Second Temple Jewish Scriptures — Canon Development

No Single Council of Jamnia Created the Hebrew Canon

Late first century AD
A Visit With Jesus

Jewish teachers at Yavneh discussed scriptural interpretation and certain books, but evidence does not show a council that selected the Hebrew Bible from scratch.

Full Account

After Jerusalem's destruction, Jewish teachers gathered at Yavneh or Jamnia and addressed questions facing Jewish life. Older scholarship sometimes described this as a council that officially closed the Old Testament canon around AD 90.

The surviving evidence does not support that reconstruction. Discussions about books such as Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs presuppose an existing sacred collection and concern how particular writings should be understood or defended. Canon recognition was earlier and more gradual than the council theory suggested.

Historical Significance

Correcting the Jamnia theory prevents the mistaken impression that the Hebrew canon was invented only after Christianity had begun.

People, Places and Sources