Biblical canon explained to kids

The biblical canon is a list of texts that Christians consider to be authoritative scripture. The word "canon" comes from the Greek word κανών, which means "rule" or "measuring stick". Christians believe that the Bible is inspired by God and contains everything we need to know about faith and life. There are two main types of canon: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the part of the Bible that was written before Jesus was born. The New Testament is the part of the Bible that was written after Jesus was born. Christians believe that both the Old and New Testaments are equally inspired by God and are useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. There are a few different versions of the Bible, but the most popular ones are the King James Version (KJV) and the New International Version (NIV). The KJV is based on an older version of the Bible called the Textus Receptus. The NIV is based on a more recent version of the Bible called the Critical Text. The biblical canon has been changed and updated over the years. The Council of Trent, which was held in the 1500s, added seven books to the canon that were not in the Textus Receptus. These books are called the deuterocanonical books. The Protestant Reformation, which was held in the 1600s, removed these seven books from the canon. The biblical canon is important because it helps us to know which books are inspired by God and which ones are not. It also helps us to understand what the Bible teaches about faith and life.