scripture & tradition:

From the beginning, the Church has maintained “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). This faith, taught by Christ to the apostles in rudimentary form, has been passed on without addition, subtraction, or alteration in the deposit of faith (CCC 84). The content of the faith, what we must believed, is preserved by the Church in her Holy Tradition (CCC 81). In fact the word tradition means, “That which is handed on”. St. Paul commands the Church in Thessalonika, “Stand firm and hold fast to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter” (II Thessalonians 2:15).

The crowning jewel of the Church’s sacred Tradition are the Holy Scriptures. Jesus Christ is the eternal Word of God (John 1:1), and the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God in the words of men. Therefore, like Christ and the Church, the Scriptures are of both divine and human origin. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16-17). “No prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (I Peter 1:21). Since the Holy Scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit, they totally preserved from all doctrinal, moral, factual, or historical error (Dei Verbum 11).

Each particular Catholic Church has its own particular canon of scripture, though there are seventy-three books which the entire Catholic Church universally acknowledges as inspired Scripture (Council of Carthage, Council of Trent). The Byznantine Catholic Church uses the Greek Septuagint as the basis for its Old Testament. Books marked with an asterisk are not acknowledged universally by the Catholic Church.

THE OLD TESTAMENT