as they are overlapping, then there is some basis for discussion. But do you really think there is some overarching authority that can decide among us?