The Biblical Canon of
the Synod of Hippo

The Synod of Hippo was hosted in Hippo Regius in northern Africa in October 393 A.D.  The acts of this council are no longer extant, but a summary of the Council’s decisions was prepared for the Council of Carthage in August of 397.  This summary referred to as the Breviarium Hipponense was reaffirmed at the Council of Carthage.

The canon list approved at Hippo included six books later classed by Catholics as deuterocanonical books and by Protestants as Apocrypha, including first and second Maccabbees. The list of Old Testament books appears in Canon XXXVI of the Brevarium Hipponense;

“That beyond the canonical Scriptures nothing should be read in church under the name of the Divine Scriptures.  The canonical Scriptures are; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua the son of Nun, The Judges, Ruth, Reigns four books, The Paralipomenon two books, Job, the Psalter, five books of Solomon, the Twelve Books of the Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezechiel, Daniel, Tobit, Judith, Esther, Ezra two books, Maccabees two books.
Of the New Testament:
The Gospels four books, Acts of the Apostles one book, Epistles of Paul fourteen, Epistles of Peter, the Apostle two, Epistles of John the Apostle three, Epistles of James the Apostle one, one of Epistle of Jude the Apostle, Revelation of John.” (Brevarium Hipponense 36).

St Augustine would clarify that the “five books of Solomon” mentioned above were in fact; Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom of Solomon, and Ecclesiasticus.  The New Testament canon matches that of Athanasius and thus the modern canon.

Sources: 

  • Edmon L. Gallagher and John D. Meade. The Biblical Canon Lists from Early Christianity:  Texts and Analysis.  Oxford University Press. 2017

The Canon List of
the Synod of Hippo:

Source Used:  Edmon L. Gallagher and John D. Meade. The Biblical Canon Lists from Early Christianity:  Texts and Analysis.  Oxford University Press. 2017

The New Testament Canon:

N.T. Canon of Brevarium Hipponense

Modern Catholic N.T. Canon

Modern Protestant N.T. Canon

Matthew

Matthew

Matthew

Mark

Mark

Mark

Luke 

Luke 

Luke 

John

John

John

Acts

Acts

Acts

Romans

Romans

Romans

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Galatians

Galatians

Galatians

Ephesians

Ephesians

Ephesians

Philippians

Philippians

Philippians

Colossians

Colossians

Colossians

1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

1 Timothy

1 Timothy

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

2 Timothy

2 Timothy

Titus

Titus

Titus

Philemon

Philemon

Philemon

Hebrews

Hebrews

Hebrews

James

James

James

1 Peter

1 Peter

1 Peter

2 Peter

2 Peter

2 Peter

1 John

1 John

1 John

2 John

2 John

2 John

3 John

3 John

3 John

Jude

Jude

Jude

Revelation

Revelation

Revelation

The Old Testament Canon:

O.T. Canon of Brevarium Hipponense

Modern Catholic O.T. Canon

Modern Protestant O.T. Canon

Genesis

Genesis

Genesis

Exodus

Exodus

Exodus

Leviticus

Leviticus

Leviticus

Numbers

Numbers

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy

Joshua

Joshua

Joshua

Judges

Judges

Judges

Ruth

Ruth

Ruth

1 Reigns

1 Samuel

1 Samuel

2 Reigns

2 Samuel

2 Samuel

3 Reigns

1 Kings

1 Kings

4 Reigns

2 Kings

2 Kings

1 Paralipomenon

1 Chronicles

1 Chronicles

2 Paralipomenon

2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

1 Esdras

1 Esdras (1 Ezra)

Ezra (1 Ezra)

2 Esdras

2 Esdras (2 Ezra)

Nehemiah (2 Ezra)

Esther

Esther

Esther

Tobit

Tobit

 

Judith

Judith

 

1 Maccabees

1 Maccabees

 

2 Maccabees

2 Maccabees

 
   

Job

Job

Job

Psalms

Psalms

Psalms

The “five books of Solomon”,  (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom of Solomon, and Ecclesiasticus).

Proverbs

Proverbs

 

Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes

 

Canticle of Canticles

Song of Songs

 

Book of Wisdom

 
 

Ecclesiasticus / Sirach

 

Isaiah

Isaiah

Isaiah

Jeremiah + Lamentations + Baruch + Letter of Jeremiah

Jeremiah

Jeremiah

 

Lamentations

Lamentations

 

Baruch

 

Ezechiel

Ezechiel

Ezekiel

Daniel

Daniel

Daniel

Hosea

Hosea / Osee

Hosea

Joel

Joel

Joel

Amos

Amos

Amos

Obadiah

Obadiah

Obadiah

Jonah

Jonah

Jonah

Micah

Micah

Micah

Nahum

Nahum

Nahum

Habakkuk

Habakkuk

Habakkuk

Zephaniah

Zephaniah

Zephaniah

Hagai

Hagai

Hagai

Zecharias

Zecharias

Zechariah

Malachias

Malachias

Malachi