3 cannon

A brief examination of church history

Church History Timeline

Formation of the C anonHow did we get our Bible?

We are a people of the bookThe canon is closedApologetic concerns

Why it matters

Importance of the Old Testament to the ChurchJesus and the Apostles used itIt was the scripture of the

early churchIt is about Jesus

Books included in Jewish canon Threefold division (Law,

Prophets, Writings)24 books

Old Testament Canon

Law• Genesis• Exodus• Leviticus• Numbers• Deuteronomy Prophets

• Joshua• Judges• Ruth• I & II Samuel• I & II Kings• Isaiah• Jeremiah• Lamentation

s• Ezekiel• 12 minor

prophets

Psalms/Hymns• Job• Psalms• Proverbs• Ecclesiastes• Song of

Solomon• Daniel• Chronicles• Ezra-

Nehemiah• Esther

The 24 books of the Jewish canon

Apocrypha - DefinitionApocryphal books of Roman Catholic Bible

TobitJudith1 & 2 Maccabees WisdomEcclesiasticusBaruch

The Apocryphal Books

WCF rejects

apocrypha

Included in some

reformation bibles (i.e. 1550 Geneva Bible,

1611 KJV)

Council of Trent (1546) makes

Apocrypha official

Reformers say

“Apocrypha helpful, but not

inspired”

Included in 4th and 5th century

Christian Septuagint

Not included

in Jerome’s Vulgate

History of Apocrypha Inclusion

Roman Catholic arguments for their inclusionThe Septuagint included itThe Jewish Council of Jamnia (after 75 AD)

debated the contents of Jewish canonSome early church fathers included them

Protestant arguments against their inclusionNot included in Jewish canon known and used

by JesusInaccuracies and contradictionsTheological mistakesRejected by Origen and Jerome

The Apocrypha Debate

Assembled by a single person, group of people, council, or denomination.

Immediately dropped down from heavenOne of a plethora of possible options

The New Testament canon was NOT…

Quiz: Healthy or Unhealthy?

Healthy Unhealthy

41 771

150 617

100

850

Quiz-Healthy or Unhealthy?

Awareness within the NT itself3 key terms: apostle, witness, tradition

Circulation of lettersGospelsPauline epistlesActs

The NT Canon before 140 AD

Marcionism-pop quiz!Gnosticism

“Gnosticism's effect on the Church was to intensify its concern for faithful adherence to the teaching of the apostles.” –David Dunbar

MontanismThe reaction to heretics demonstrates an IMPLICIT

awareness of the canon already in existence.Canon in 220: 4 gospels, Acts, all 13 Pauline

epistles, Hebrews (more in the East), some Catholic epistles (depending on location), other writings, Revelation.

Thank goodness for heretics! 140-220

From this time forward, two mutually related processes were in place:1) fixing with ever greater exclusiveness and

hardening of the limits of the canon2) ever more widespread recognition of the

canon increasing to the point of universal acceptance

Recognition by church fathersRecognition by councils

A summary of 220-400

Apostolic authorityPublic lectionChristological concentrationRole in redemptive history

Criteria for inclusion

It is important to emphasize that the church did not create or give authority to the Bible.

RECOGNITION of authority.Process, not event.The church does not control the Bible; the

Bible controls the church.

In conclusion