The Church's list of
defined books in Sacred Scripture were defined and closed
at the Council of Trent. Here is an excerpt from the
council's fourth session pertaining to the Canon list
itself.
Canons and Decrees of the
Council of Trent
The Fourth Session
Celebrated on the eighth day of the month of April, in
the year 1546.
Decree Concerning the Canonical Scriptures
The sacred and holy, ecumenical, and general Synod of
Trent,—lawfully assembled in the Holy Ghost, the Same
three legates of the Apostolic See presiding
therein,—keeping this always in view, that, errors being
removed, the purity itself of the Gospel be preserved in
the Church; which (Gospel), before promised through the
prophets in the holy Scriptures, our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, first promulgated with His own mouth, and
then commanded to be preached by His Apostles to every
creature, as the fountain of all, both saving truth, and
moral discipline; and seeing clearly that this truth and
discipline are contained in the written books, and the
unwritten traditions which, received by the Apostles from
the mouth of Christ himself, or from the Apostles
themselves, the Holy Ghost dictating, have come down even
unto us, transmitted as it were from hand to hand; (the
Synod) following the examples of the orthodox Fathers,
receives and venerates with an equal affection of piety,
and reverence, all the books both of the Old and of the
New Testament—seeing that one God is the author of both
—as also the said traditions, as well those appertaining
to faith as to morals, as having been dictated, either by
Christ's own word of mouth, or by the Holy Ghost, and
preserved in the Catholic Church by a continuous
succession.
And it has thought it meet that a list of the sacred
books be inserted in this decree, lest a doubt may arise
in any one's mind, which are the books that are received
by this Synod. They are as set down here below:
Of the Old Testament: the five books of Moses, to wit,
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; Josue,
Judges, Ruth, four books of Kings, two of Paralipomenon,
the first book of Esdras, and the second which is
entitled Nehemias; Tobias, Judith, Esther, Job, the
Davidical Psalter, consisting of a hundred and fifty
psalms; the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Canticle of
Canticles, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Isaias, Jeremias, with
Baruch; Ezechiel, Daniel; the twelve minor prophets, to
wit, Osee, Joel, Amos, Abdias, Jonas, Micheas, Nahum,
Habacuc, Sophonias, Aggaeus, Zacharias, Malachias; two
books of the Machabees, the first and the second.
Of the New Testament: the four Gospels, according to
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; the Acts of the Apostles
written by Luke the Evangelist; fourteen epistles of Paul
the apostle, (one) to the Romans, two to the Corinthians,
(one) to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, to the
Philippians, to the Colossians, two to the Thessalonians,
two to Timothy, (one) to Titus, to Philemon, to the
Hebrews; two of Peter the apostle, three of John the
apostle, one of the apostle James, one of Jude the
apostle, and the Apocalypse of John the apostle.
But if any one receive not, as sacred and canonical, the
said books entire with all their parts, as they have been
used to be read in the Catholic Church, and as they are
contained in the old Latin vulgate edition; and knowingly
and deliberately contemn the traditions aforesaid; let
him be anathema. Let all, therefore, understand, in what
order, and in what manner, the said Synod, after having
laid the foundation of the Confession of faith, will
proceed, and what testimonies and authorities it will
mainly use in confirming dogmas, and in restoring morals
in the Church.