The Canon of Scripture

Sources: C.H. Dodd, According to the Scriptures (Nisbet, 1952); Richard Bauckham, The Gospels for All Christians (Eerdmans, 1998); F.F. Bruce, The Canon of Scripture (IVP, 1988); Frances Young, The Making of the Creeds (Trinity, 1991).

Reading: 1 John 4:1-6 or 2 Thess. 2:14-15.

One Witness in Two Testaments
Israel generated and kept the writings of the Old Testament (and many others besides).
The church of Jesus Christ generated and kept the New Testament writings along with them (and many others besides).
Each corpus had a nucleus of rapid universal respect, and writings 'at the margin' that gained universal respect more slowly.

How Does the Bible Function?
So scripture reflects the Father's character and will,: shares in the Son's ministry and truth, and
works in the Holy Spirit's power,
through Israel's and the Church's voices
(so Christian consequence).
The Bible is true as God is true, in ways that make us holy: (so Christian teleology).
The Bible's canonicity honors that it norms all ecclesiastical traditions (including itself): (so Christian deontology).

Canonicity: Just What Is Christian?
Rival Christians became a new influence/threat to and in the apostolic church network.
Issue: Which of the many growing varieties of Christianity are legitimate? Why?
Solution: The early Church standardized its scriptures, statements of faith, and structures.

The Bible as 'Prophets and Apostles'
The Old:: Jews had a basically settled list of canonical Scriptures (Jamnia in 90? Baba Bathra 14-15, 4 Ezra 14:45-46, Luke 24:44), though not a uniform approach to them.
On the corpus' periphery circulated apocryphal wisdom, narratives, prophets (Tobit, Jubilees, 1 Enoch at Qumran, Apocrypha in the Septuagint, 1 Enoch in Jude).
Jesus accepted Israel's scriptures while shifting their focus and meaning.
Greek-speaking Christians appropriated the LXX as Jews cooled to it.
Christians spread Christological interpretations of Israel's Scriptures (Hebrews 1).
Melito of Sardis coined the phrase 'books of the old covenant' around 170.
The New:: Christians shared and shaped oral, then written, traditions about Jesus (Ignatius Philadelphians 8, 2 Clement 2:1-4).
Churches circulated 'apostolic' letters, then 'scriptures', then collections (2 Pet. 3:15-16).
Jerusalem and then Rome were early centers of scrutiny and transmission (1 Cor. 15:3-5; 1 Clement).
Other gospels, acts, and letters circulated officially (Shepherd of Hermas, 1 Clement, Revelation) and popularly (Paul and Thecla).
The Whole:: Authentic Scripture is to be read in Church 'among the prophets and apostles' (Muratonian Fragment).
Scripture was preached, commented on, and used for teaching and training.
Catholics resisted Marcion's shortened canon in ~140.
Montanists' prophesying provoked canonical closure (Muratonian Fragment, <200?).
Church Fathers continued to make lists of scriptures (Origen Commentary on Psalm 1, Athanasius Festal Letter 39 in 367, Laodicia canon 60 in 363, Jerome Epistle 53.9 in 394, Augustine On Christian Doctrine 2.13 in 395).
Athanasius is the first to list the 27 books of our New Testament.
Councils and bishops in the next 50 years continued promulgating canonical lists.
Rome eventually accepted Hebrews and the East accepted Revelation (cf. Hippolytus of Rome, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory of Nazianzus).
Christians never quite agreed on the Old Testament Apocrypha.
Scribes transmitted and sometimes glossed texts as situations required.
Canonizing authorities included local church practices, churches in major cities, prestigious theologians, and bishops.

Apostolicity as Catholicity
The combined authorities of canons, creeds, and counciliar bishops reinforced each other as expressions of the apostolic traditions.
Other communities lay outside all three (Marcionites, Gnostics, etc.).
Catholic orthodoxy came to understand itself as uniquely centered and uniquely open.: Are canons, creeds, and councils inextricable? Are any dispensable?
Is Catholic Christianity so clearly distinguished from other varieties?
Does the actual history support Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, or free-church claims?

Torah: the 'gospel' of Israel's birth, liberation, and constitution as God's people.	Gospels: Four biographies of our Jesus that center on the good news of the Kingdom's arrival and the church's creation through his life, death, and resurrection.
Prophets: the tragic story of Israel leaving God in its 'adolescence' ('former prophets'), along with promises of the fatal consequences and God's promises to 'resurrect' Israel nevertheless ('latter prophets').	Acts and Revelation: Luke keeps telling Jesus' story through the activities of his Spirit's developing Church. Revelation tells the story of the church's continuing struggles to stay faithful under pressure, and God's determination to see it through its trials in the context of our world's judgment and new creation.
Writings: Israel's worship and contemplation of the God it was coming to know them more maturely.	Letters: Church correspondence, from letters of Paul and other leaders to a sermon (Hebrews), is 'inside information' on our maturing community and its mission.
(Latter Prophets eventually end up after Writings in Christian Bibles.)	(Revelation concludes the list of New Testament writings.)