I studied Biblical & Theological Foundations RELI 552A from Dr. Robert Kugler [see his credentials here
Robert Kugler • Religious Studies • Lewis & Clark
] in Spring 2001 right after he returned to [then] Gonzaga University from a sabatical where he was studying the Dead Sea Scrolls [yes - very cool] and I do not believe he would agree with you. And he is a Lutheran not a Catholic
If the Catholics added the Duetercannonical books at Trent … then you produce the extant Bible manuscripts [or Bibles] that did not have them … where are they? Can you name one ?..
Here is what we have [and to your argument that they are not old enough - much of antiquity is lost through the ravages of time but we look at what we have and use that as a basis … you - perhaps - look at it say that what came before was vastly different -] … there are older more fragmented pieces …
For Greek Texts:
The Codex Saniaticus [housed in St Petersburg Russia] dates from the 4th century … it contains books that your protestant bible does not including much of the Duetrcanonical works plus the new testament writings, and some additional Chhristian writings [Shephard of Hermas and the Letter of Barnabus - I think] …
The Codex Vaticanus [housed in the Vatican] also dates to the 4th century … this manuscript covers both Henrew [old] and Christian [new] …with only a few missing frm both the old and new * you probably would not like this one because it is in the care and leeping of the Church … This is probably the oldest [according to most biblical scholars] …
So I will offer the Codex Alexandrinus [housed in England] from the 5th century … this one also covers old and new testaments and includes the deuterocanonical books and the apocryphal 3rd and 4th Maccabbees * …
Remember this … of very old New Testaments manuscripts in Greek fewer then 50 out of the more then 2000 are very complete …
The Vulgate versions are dated around the 8th century but there are older forms of the scriptures in latin that date centuries earlier …
And one must not forget what “Canons” are from the ancient Christian perpsective … these writings are the representation of the faith. The Church was the instrument that decided what was representative of the teachigs of Christ and the Good News of Salvation, the principlesor standards accepted as axiomatic and universally held - thus the “canon” of Scripture is work of the Church … it is the Church’s “Book” … the “Bible” did not give birth to the Church No, the Church gave birth to the Bible … they accepted the Septuagint and determined which Christian writings would be joined to it*. … **
And as an earlier poster asked … why do you have no qualms or conditions regarding the New Testament works included? … Luther questioned many of them and added words to others … through time they [those ultimately included and many that were not] embodied much more controversy then the Deutercanonicals …
MY favorite Aquinas quote is Arguement based on authority is weakest.
I have no qualms with Christians setting the NT cannon.
I do lean heavily that the Hebrew scriptures ought to be set by the Hebrews. The claim that there was no prophet in the land while some of these contested books were written also weighs heavily against them.
There are books in the LXX that are not in the cannon and uninspired books with the dead sea scrolls.
My point that Catholics added seven books to the bible is no more outlandish than to say Protestants took away seven books. I think that it has been comfortably established that the final choice for Catholics was at Trent.*