There was no first century Jewish Biblical canon

Before we get started, please read my previous article, How to fix bad Bible notes, check out my latest on Locals; The problem with sovereign citizens, and, hey, I wrote a book, you can find out more about there, here and here.  
Recently, there has been a somewhat prominent Protestant Bible scholar, going around the internet, claiming that the Jews had a first century fixed canon. And, as someone who can read the New Testament and know that's not true, I though I would take the challenge of laying the smack down on his argument. There are several points I want to make. There is no Jewish Pope or magisterium, in the New Testament itself, we see the Pharisees and the Sadducees (two different Jewish groups with different beliefs), in the covers of the NT itself. But, I want to focus, really, on the Sadducees challenging Jesus on the resurrection.
“Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, if a man's brother die, and leave his wife and family behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also. In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.” (Mark 12:18-24)
Okay! So, before we get to Jesus's answer, y'all might not know why the Sadducees are referencing, but, they are explicitly citing Tobit to Jesus. Why? Because they presume he doesn't know how to answer this. The Sadducees are believed to have only accepted the Books of Moses (the Torah) as scripture. But, they presume Jesus accepts (probably rightly so), to Book of Tobit as scripture.
Now, let's look at what the Sadducees are referring to. For that,we need to go to Tobit; and, to through you off even more, we're going to use the King James Version. Yep, the Bibles the stores sell you that say “King James Version”, are being dishonest.
Anyway, “It came to pass, the same day, that in Ecbatane a city of Media Sara the daughter of Raguel was also reproached by her father's maids; Because that she had been married to seven husbands, whom Asmodeus the evil spirit had killed, before they had lain with her. Dost though not know, said they, that thou hast strangled thine husbands? thou hast already had seven husbands, neither was thou named after any of them. Wherefore dost thou beat us for them? if they be dead, go thy ways after them, let us never see of these either son or daughter”. (Tobit 2:7-9)
First of all, OUCH! Sara didn't deserve THAT!
So, we can clearly see what the Sadducees are thinking of, here.
And, so, how does Jesus answer? He doesn't say, “why are you trying to trap me with a non-biblical book”? Well, Jesus wouldn't do that, because he likely considers Tobit to be scripture.
Again, I'm not arguing for the Catholic canon, I've already done that. I am just pointing out that there WAS NO first century Jewish Bible.
So, the rest I saved for now, for a reason. Remember, Jesus doesn't answer with Tobit, he knows they don't view it as scripture.
No, he answers with the books they DO consider scripture.
“And Jesus answering said unto them, do yet not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Issac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the living; ye therefore do greatly err”. (Mark 12:24-27)
What can we therefore surmise? Well, that some Jews considered Tobit scripture (Jesus and his followers, probably), some only accepted the Torah, and the Jews and Quamran had their own biblical canon entirely. You can argue for or against a 39 book Old Testament, but, you can't say that the Jews had a first century fixed canon.

Anyway, for further study, consider checking out Gary Michuta's Apocrypha Apocalypse channel on YouTube.

Adam Charles Hovey is the founder of the Catholicism, news and whatever community on Locals.  If you want to help him out, go here