A Great Witness to the Canonicity of the Old Testament Books

While researching the reliability of the Old Testament over the past month I was fascinated to learn that Jesus Himself references the canon of the Old Testament in Matthew 23:35.  Jesus said:

"So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar."

Apologist Doug Powell explains the significance of this passage:

"In Matthew 23:35 Jesus mentions a span of time from the death of Abel til the death of Zechariah.  Given that the death of Abel happens near the beginning of Genesis, and the death of Zechariah at the end of 2 Chronicles, the last book of the Tanakh, we see a reference to the Old Testament canon."1

Jesus offers us the ultimate witness to the legitimacy of the Old Testament canon!

Courage and Godspeed,
Chad

Footnotes:
1. Doug Powell, Is the Old Testament Reliable?, 2008.