Christian Biblical Canons - Reformation Era - Martin Luther

Martin Luther

Martin Luther was troubled by four New Testament books: Jude, James, Hebrews, and Revelation; and though he placed them in a secondary position relative to the rest, he did not exclude them. Martin Luther proposed removing these Antilegomena, the books of Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation from the canon, echoing the consensus of some Catholics, also labeled Christian Humanists — such as Cardinal Ximenez, Cardinal Cajetan, and Erasmus — and partially because they were perceived to go against certain Protestant doctrines such as sola gratia and sola fide, but this was not generally accepted among his followers. However, these books are ordered last in the German-language Luther Bible to this day. Luther also removed books and additions to books of the Old Testament that are not found in the Hebrew Masoretic Text and put them in a section which he labelled "Apocrypha", commonly known as the Biblical Apocrypha. Catholics call these books the Deuterocanonicals.