Old Testament Canon

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Psalm45_9

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This question is more aimed to our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters. The Old Testament Canon in some Eastern Orthodox Churches is larger then the Catholic Canon. These books come from the LXX, which is where we get the Dueterocanonical/Apochryphal books. The Orthodox Canon books I am refering to are: Psalm 151, The Prayer of Manasses, 1/3 Esdras, 2/4 Esdras, 3 Maccabbes, and 4 Maccabees. I know the Orthodox Churches accept all the councils up to Nicea, where the canon was finalized. So I am wondering why these books are accepted by certain Orthodox Churches and not by others.
 
I know the Orthodox Churches accept all the councils up to Nicea, where the canon was finalized.
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What council of Nicea finalized the canon of Scripture?
 
I’m sorry, I didn’t do my homework. Jimmy Akin said the Councils of Hippo and Carthage.

cin.org/users/james/files/deuteros.htm

Note: I already know why the Deueterocanonicals are scripture, and I know how to defend them. I am only wondering where do these other books fit in.
 
The article above from the Greek Orthodox source gives you their view.

Since the Greek Orthodox did not fall under the authority of the local Synods of Hippo and Carthage, those 4th century canons were not binding for them. It wasn’t until the Council of Florence in the 15th century when an Ecumenical Council listed the books of the Bible. The Eastern/Oriental Orthodox participated in that council, but due to various circumstances, do not accept that council as binding. Therefore, they do not have a dogmatic decree similar to our Council of Trent which gives a definitive list of Sacred books of Scripture. That’s why the Russian Orthodox version of the Bible differs from the Greek Orthodox version.

The Catholic Church considers the books above and beyond the 73 books of the Catholic Bible to be not part of the Bible.
 
Thank you itsjustdave1988, the information you provided was very helpful.
 
Trent is where the canon was finally set into stone. Some Churches have over 200 books in the canon, while a sect of Jews has only first five in their canon. It can vary widely.
 
The Ethiopian Church has two canons of scripture-a narrow and a wide. The narrow is has all the books of the Septuagint (including all 4 Esdras and Maccabees &al.) as well as the Book of Jubilees and the Book of Enoch. I don’t know what is in the wide canon (save for some of the books in the wider NT). There is also a recension of the Book of Psalms that has 156 Psalms in it (used by some non-Chalcedonian Churches). One can find a translation of all the books in the Orthodox canon (Greek, Slavonic, as well as a couple only in the Vulgate apendix) in the New Oxford Annotated Bible, with Apochrapha, Third Ed. (the ecumenical version).

In Christ,
Adam
 
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