CRITERIA OF THE JEWISH CANON

In the Several centuries before the coming of Christ, the Jews in Palestine re-examined and eliminated some of the books from the existing collection as not in harmony with the Law of Moses and as of doubtful inspiration. The Pharisees set up four criteria which their sacred books had to pass in order to be included in the revised Jewish canon:

(1) They had to be in harmo with the Pentateuch (Torah or Law);

(2) They had to have been written before the time of Ezra;

(3) They had to be written in Hebrew;

(4) They had to have been written in Palestine.