CONCERNING THE CANONICAL SCRIPTURES

FIRST DECREE
Celebrated on the eighth day of the month of April in the year !"#$%
The &a'red and holy e'(meni'al and general Synod of Trent))la*f(lly a&&embled in
the Holy Gho&t the Same three legate& of the Apo&toli' See pre&iding therein))
+eeping thi& al*ay& in ,ie* that error& being remo,ed the p(rity it&elf of the Go&pel
be pre&er,ed in the Ch(r'h- *hi'h .Go&pel/ before promi&ed thro(gh the prophet& in
the holy S'ript(re& o(r Lord 0e&(& Chri&t the Son of God 1r&t prom(lgated *ith Hi&
o*n mo(th and then 'ommanded to be prea'hed by Hi& Apo&tle& to e,ery 'reat(re
a& the fo(ntain of all both &a,ing tr(th and moral di&'ipline- and &eeing 'learly that
thi& tr(th and di&'ipline are 'ontained in the *ritten boo+& and the (n*ritten
tradition& *hi'h re'ei,ed by the Apo&tle& from the mo(th of Chri&t him&elf or from
the Apo&tle& them&el,e& the Holy Gho&t di'tating ha,e 'ome do*n e,en (nto (&
tran&mitted a& it *ere from hand to hand- .the Synod/ follo*ing the e2ample& of the
orthodo2 3ather& re'ei,e& and ,enerate& *ith an e4(al a5e'tion of piety and
re,eren'e all the boo+& both of the Old and of the Ne* Te&tament))&eeing that one
God i& the a(thor of both ))a& al&o the &aid tradition& a& *ell tho&e appertaining to
faith a& to moral& a& ha,ing been di'tated either by Chri&t6& o*n *ord of mo(th or
by the Holy Gho&t and pre&er,ed in the Catholi' Ch(r'h by a 'ontin(o(& &(''e&&ion%
And it ha& tho(ght it meet that a li&t of the &a'red boo+& be in&erted in thi& de'ree
le&t a do(bt may ari&e in any one6& mind *hi'h are the boo+& that are re'ei,ed by thi&
Synod% They are a& &et do*n here belo*7 of the Old Te&tament7 the 1,e boo+& of
8o&e& to *it Gene&i& E2od(& Le,iti'(& N(mber& 9e(teronomy- 0o&(e 0(dge& R(th
fo(r boo+& of :ing& t*o of Paralipomenon the 1r&t boo+ of E&dra& and the &e'ond
*hi'h i& entitled Nehemia&- Tobia& 0(dith E&ther 0ob the 9a,idi'al P&alter 'on&i&ting
of a h(ndred and 1fty p&alm&- the Pro,erb& E''le&ia&te& the Canti'le of Canti'le&
;i&dom E''le&ia&ti'(& I&aia& 0eremia& *ith <ar('h- E=e'hiel 9aniel- the t*el,e
minor prophet& to *it O&ee 0oel Amo& Abdia& 0ona& 8i'hea& Nah(m Haba'('
Sophonia& Aggae(& >a'haria& 8ala'hia&- t*o boo+& of the 8a'habee& the 1r&t and
the &e'ond%
Of the Ne* Te&tament7 the fo(r Go&pel& a''ording to 8atthe* 8ar+ L(+e and 0ohn-
the A't& of the Apo&tle& *ritten by L(+e the E,angeli&t- fo(rteen epi&tle& of Pa(l the
apo&tle .one/ to the Roman& t*o to the Corinthian& .one/ to the Galatian& to the
Ephe&ian& to the Philippian& to the Colo&&ian& t*o to the The&&alonian& t*o to
Timothy .one/ to Tit(& to Philemon to the Hebre*&- t*o of Peter the apo&tle three of
0ohn the apo&tle one of the apo&tle 0ame& one of 0(de the apo&tle and the
Apo'alyp&e of 0ohn the apo&tle% <(t if any one re'ei,e not a& &a'red and 'anoni'al
the &aid boo+& entire *ith all their part& a& they ha,e been (&ed to be read in the
Catholi' Ch(r'h and a& they are 'ontained in the old Latin ,(lgate edition- and
+no*ingly and deliberately 'ontemn the tradition& afore&aid- let him be anathema%
Let all therefore (nder&tand in *hat order and in *hat manner the &aid Synod after
ha,ing laid the fo(ndation of the Confe&&ion of faith *ill pro'eed and *hat
te&timonie& and a(thoritie& it *ill mainly (&e in 'on1rming dogma& and in re&toring
moral& in the Ch(r'h%