The answer
There's no official statement, but since none of the early Church fathers spoke about these books, they are not included in the Canon.Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)
Questions & Answers
Deuterocanonical Books
Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Holy Scripture › Deuterocanonical Books
The question
I noticed that the Books of 3 & 4 Maccabees and the Books of 3 & 4 Esdras are not considered canonical by the Coptic Church, even though most of those were in the Septuagint and are accepted by the Byzantine Orthodox as canonical. However, when I browsed through the Internet, I saw different answers regarding the same question. Some say we follow the Septuagint just like the Byzantine Orthodox, some say we also include 3 Maccabees, and others say that our canon is the same as the Catholic Canon. Did the Coptic Church ever make an official statement on the canon of these Scriptures and am I able to read this statement somewhere?
Related questions
Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 2012 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.