By Giuseppe Monno
The Catholic Church safeguards the Biblical Canon as the guarantor of divine revelation and of the integrity of the faith. From the earliest centuries, many texts circulated within the early Church, but not all of them were authentic or consistent with the apostolic teaching. The need to establish a clear Canon arose in order to distinguish the authentic Scriptures from false texts or those altered by heretical doctrines, ensuring that the faithful would receive the Word of God in its integrity, coherence, and reliability.
In the second century, Marcion of Sinope proposed a personal canon, completely excluding the Hebrew Tanakh and accepting only a reduced version of the Gospel according to Luke together with ten letters attributed to Saint Paul. Influenced by Gnosticism, Marcion held a radically dualistic view, contrasting the merciful God revealed by Jesus with a cruel Demiurge, creator of the world, whom he considered separate and inferior. His arbitrary selection denied the continuity of revelation, disregarded the Law and the Prophets, and distorted the Christian message. This clearly demonstrates how a private canon, lacking ecclesial discernment, cannot guarantee divine truth.
The Church responded by reaffirming her apostolic authority: defining the Canon meant guaranteeing to the faithful access to the authentic Word of God, preserved under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Church does not create the Scriptures; rather, she discerns, safeguards, and interprets them, ensuring that they faithfully reflect the teaching of the Apostles and protect the faith from false doctrines. This discernment reveals the wisdom of the Church and her mission as custodian of divine truth.
In 382, at a synod in Rome, the teaching Church—the successor of Saint Peter together with the college of bishops in communion with him—determined the books that are truly inspired. Pope Damasus, through his decree, consolidated the authority of the Church in the discernment of Scripture. This decision was confirmed by the Synod of Hippo in 393 and by the two Councils of Carthage in 397 and 419, thus ensuring continuity and universal recognition of the sacred texts.
The Catholic Canon was definitively confirmed in 1546 during the fourth session of the Council of Trent with the decree De Canonicis Scripturis. The Church recognized seventy-three inspired books, divided between the Old and the New Testament, and established the Latin Vulgate of Saint Jerome as the official version of the Bible. The inclusion of the Deuterocanonical books highlights the continuity of revelation between the Old and the New Testament, showing how the entire history of salvation leads to Christ and guaranteeing the fullness, coherence, and authority of the divine Word.
The Catholic Canon ensures that believers receive an authentic reading of the Bible, safeguarded and interpreted by the Church, the guardian of truth and of the unity of the faith. Sacred Scripture is not merely a collection of ancient writings, but a living instrument of salvation, capable of guiding the spiritual, moral, and doctrinal life of Christians, enlightening minds and strengthening the community of the faithful. The Catholic Bible thus remains a beacon of truth and light, always relevant and reliable for growth in faith and for the full understanding of God’s revelation.