When was it canonized

Evidence suggests that the process of canonization occurred between BC and AD A popular position is that the Torah was canonized circa BC, the Prophets circa BC, and the Writings circa AD perhaps at a hypothetical Council of Jamnia —this position, however, is increasingly criticised by modern scholars.

The book of Deuteronomy includes a prohibition against adding or subtracting , which might apply to the book itself i. The book of 2 Maccabees , itself not a part of the Jewish canon, describes Nehemiah around BC as having "founded a library and collected books about the kings and prophets, and the writings of David, and letters of kings about votive offerings" The Book of Nehemiah suggests that the priest-scribe Ezra brought the Torah back from Babylon to Jerusalem and the Second Temple around the same time period.

Both I and II Maccabees suggest that Judas Maccabeus around BC likewise collected sacred books , , , indeed some scholars argue that the Jewish canon was fixed by the Hasmonean dynasty. Starting with St. In the last 1, years, just seven popes have been made saints, including the two being canonized on Sunday. It will be the first time in the 2,year history of the church that two popes will be declared saints at one time.

John Paul himself had shortened the waiting period to five years from the traditional To put that in perspective, since , when the Catholic Church created an office called the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the average time between the death of an eventual saint and canonization is years.

Non-papal saints outnumber canonized pontiffs, of course. In , St. And in , Pope Gregory IX asserted that only a pope had the authority to declare someone a saint. A version of that canonization process is still in place. Recent popes are known for canonizing in large numbers: John Paul II canonized saints — more than the or so canonizations in the previous years. Saints originally came in two varieties — martyrs and confessors of the faith.

Martyrs require the posthumous performance of one miracle to be declared a saint. Before , confessors required four; now they require two. So why the sudden momentum for sainthood after centuries of relative quiet?

While not yet reaching the final step, Pius IX d. Candidates for sainthood are investigated by church authorities, who collect documents and interviews for the current pope to use in his decisions. Surveys we conducted in the s and s measured that popularity, at least among U. In three different polls over the span of a decade , and , nine-in-ten or more U. Note: This post originally misstated the year Pius IX died.

His death was in In times of uncertainty, good decisions demand good data. Please support our research with a financial contribution.