Includes bibliographical references and index.

Modern and ancient views of the canon -- The emergence of the canon reconsidered -- The earliest canonical lists and notices -- The Torah in the Persian and early Hellenistic periods -- The letter of Aristeas and its early interpreters -- The wisdom of Jesus ben Sira and 2 Maccabees -- The Dead Sea scrolls and authoritative scriptures -- The holy books of the Essenes and Therapeutae -- Canon in the Gospels and Pauline letters -- The formation of the Jewish canon -- Appendix 1: Some modern canons -- Appendix 2: Early canonical lists -- Appendix 3: Bryennios and Epiphanius lists -- Appendix 4: Extra-canonical Jewish writings and the Pauline letters -- Appendix 5: Scriptural references in Sirach 44:50.

Print version record.

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls provides unprecedented insight into the nature of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament before its fixation. Timothy Lim here presents a complete account of the formation of the canon in ancient Judaism from the emergence of the Torah in the Persian period to the final acceptance of the list of twenty-two/twenty-four books in the Rabbinic period.

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