The Septuagent

Which book made it into the writings was decided in second century a d. Ecclesiastes squeaked in because its author was thought to be solomon. Maccabes taught that you could pray for the dead. And some books supported the views of the emerging christian community, far too much for the rabbi's liking. Their result was a canon of 24 books. The christians ended up with all the books the jews considered sacred, and many they did not. For that we have to thank the septuagent. It is one of the great textual traditions behind the bible.