The Canon of Scripture:
Definition of Canon: CANON is taken from a Greek root-word
(KANON) which means "a measure", "a rule for judgment", "an
authoritative standard". This word is used in II Corinthians
10:13-16 of the measure or rule of truth which God had given by
which all things are tested. The word KANON is also used in
Galatians 6:16 of the rule by which we walk (ie. by which we
measure and direct our lives). The canon is for us the inspired
Word of God which is our final authority in all matters of faith
and practice.
Placement as Canon: When did the Biblical books become canon?
The answer the Bible gives is that they became canon as they were
written! By the act of inspiration each Biblical book was
immediately a rule of truth. The authors of the books so
regarded them and spoke of them as the Word of God (II Peter
1:21, II Timothy 3:16). Believers never had to wait for the
decision of a church council to tell them that the writings of
Moses were from God, or that the epistles of Paul were with
certainty the inspired truth. There are many OT and NT
references where the authors show us that they so recognized one
another's works as being inspired. They even show evidence of
such confidence in their own writings.
Old Testament Canon: From the earliest references to the
completed Old Testament (Josephus in his CONTRA-APION, tractate
BABA-BATHRA in the Talmud, Jerome's testimony, Philo and New
Testament references) there are no disputes among believers as to
what constituted the canonical books. As heresies arose some
books were rejected and Talmudic tractates and the writings of
such men as Josephus defended the accepted collection of books.
The confirmation of the present collection in the Qumran
documents further lends confidence to this consensus. Jerome
(translator of the Latin Vulgate) translated two of the so called
Apocryphal books then refused to do any others because of the
confusion he was afraid they would produce. The church later
added the Latin translations of the apocryphal OT books when the
Vulgate was published. Even St. Augustine recognized the
apocryphal books as being good books for reading but rejected
them as to their being a rule for faith and practice. The same
view is common among the other church fathers (Cardinal Ximenes
of Spain, Cardinal Cajetan...). It was not until the Council of
Trent (1546) that the argument about the apocryphal books was
finally settled by the Roman Church. They received the OT and NT
books as we have them as canon then agreed to include the
apocryphal books but only as recommended reading (sort of like
study-Bible footnotes). Even Martin Luther the reformer
recommended the reading of the apocrypha as being worthy
literature. He never looked on them as having inspired
authority.
NEW TESTAMENT CANON: The New Testament is not disputed much
either among Christians. The books we now have were always
recognized by the church and its members. The New Testament
apocryphal books have never been considered to be a part of our
Bible (just read them and you will see why). It was only a few
heretics that argued at times about certain books because they
did not like what one author or another said. But it was never
the authority of any church council that gave true believers
confidence about the Bible. It was the testimony of the Holy
Spirit bearing witness with the Word that made them willing to
even give their lives for the preservation of canonical
scripture. It is true that many church councils made
pronouncements about the list of canonical books. But that was
always in response to some specific outside attack by cultists
(Apion and others). It was not because the Christians had any
doubts as to what belonged there.
FINAL NOTE: If we allow the words of church council to stand as
a clearing-house of what is true, or if we wait for the judgment
of scholars to know what to believe, then we have looked to some
authority above our Bible and we undermine the finality the
Scriptures must have in all matters of our lives. The spirit of
the Bereans in Acts 17 ought to be ours. They "received the word
with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily,
whether those things were so."
Bob Burridge (February 1987)
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Index of Preacher's Help and Notes
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