In rethinking what it meant to be Jewish, the Jews set their canon to a specific list of books that would not change after that. What date did that happen?

In rethinking what it meant to be Jewish, the Jews set their canon to a specific list of books that would not change after that. What date did that happen?

• A. 70 CE
• B. 90 CE
• C. 100 CE
• D. 120 CE

Answer: (B)

The question centers on when the Jewish scriptures were finally designated as a fixed collection by Rabbinic authorities. After the destruction of the Second Temple, leaders began deciding which writings held authoritative status. By around ninety CE, a consensus had effectively formed about the canonical books of what became the Tanakh, a recognition that the list would not be changed thereafter. This period—often linked to the rabbinic discussions at Yavne (Jamnia)—is what many scholars cite as the closure of the canon. While some debate whether there was a single formal council, the practical result is clear: the canon was effectively settled by about ninety CE, making later dates like the mid-to-late hundred CE less accurate for the closure.

The question centers on when the Jewish scriptures were finally designated as a fixed collection by Rabbinic authorities. After the destruction of the Second Temple, leaders began deciding which writings held authoritative status. By around ninety CE, a consensus had effectively formed about the canonical books of what became the Tanakh, a recognition that the list would not be changed thereafter. This period—often linked to the rabbinic discussions at Yavne (Jamnia)—is what many scholars cite as the closure of the canon. While some debate whether there was a single formal council, the practical result is clear: the canon was effectively settled by about ninety CE, making later dates like the mid-to-late hundred CE less accurate for the closure.