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.
MORE ARTICLES
![[EFC Blue Ribbon - Free Speech Online]](http://www.efc.ca/images/efcfreet.gif)
