It should be noted that the breaking of Samuel (Shmuel),
Kings (Melachim), and Chronicles (Divrei hayamim) into two parts is strictly an artifact
of the Christian printers who first issued the books. They were too big to be issued as
single volumes. Because every one followed these de facto standards, the titles of
Volume 1 and Volume 2 were attached to the names. The division of the Tanakh into chapters
was also done by medieval Christians, and only later adopted by Jews.
Many Christian Bibles have expanded versions of several
of these books (Ester, Ezra, Daniel, Jeremiah, and Chronicles) including extra material
that is not accepted as canonical in Judaism. This extra material was part of the ancient
Greek translation of the Tanakh, but was never a part of the official Hebrew Tanakh. Jews
regard this extra material as apocryphal.
Among Christians, there is a difference of opinion.
Catholics regard this material as canonical, while most Protestant denominations regard
this material as Apocrypha. Some of the most famous Apocryphal stories are closely
associated with the book of Daniel, and indeed are printed as part of that book in some
English Bibles. These stories include: Susan and the Elders, The Song of the Three
Children, and Bel and the Dragon.
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