[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

Luther Agreed with Jerome that the deuterocanonical were OK for reading but were not God Breathed Scripture.

Neither one had authority to unilaterally edit the received Scriptures.

Only a Church Council, or the pope, had the authority to determine the canon of Scripture.

[bkaycee]

Pope Gregory the Great, did not believe Maccabees was scripure

[bkaycee]

Pope Gregory the Great In his commentary on Job, Book 19, chapter 34, he says that it is not irregular to quote for the church’s edification the books of the Apocrypha, as long as it is understood that they are not canonical. He then immediately retells the story from 1 Macc. 6:42-47 concerning the death of Eleazar Savaran, who killed an elephant, though being killed in the process. Gregory’s exact words are these: “De qua re non inordinate agimus, si ex libris, licet non canonicis, tamen ad aedificationem ecclesiae editis, testimonium proferamus” (emphasis added). The translation already linked renders it: “With reference to which particular we are not acting irregularly, if from the books, though not Canonical, yet brought out for the edifying of the Church, we bring forward testimony.” What immediately follows is from Maccabees. So, if Trent is correct in anathematizing all who reject the Apocrypha, then they have retroactively anathematized one of their own popes:

http://greenbaggins.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/a-pope-rejects-maccabees/

[metmom]

Only a Church Council, or the pope, had the authority to determine the canon of Scripture.

And just who decided THAT?

Especially, who initially decided that?

[Elsie]

Only a Church Council, or the pope, had the authority to determine the canon of Scripture.

I know this is a bit before your time; but just WHO had 'authority' to compile the OT together?

[Colofornian]

Only a Church Council, or the pope, had the authority to determine the canon of Scripture.

(Church leaders only confirmed what was already treated authoritatively due to its linkages to the apostles and Paul)

The early church fathers (97-180) quoted from 28 of the 29 New Testament books. In fact, EVERY New Testament book was referenced pre-150 except Philemon and 3 John. The 170 A.D. Muratorian Canon had only excluded Hebrews, James, and 3 John. [And if Catholics want to make that an issue, they should talk...given that their first canonization of the Apocrypha came in 1546...and they didn't canonize dead saints until 995]

The Holy Spirit canonized the Bible; the Church merely received it -- reaffirming what the early church Fathers had already recognized in their writings as authoritative [for example, Hippolytus recognized 22 books his writings...he lived 170-235]

Irenaeus cited 21 of these books...Polycarp, a disciple of the apostle John, acknowledged 15 books.