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Questions & Answers

Lost Books

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Holy Scripture › Lost Books

The question

What is the Coptic Orthodox Church view on the Lost Books of the Bible? Why do the Oriental Orthodox Churches not have the same biblical canon which is strong evidence of the same doctrine and unity? Are there any discussions among the churches regarding this? For example the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has the greatest number of books in its canon. There are some books which are not part of the Coptic Church. Why is there such a great difference?

The answer

The Coptic Orthodox strictly maintains the Holy Bible in its full canon as it has been established by the early church fathers. This canon also includes the Holy Books commonly known as the Deuterocanonical Books. No other councils under the jurisdiction of the Coptic Orthodox Church added any more books to the Holy Bible. Thus, we honor, respect, and abide by the guided wisdom of the church fathers.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 1822 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.