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This authoritative arrangement of the Old Testament books is the one which the official
Jewish community has always recognized as authoritative.

Other Books Rejected

Let us clearly understand that the books of the Apocrypha and all other spurious books
NEVER found a place in the official Triparte Divisions of the Jewish Old Testament. All these
"outside" books were totally rejected by the Jews. You will recall that Josephus, the Jewish priest
and historian, who represented the beliefs of official Judaism in the days of the Apostle Paul, said
that the Jews NEVER accepted any other books as inspired other than those compiled in the days
of Ezra and Nehemiah.

"It is true," says Josephus, "our history has been written since the time of Artaxerxes [the
time of Ezra and Nehemiah] very particularly, BUT HAS NOT BEEN ESTEEMED OF THE LIKE
AUTHORITY WITH THE FORMER [writings] OF OUR FOREFATHERS, since that time"
(Against Apion, I, 8).

Yes, the last prophet to write an inspired book was Malachi -- a contemporary of Ezra and
Nehemiah.

Christ Used Only the Inspired Old Testament

Another proof that Christ used only the Scriptures recognized by official Judaism is the fact
that He never once quoted from or alluded to any of the Apocrypha or other spurious books. Had
He made even the slightest indication that the sources of His doctrines were from these unrecog-
nized books, the Jews would have vehemently countered Him with all their intellectual might.
They would have loudly and persistently pointed out to the people that Jesus could not possibly be
the Messiah, for He was making use of uninspired books. But the Jews NEVER had an opportunity
of accusing Christ of such things. They railed Him for going contrary to the doctrines of the Jewish
denominations of His day, but they never criticized Him for using uncanonical books. The silence
of any Jewish censure on this point IS DEFINITE PROOF that Christ utilized only the inspired
books in the official Jewish Old Testament as the Scriptures.

Further Witness From the New Testament

We have further evidence throughout the New Testament that Christ and the Apostles rec-
ognized only the books of the Jewish Version as the complete Old Testament. Notice how it is
taken for granted, in so many parts of the New Testament, that the Jews had the "Scripture" (John
10:35; 19:36; II Pet. 1:20), "the Scriptures" (Matt. 22:29; Acts 18:24), "Holy Scriptures" (Rom.
1:2, II Tim. 3:15), "the Law" (John 10:34), "the Law and Prophets" (Matt. 5:17; 22:40), and the
Law, Prophets and Psalms (Luke 24:44). All the New Testament writers recognized the Jews to
have had the complete Old Testament.

Paul was also careful to let the Romans know that unto the Jews, "WERE COMMITTED
THE ORACLES OF GOD" -- the Old Testament (Rom. 3:3; 9:4). Paul was fully aware that the

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