Who Picked What Books Went In the Old Testament?

Who made the Hebrew/Old Testament canon? And, with literally hundreds of important ancient religious documents to chose from, how did they pick which ones would be scripture and which ones wouldn't make the cut? Well, I made a video about that.
Click this link to check out all the sources and notes: thetmbh.com/sources
Patrons make these videos happen, and you can join them in supporting the program if you want at: patreon.com/tmbh

[@nicholasshaler7442]

The Ten Minute Bible Hour is slowly becoming The Sixty Minute Bible Hour. I really like the long from content.

[@justchilling704]

ZanySoul Archives Hahaha

[@jasonnickel384]

This Hour Has 34 Minutes

[@angelr9096]

Me too! The longer the better :)

[@michaelreed649]

Agreed! Matt, keep it up!

[@someguysopinion3692]

This is better than some of my theology classes that I’m doing now. Keep doing what you do brother. God bless

[@EmethMatthew]

I think Matt might have overestimated the clarity of the Star Wars canon... 🤔🙃😆

[@alexcasetta6653]

Watching this for the first time. Had literally the same thought... 😂

[@narrowwaytolife4525]

Happy Sabbath! Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. God's 4th Holy Seventh Day Sabbath commandment. Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 20:8-11, Isaiah 58:13, Matthew 12:8, John 14:15 If you love me keep my commandments.

[@navagatingthroughthebeasts2908]

: )

[@anyaharper2860]

Part of what makes the prequel series so strange is that half of the characters are fan made.

[@joecastillo8798]

Matt, The seven "extra books" deleted by protestants in 1825, have been part of the Christian Bible since 382AD simply because they are part of the Septuagint. Such Canon is where the greatest number of OT quotes are cited from, in the NT. God bless.

[@angelvalentinmojica6967]

this evidence alone is enough for me to take the 7 books as scripture. jesus himself quoted from the septuagint.

[@RudyCarrera]

@@angelvalentinmojica6967 precisely. Both the Orthodox and Catholics use it (since we were the Church who put the canon together), and the only reason Luther and others wanted to get rid of many of these books was that it would wreck their claims against the Church.

[@PeterNerlich]

Love this, too. Huge respect for your time, effort and competence presenting this is a really clear and neutral, but most of all super accessible and authentic way. Be blessed!

[@MotherShrimp]

Hi! My adult son turned me on to your videos. They are a GREAT help in understanding the Bible. ADD moment : in the clip of you and the ancient rock drawing, I noticed the creature above the "centipede " looking thing. Possibly a swardfish? Hmmm a dinosaur? 😃 You have a wonderful day, many blessings .

[@jammin60psd]

Im just here for the tractor mounted wood chipper

[@magiccitymelkite6161]

I have more recent translations for comparison, but as a Catholic, I really enjoy reading the Douay-Rheims Bible even though it is from the Latin Vulgate, so a translation of a translation, but I love how it comes from the work of St Jerome who would have had access to records we no longer have and would have had a more practical knowledge of ancient Hebrew and ancient Greek than we do today. I also think it is cool because Latin translates into English much more easily and clearly than Greek or Hebrew does. So, in many cases where the Greek or Hebrew can be translated into English in multiple ways, the Latin to English translation can be less ambiguous. So, if we trust that St Jerome had access to native speakers and contemporary sources that eliminated the ambiguity of certain Greek and Hebrew words and phrases then it can give us some insight into how those phrases were actually understood and which way they were meant to be translated. Just my personal opinion, keep in mind that I am a Catholic and at the Council of Trent I believe my Church declared that the Vulgate, in particular, had been protected from error. So, if I wasn't Catholic and didn't believe that the Church was guided by the Holy Spirit I might be a lot more critical and have a different set of assumptions. However, I think in this case reason, regarding St Jerome's unique time in history much closer to the time and place that Christ lived in than us, and the way languages work regarding Latin being a disambiguating filter between ancient Greek/Hebrew and English, combined with my own faith in the what I believe happened at the Council of Trent, really helps me feel at eas about reading what some might call "the Catholic King James Version"(although I read the 1899 edition which is more like "the Catholic NKJV"). That being said I do read multiple translations of the Bible. My next two favorites include the Orthodox Study Bible and the Revised Standard Version-Catholic Edition. As an Eastern Catholic, I use the OSB because the footnotes have a lot of theology from the Eastern Church Fathers. The OSB uses the NKJV for the New Testament and has a translation of the Greek Septuagint for the Old Testament. The Revised Standard Version I use is actually the Second Catholic Edition and is known as the Ignatius Bible, it comes from a more modern translation of the original Greek and Hebrew, and was the first English Bible translation in history to utilize the Dead Sea Scrolls. In addition to the three I've mentioned, I have also heard and read the Catholic New American Bible(translated from Greek and Hebrew sources around 1970) my whole life as this is the standard version authorized for readings during services at the majority of Catholic churches in the United States, and although it is not my favorite translation I still read it occasionally for balance. Since my family was historically Southern Baptist, Methodist, and Seventh-Day Adventist, I even have some old King James family Bibles that I read some times that are pretty cool.

[@Jondoe_04]

You got to remember Jerome knew the apocrypha wasn't canon. Jerome talked to those in Israel, and he learned they didn't keep them in the temple. Additionally, it's clear the OT of the NT is the tanhnak, which Jesus called the canon atleaet twice in the NT, and that doesn't have the apocryphal text.

[@jonathanpresson777]

Matt, I want to thank you for what you're doing here. I studied a lot of this in Christian Highschool and College, but have . . . lost track . . . of a lot of the details over the years. Furthermore, my wife's family is not Christian (she is, but not her parents and sister) and she has a lot of questions that you've helped answer. You've also helped me to direct my own study and given me names and details to use to begin studying. Thank you so much.

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

All of that stuff makes me really happy to hear. Thanks for taking the time to say that.

[@jonathanpresson777]

@@MattWhitmanTMBH least I could do. Thank you. God bless you.

[@fighterxaos1]

I'm glad you made this. This is a way to respectfully show on what we Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox agree on and don't agree on. Especially to my friends who aren't as knowledgeable on the Bible as they'd like to be.

[@ChaplainDaveSparks]

I agree, for the same reason I respect Wayne Grudem's _"Systematic Theology"._ I may not agree with his final conclusions, but he seems to lay out the alternatives in a *FAIR* manner.

[@michaeldickens3357]

Your videos are very, very informative - to the point, with just enough of references. Thank you!

[@hunterdavis7504]

I love the long form content. I recognize that most people probably would prefer it to be shorter but all of the information you presented is invaluable and incredibly helpful. I've never taken the time to understand the origins or history of the Bible itself and this type of content makes it seem very approachable. Thank you, Matt!

[@angelr9096]

I like the longer videos. I spend most of my 8-hour work day listening to KZbin content like this, it's helpful when I don't have to pull my phone out very often

[@Paldasan]

Really good video, very clear. Love the editing, your use of images and overlays are always helpful. Please thank your kids from us (because I know you would have already thanked them from you) for a stellar job with their books and scrolls.

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

Thank you very much. I will show them your comment and they will smile.

[@s19wong]

Clear and compassionate. I'm glad you aren't dismissive of other traditions. As a semi-evangelical right now this makes me want to study up on apocrypha

[@gideonjudges7]

Thanks for being pretty fair with the history/the differences. I would point out three important things: 1. While the Threefold Structure of the Hebrew Canon was talked about around when you had mentioned (earliest reference comes from the intro attached to Sirach [written by the author, Yeshua ben Sira's grandson--who called them the Law, the Prophets, and "the Others"]), it was fuzzy as to which books belonged to the different collections. As you mentioned, the Samaritans only accepted the Law, but then you also have groups like the Saducees who regarded only the Law as Scripture (and then disputing with other groups about doctrines seeming to be only found in the Prophets/Writings--like the Resurrection. In the scene where Jesus is confronted by the Saducees about the situation from the Book of Tobit [one woman, married to seven husbands who died before children], He argues for the Resurrection only with the books that they actually held, the Law, rather than something like Daniel [or just straight defending Tobit], Matt. 22) Or the Essenes/the Qumran Community--more than just the current Hebrew Canon, but with Tobit, Sirach, the LXX Jeremiah [shorter Hebrew version which in Greek is combined with Lamentations, Baruch, and the Letter of Jeremiah], and apparently not accepting Esther. Or looking at the debates about the canon in the Mishnah and the Talmud--there were questions about Esther, Song of Songs, and Sirach all the way into the 300s/400s AD among the Jews (with Sirach being quoted as Scripture several times in the Talmud). The way Jesus described it was telling "The Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms"--it was not yet a set in stone collection of writings (more than just Psalms, but it still wasn't "We know exactly which XYZ books 'the Writings' refer to") 2. The Council of Jamnia was posited by a scholar in the 1870s, but scholars since the 1960s looking at the evidence say that it's almost impossible for it to have actually happened. The Jewish Canon was actually finalized around the same time as the Church was finalizing its OT--late 300s early 400s (specifically Pope St. Innocent I's letter in answer to the Bishop of Toulouse asking a question about St. Jerome's rejection of the deuteros, in 411) 3. It is a little unclear which Zechariah Jesus is referring to in the Abel to Zechariah reference. In Matthew, he is called "Zechariah son of Barachiah" (23.35) The Zechariah in 2 Chronicles 24 is called "Zechariah son of Yehodiah." The Zachariah Jesus mentioned may have been the author of the Book of Zechariah (son of Berechiah son of Iddo) or (as one late first century tradition had it) Zechariah the Father of John the Baptist--but He specifically cannot be referencing the Zechariah in 2 Chronicles.

[@ernestrobinson8441]

"but He specifically cannot be referencing the Zechariah in 2 Chronicles." Is there any reason why Jesus could not be referencing this Zechariah?

[@gideonjudges7]

@@ernestrobinson8441 Matthew 23.35 (RSV): from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 2 Chronicles 24:20-22 (RSV): Then the Spirit of God took possession of Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’ ” But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and avenge!” The Zechariah Jesus mentions is the son of Barachiah. The Zechariah in Chronicles is the son of Yehodiah. In order to say that they are referring to the same person, you have to also be saying either: 1. Jesus, the Incarnate God, and Author of the Scriptures made a mistake when referencing the story, 2. Matthew, inspired by the Holy Spirit made a mistake by adding an incorrect clarifying identification to Zechariah's name, or 3. That the inspired author of Chronicles identified Zechariah incorrectly. If you really need this figure to be the same as the one in Chronicles, then either Jesus/Matthew is wrong or Chronicles is wrong. I personally would rather follow the simpler option (two different names for two different people), which doesn't make the Bible contradict itself.

[@maligjokica]

@@gideonjudges7 i though that Zaharia is actually the father of saint john the baptist. At least orthodox think that way. According to our holy (oral) tradition he was killed after he refused to tell where his son is hiding after herod the great send soldiers for baby Christ to be killed.

[@gideonjudges7]

@@maligjokica right, that is one of the ancient traditions (I know it is recorded both in the Protoevangelium of James and by Origen [who rejected the Protoevangelium, so the places where he agreed with it, like the identity of Zechariah or the names of Mary's parents, are likely from an earlier tradition than either of them]) But whether it was Zechariah father of John the Baptist, Zechariah the Prophet, or even just another contemporary Zechariah with whom the audience of Jesus would have been familiar, we know for certain that it is not the Zechariah in Chronicles.

[@pichuboy8868]

Anthony Fisher Is it possible that both Jesus and Chronicles could be talking about the same Zachariah; but, using different names he had? Was it ever Jewish tradition that someone would be called the son of his father and/or grandfather? Or that one might have been the name of his biological father and the other his adopted father? I'm not trying to perform mental gymnastics; I'm just curious.

[@themiddlecase]

Every time you say "Old Testament canon" all I can think of is a cannon firing slushies off the wall of Jericho.

[@trishahamrick7062]

...I have slushy in my ear.

[@judgedredd31]

There’s never ever ever ever ever been a show like...

[@toddbonin6926]

Ha! I thought I was the only one picturing canons all through this.

[@misseli1]

@@judgedredd31 veggietales

[@carlafoss9248]

Great content! Thanks for your easy to follow lessons. I’ve been binge watching your channel since I discovered it. I loved the craft time too. Your children are precious!

[@CJChesspnp]

St Jerome translated the books from Hebrew & Greek into Latin, the language of the aRoman Church. Then carefully copied by educated monks & other clergy

[@gobokinje9183]

Short or long, this was AMAZINGLY helpful. Thank you for making it.

[@fisherstrong6]

I have never heard a good argument for taking the “Apocrypha“ out of the cannon. Growing up I sounded ignorant telling people The Catholics added books to the Bible. Thank God I grew up and learned how to study.

[@kauffner]

The Apocrypha are books written in Greek that were considered scripture in New Testament times. In the Middle Ages, the rabbis decided that Hebrew was the divine language and Greek language material was purged from the cannon.

[@origamitraveler7425]

@@kauffner A principle which we as Christians do not abide by, with the New Testament and all.

[@wolfthequarrelsome504]

Lol. The Catholics brought you the Bible.. And now you imply fraud. Nice going.

[@origamitraveler7425]

@@wolfthequarrelsome504 he's defending the deuterocanon bud

[@narrowwaytolife4525]

Happy Sabbath! Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. God's 4th Holy Seventh Day Sabbath commandment. Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 20:8-11, Isaiah 58:13, Matthew 12:8, John 14:15 If you love me keep my commandments.

[@equlibrium06]

Thanks Matt,. This is the best resource on the topic I have found in all my research. Thank you so much for clarifying such a tough topic.

[@applehole448]

How do you not have a millions subscribers. You're content is at such a high standard and is so educational. God Bless

[@DrewShrock]

These videos are such a blessing. I was raised in a Christian home and went to Christian school and even Christian college so I already know (or have known at one point) most of this information but the reminder and the format is so interesting and entertaining. Thanks so much for your hard work. It’s almost like taking a college class again! =]

[@RudyCarrera]

This is because what is taught in most of America is Protestantism, not authentic Christianity, as it's known in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. There's a wealth of knowledge that the so-called Reformers threw out. Now, with people like Matt, who comes with the spirit of humility and wanting to learn, he is helping is fellow co-religionists discover things that were lost in the West, but which we in Orthodoxy (Eastern, Oriental and Assyrian) never quite lost.

[@brienmcchesney3548]

Thanks for the video! I've been working on this for an undergraduate Honors Thesis on this for 9 months and I STILL feel like there are a million more things to learn about! Very enriching things for the believer to understand!

[@nasugbubatangas]

As a Catholic, I really enjoy watching your videos. Very informative and very scientific. I mean, when we are talking like this, we show the facts as facts and we consider that some people may not agree with us because they come from different backgrount. Thanks, Mat. I hope to see more videos like this one.

[@josephmckinney8802]

Your kids should do more crafts for your videos. As always, it’s great learning from your tubes.

[@joeroubidoux2783]

Super awesome content! Thanks for your all your efforts

[@followersofyeshuahamashiac462]

Thanks for another very informative video! Personally I have only read 1st Book of Enoch and The Book of Maccabees (mainly because there is so much content in both that I feel I have to re-read passages again and again to really absorb all of it) but both helps you to thoroughly appreciate what's going on in the mind of an ancient Hebrew. Anyone who has really dug into the Bible can definitely grasp both books. The more I read and understand what the Holy Spirit is showing me the more amazed I am of the Bible. Part of that is understanding the Ancient Far East Hebrew. Definitely feel like your videos and content deserve more than 10 mins!

[@kevinwise9992]

Great content. Loved the ending commentary

[@martinflaskamp2398]

Came here from No Dumb Questions, i strongly agree with Destin that you are really good with words. I like to listen to your Voice/sentences. Interesting videos! Keep on, i am excited for history nuggets, when will it come out? :D

[@The_True_]

Just wanted to say thank you for these Bible study videos, they are helping me very much with my understanding of Christendom and the many questions that were persistently holding me back. Seriously, many thanks!

[@Birdy890]

Just commenting to say I appreciate this channel and the work you do bro, never thought I'd be as interested in the bible historically as I am now. (After finding this channel of course)

[@Tinker_it]

I've wondered about this for a long time, and, well; still do. Thanks for this video, it helps clear up my confusion some?

[@tiomatt]

Another great video Matt!

[@garthhmurray]

Love your stuff Bud. I learn a lot.

[@mch241]

Appreciate the explanation and love the crafts! They really did help with understanding!

[@OtherTheDave]

“Canonical” has always struck me as a word that should be said louder, more forcefully, and with greater impact.

[@kurtwagner7610]

Great video! Thank you for sharing!

[@Skinnyrd]

Thanks for the preparation and effort. I learned a ton.

[@LaFedelaIglesia]

30:44 "In terms of direct quotation"?? If we use this argument we would have to leave outside of the Bible these books as well: Judges Ruth Ezra Esther Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon Lamentations Obadiah Jonah Zephaniah 16:12 You also mentioned Jesus "fixing" the OT canon by virtue of mentioning the Martyrdom of Zachariah which took place place around 540 B.C. (implying that he was the last OT inspired prophet, thus rejecting the Deuterocanonical books ). Jesus himself tells us that the period of the OT prophets reaches until John the Baptist around 30 A.D. "The law and the prophets were UNTIL John" (Lk. 16: 16). Notice how Jesus applies the term "Law and Prophets" not until Zachariah (540 B.C.) but until John the Baptist (30 A.D.). **NOTE: Deuterocanonical wouldn't be an extra 4th category (as displayed on screen) because they were part of the Wisdom, Poetic, and Historical literature which in turn is part of the traditional tripartite (sometimes bipartite i.e. Lk 16: 16) Jewish term** I think your analysis reflects more than the Old Testament (for Christians), the Hebrew Bible (for Jews), the TANAKH (Masoretic Text) which came into light around the IX century. Keep in mind that the "Hebrew Bible" (39 books) utilized by Rabbinic Judaism is not what the Jews in Jesus' times utilized but the Masoretic Text (around the 900's A.D.) . The 7 books rejected by Protestantism always were part of the Christian Bible, even St. Jerome who after spending some time with the Rabbinic school leaders in Palestine expressed doubts about them, nevertheless accepted the final decision of the Church (as opposed to the Rabbinical views). Finally, even in the Talmud the book of Wisdom is quoted as Scripture.

[@Nomen_Latinum]

As far as Luke 16:16 goes, I'd say Jesus is talking more about the spiritual status quo up to John the Baptist's public appearance. Until then, the Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament were the primary extension of Gods plan for mankind. John came as the voice in the desert that Isaiah prophesied about, announcing a change in the way Gods kingdom manifests itself on Earth. Until John there was the Law and the Prophets; after John there was Jesus.

[@donaldsmith6814]

The point is that these were Prophets killed; Jesus says, because the Hebrew/ Jewish people didn't like the message! John is killed by someone who was in the eyes of the Jews of that time, an outsider!

[@iwarau]

Once again an excellent production. I liked the craft time!

[@hop6965]

Great video, glad I got this in my recommended!

[@matthewboland5598]

Man, this was a good video. Very helpful.

[@traviswales]

Matt, great video sir!

[@OneCatholicSpeaks]

I am speaking as a Catholic. One thing which I have heard discussed about the New Testament is the claim that NT authors used the Septuagint as their reference source when discussing OT prophesy. One thing I would also like to give you congrats on. Clearly you have your own opinions about the Deuteron-Canon/ Apocrypha. Your level of disagreement, yet respecting Catholic beliefs, is great appreciated. This just increases my respect for you. I look forward to your further videos.

[@jokermann100]

One thing I never understood is why us Christians fight so much when all we disagree on doesn't really matter in the long run. We know from biblical teaching that Jesus asks us one question "who do you say I AM?" if we agree on that one answer everything we don't agree on shouldn't matter.

[@OneCatholicSpeaks]

@@jokermann100 We must be able to discern between true fighting and debating/ discussing. Fighting is about one aggressively tearing anther down in order to feel superior. Debating/ discussing is about challenging each other. A certain amount of adversarial behavior is good. It challenges us to refine our thoughts in order to seek the truth. The problem is when it leads to pride. In pride we are blinded to our own faults and the possibility that the other may have (at the very least in part) a valid point.

[@ConvincingPeople]

Have you done a discussion of the contents of books like Sirach and Enoch yet? Because some of those Apocryphal texts are honestly fascinating.

[@jmjaquinas7298]

Big difference between Sirach and Enoch. Sirach was accepted by the Early Church Fathers and by all Christians from the Synod of Rome in 381 until the Protestant Revolt in the 1500s. Enoch is not widely accepted and is only really accepted by the Ethiopians, who are a small group of worldwide Christianity.

[@Salsmachev]

@@jmjaquinas7298 Does that matter? If it's food for thought that helps you develop your thinking about religion, I'd call that a good tree bearing good fruit.

[@ConvincingPeople]

Jesse Campbell The reason I mention both in the same breath is that both stem from incredibly old traditions with rich histories which I would love to see explored in more depth here. Furthermore, you'd be surprised at the strength of the connections between the Tewahedo Church and early Protestantism despite their opposite approaches to breadth of canon, and it would be really interesting to see that discussed here.

[@billphillips8348]

When you what to dumb people down you take away knowledge .

[@thenowchurch6419]

@@ConvincingPeople Plus, 1 Enoch is making a tremendous comeback in popularity and study among Western Christians with, the apocalyptic times, and all. Most of Christianity is sleeping on the Tewahedo much to their own loss.

[@vigilantseeker7779]

love your videos brother this teaching really helps me to want to understand and study more

[@linaso9739]

Thank you for interesting explanaition!

[@kwall1464]

Thanks for sharing this!

[@ZZZELCH]

Very very well done. Hopefully, things like this video and the effort behind it will eventually bring us all together. From your Orthodox brother in Christ.

[@comfycostcleaning4140]

First time watching this Keep up the Good work mate.

[@MrLakin11]

Matt, as always, you do a wonderful job. Truly a blessing to watch and to know that others watched. Well done. I wanted to point out another reference to the biblically endorsed (or at the least, incorporated) extra-biblical text of 1 Enoch. You did well to point out Jude's reference, but 2 Peter also gives it a head nod (2Pet 2:4). This passage, in particular, makes me wonder if they (or Peter at least) believed its contents since he references it alongside other events considered truthful. Till that Day... God bless you.

[@TylerButh]

Hey man, just wanted to say that the visuals and stories help a lot. The visuals in this video as well as another video I watched where your kids went to visit the fruity pebbles village. Those really helped understand the points you were making. Also, I really appreciate your attempt to look into things. As a Christian I often find myself discouraged by seeing how quickly other Christians (even leaders) are willing to accept a story or "fact" without checking it at all. We need more Christians to stop when they hear facts they agree with and think to themselves "but is that really true?" We certainly do that we things we don't agree with. I love the references, the explanations of where information is from so people can look it up, it's very nice.

[@stansbruv3169]

Excellent work. Thank you!

[@seancharrie8512]

Aw man this was so great. Thanks man.

[@alaenat2398]

Informative. Thank you.

[@stevenwolf2647]

I'm so very happy to have found this channel! Ahhhhh snap! I'm digging into some research and I'm so happy with my findings :) Towards the end of the video, you said that Jude mentions "the book of Enoch". Would you mind explaining which verse that is and what version of the book of Enoch might it have been?

[@TroyLFullerton]

Hey, Matt--- Fantastic job on this edition of the 35-min. Bible hour. 😊 I wanted to thank you for clearing up a question I've always had about Jesus referring to Zechariah. I was not aware that by the time of Jesus, Chronicles were written last-- that really explains a lot. Appreciate you man! Bless you!

[@thepunkrockcatholic]

I really love how respectful you are with regards to Catholic and Protestant differences. I feel too often there is too much disrespect on both sides, even to the extant that some people don’t consider the opposite side to be Christian! I found this channel a couple months ago and it’s really helped me. God bless, and keep doing such great work!

[@judgedredd31]

Connor Taylor I agree with your comment mostly except when you seem to imply there’s more than one way to salvation... But yeah, the disrespect is a totally downer

[@thepunkrockcatholic]

Thomas Pop I personally believe that the Protestant churches, Catholic Church and Orthodox Church are all “Christian”, but the three branches practice their faith in different ways. I can’t say who’s views are the most true (I’ve got my own biases), but I believe that all who have true faith in Christ Jesus will be saved. I’ll let him decide who’s the wheat and who’s the chaff Lol!

[@angelr9096]

@@thepunkrockcatholic I mostly agree :-) I definitely believe there are people who call themselves Catholic that are saved, and people who call themselves Christian that are not saved. I think what it comes down to are the core doctrines and teachings, and I have to say that I don't believe that Catholicism teaches the true gospel. They add all kinds of extra things to Salvation, all kinds of extra weird rituals that scripture does not tell us to do. There are saved Catholics, but Catholicism itself teaches a false gospel in my opinion.

[@murattanyel1029]

It's interesting that I knew exactly what you were doing @ 5:58. I have recently gone over 2 Kings and remember that the king tore his clothes upon hearing the book read.

[@evanyount9173]

The fact that your son is wearing a sparkys vest just made my day!

[@nametheunknown_]

Love the crafts! Thanks for this info. God bless.

[@spencerhargadon7672]

Thanks for putting this together. I like your little buckets. If you haven't already, I would check out Gary Michuta's books "Why Catholic Bible's are Bigger" and "The Case for the Deuterocanon" if you want a thorough treatment of the Catholic perspective. It is incredibly well researched. His shorter book, "15 Myths, Mistakes, and Misrepresentations about the Deuterocanon" might be a tempting start as it is shorter but really it is a supplement for the other two.

[@pyropatrick242]

Wow cool find! I hope one day people can come out to study those drawings

[@CarsonWeber]

I recommend "Why Catholic Bibles Are Bigger: The Untold Story of the Lost Books of the Protestant Bible" by Gary Michuta.

[@edwardlucas3575]

Also, "The Case for the Deuterocanon: Evidence and Arguments" by the same author.

[@larrym.johnson9219]

Just what I was thinking about this book.

[@narrowwaytolife4525]

Happy Sabbath! Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. God's 4th Holy Seventh Day Sabbath commandment. Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 20:8-11, Isaiah 58:13, Matthew 12:8, John 14:15 If you love me keep my commandments.

[@misseli1]

"And then I died, now I may rest in peace"

[@digitalnomad9985]

at the castle of Aghhhhhh.......

[@sagemorrison360]

If only the zombies in Pet Sematary worked that way

[@AndrewEtmus]

Love these videos! Thanks for taking the time to do all of this research. It's so cool to see how you honor Christ in this way.

[@smurf_nfo2030]

A good friend of mine in the Navy was a Protestant Minister/Navy Chaplain. He told me that the Apocrypha was left out of the Protestant Bible since the only remaining translations at the time were Greek and the Jews at the time didn't recognize Greek translations. The military used to be a very ecumenical place as the chaplains job was to support each person's religious beliefs even if they were of a different faith. They really took effort to understand other theology. The Orthodox Church actually has a few more Apocrypha books than the Catholic Bible. They are very important, especially Maccabees as their revolt was a key event. Old Testament scripture is ancient and that is probably the real reason for the uncertainty of which books to use. This is a good video. The Apocrypha is good to read and acknowledge the points in this video.

[@matthewbateman6487]

Loads of fun! Always love watching your content!!! One thing I think you did not mention: Jerome conceded that the *Church* regarded the deuterocanon (the blue ones) as legitimate/authentic/authoritative scripture, despite having his own personal doubts. That one man (a Catholic saint) should feel uncertain about some of the books he was translating, does render them spiritually invalid -- and he, the saint-to-be, knew this already. He is quoted somewhere as saying (essentially) 'If they are good enough for the Church, then they are good enough for me.'

[@Godiswithus3]

This video answered my questions in more ways than one.

[@user-us1up8pe3z]

very helpful. God bless!

[@Laly7]

This is so good!! I’m going to watch it again! God bless all of you! ❤️🙏

[@methuselah7777]

I've heard more truth in less than an hour than in decades of distorted teaching... thanks indeed...

[@narditomanalang7417]

I love a number of aspects of this presentation, such as (1) its content is well researched and very informative, i.e., scholarship garbed in plain clothes of the man on the street, (2) its language and manner of presentation, i.e., the presenter's use of visual aids and efforts to simplify even some technical terms are evident that God has given him the gift of teaching, and (3) its honesty about the facts of history and courtesy towards the audience naturally disarms one who may have come with some bias or some degree of defensiveness (did I hear your name right as "Matt" at the beginning of the video?). Thanks for the commendable presentation! I plan to use it with my future Home Bible Studies. I wonder how I could obtain a CD of it.

[@TheAaronRodgersTao]

I’ve been really impressed with the thoughtfulness and kindness of your videos. I just subscribed today after about a week of hemming and Hawing over your videos, which all of them I’m super impressed with, if not fully agreeing on all your conclusions. I stumbled upon your ‘why certain books were left out of the bible’ vid first. I didn’t agree and still do not with your analysis. But as I kept watching your other vids with diverse topics I later came to realize you have a super fair and loving perspective to which you present really important information about the Holy Bible, a book which I deeply love and have immense gratitude for, yet not the only holy book on the planet I admire and revere. You have inspired me to reconnect with my Christian faith, and although we might have differences in the nuance of our beliefs it really doesn’t matter when what you’re doing is being a beacon of light and love, shining for God, and allowing Gods infinite mercy to flow through you. Thanks for being here. You’re doing great work.

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

I really appreciate your remarks. Thanks for being here.

[@Ecuhyi]

Time passes fast when i watch your videos explaining and visiting different churches

[@johnmunchel]

Awesome video Matt! Would love to see a video regarding the symmetry between OT and NT. A common argument opponents of Christianity use it the “difference” between God’s nature in OT v NT.

[@70AD-user45]

It's not so much a symmetry, but typology. The Old Covenent events were just types and shadows of the spiritual reality that was to come in the New Covenant age. St.Paul sums it up in this verse: "However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual", I Corinthians 15: 46.

[@Raymondstyles]

Matt, would you be open to doing a video on books that are referenced in canonical books that are not considered Canon.

[@iamtheSoup]

Absolutely loved the video. Not sure if I liked the adorable dog or the lesson more

[@JesusHernandez-nk1us]

Thanks. Visuals really help. Thanks you kids.

[@JanBabiuchHall]

Hey Matt, just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate your descriptive (rather than prescriptive) style of talking about the Bible and religion in general. It's very friendly to people like me, which is to say atheists/agnostics interested in the historical, cultural, and theological questions about Christianity. Good work.

[@mattyoder9441]

Excellent. Thanks.

[@JoelMazo]

You must be a cool father, Bro. Great job including your family and even Wyoming in the video!

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

Thank you Joel!

[@designedtoworship]

Great video Matt. I learned a ton, and I have a minor in Bible. Thanks for putting this together brother!

[@davidfigueroa8188]

As a Catholic, I really enjoy your show. Keep up the good work, and God bless you!

[@tripp9821]

Great video

[@Markusctfldl]

While the early Christians disagreed on which books of the 'apocrypha' were canon, they pretty much all included some of those books. The variations could just be due to these being more obscure writings of which fewer copies existed.

[@joejackson6205]

Love your videos. Would love to see you do a vid on the amazing exactness of the catholic and king james new testaments, and since they came about from different sources they together prove the new testament has not been changed or altered.

[@IamGrimalkin]

There are different manuscripts traditions which are independent and show the reliability of the new testament, but I don't think the Catholic new testament vs the KJV is one of them. The KJV (or rather Erasmus's greek from which the KJV new testament was translated) was heavily influenced by the Latin Vulgate and choose to use manuscripts which aligned with the Vulgate instead of against it.

[@donaldsmith6814]

Thank you & GOD Bless you!

[@gmac8586]

Hi Matt, love your series. I've requested this on another video's comment section, but can you do a video on the Messianic Jews? In a way they're really "new" to the Christian faith, but very ancient at the same time. Thanks for your work here and God bless!

[@timothysatterly8658]

SPARKS vest spotted. Doesn't look to have changed since I got mine 20 something years ago. That brought an unexpected smile... Thanks Matt

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

Nice catch! They are enthusiastic participants, and had just returned home from awards night after a good year of progress learning about and memorizing parts of the Bible.

[@timothysatterly8658]

Well. The man on the internet sends his kids to a good Bible program. I guess it's ok to watch him now.

[@SemiProFilmShow]

I actually prefer the longer videos its neat to be able to work through stuff in a longer one part video.

[@misseli1]

The dog did a great job prepping those visual aids

[@TheGospelAccordingToMarkyD]

Hey Matt, I'd like to pitch a video topic at you for you to do. There are tons and tons and tons of videos and websites explaining HOW the New Testament came to be. I think even the unlearned have a basic understanding that a bunch of men came together and decided what books belong into the New Testament. However, there seems to be no interest to find out WHY a bunch of men came together in the first place to make that determination. What was going on in the 4th century that prompted these men to come together to finally take a stand after so many centuries and decide the rule (canon) that everyone should follow? And who gave them that authority to make such a declaration? I'm sure you'll find that answer very interesting. Take care! Love the show! Marky D. "In the house"

[@narrowwaytolife4525]

Happy Sabbath! Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. God's 4th Holy Seventh Day Sabbath commandment. Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 20:8-11, Isaiah 58:13, Matthew 12:8, John 14:15 If you love me keep my commandments.

[@mccalltrader]

do you have a list on what books to read..i see the stack there on your table, and those sound like a good start..right now, ive got the case for faith by strobel..but i have already read it, and I like what you said and want to do my own research...dos the link in the notes get that done...?

[@ClaytonMcPherson]

Whew... I had to go double check that 2 Kings reference. I thought you were slipping us a cheeky reference to 2 Kings 2:23-24!

[@maxcap60]

This is crazy! you won't believe the part where he forgets the Septugint. I mean .... a MUST watch!

[@pinoychristianpilgrim]

3 ten minute scholarly work... Thank you for the illustrations...

[@ThePainkiller9995]

Aww was expecting a burning bush at the start of the vid lol

[@dimesonhiseyes9134]

Great video as always. But in the future when you add a foot note or a little note at the bottom will you add a little beep or sound to prompt me to look and pause the video. I sometimes watch these while doing something else. Your mom would be very grateful.

[@ElCaballoTV]

AWESOME, SHARED!

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

Thanks for doing that. It genuinely makes a big difference for the channel.

[@ElCaballoTV]

You deserve it brother, love your channel

[@georgeins.c.494]

Hi Mat, Thanks for simply laying the truth out there, no fluff. My attention span thanks you!