Transcript Development of the Biblical Canon adapted from materials

Development of the Biblical Canon
adapted from http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/a/canon.html
Canon
(a closed collection of
community-forming
writings)
Not this:
(different spelling)
Development of the Tanak
1000-50 BCE: The books of the Tanak (Christian
Old Testament) are written.
ca. 200 BCE: Rabbis
translate the Jewish Bible
from Hebrew to Greek, a
translation called the
"Septuagint"
(abbreviation: "LXX").
The LXX ultimately
includes 46 books.
30-100 CE: Christians use
the LXX as their
scriptures (because most
cannot read Hebrew).
90-400 CE: Rabbis begin to discuss the extent of the canon
and, over time, include in their canon only 39 books, since
only these can be found in Hebrew (scholars are no longer
sure when or how a final decision was reached).
The Torah
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
The Prophets
The Former Prophets
Joshua
Judges
Samuel
Kings
The Latter Prophets
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Ezekiel
The Twelve (Minor Prophets)
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
The Writings
Psalms
Proverbs
Job
Song of Solomon
Ruth
Lamentations
Ecclesiastes
Esther
Daniel
Ezra-Nehemiah
Chronicles
ca. 400: Jerome translates the
Bible from Hebrew and Greek
into Latin (called the "Vulgate").
He knows that the Jews have
only 39 books, and he wants to
limit the Old Testament to
these.
The 7 he would leave out
(Tobit, Judith, 1 Maccabees, 2
Maccabees, Wisdom of
Solomon, Sirach [or
"Ecclesiasticus"], and Baruch)
he calls "apocrypha," that is,
"hidden books."
But Pope Damasus wants all
46 traditionally-used books
included in the Old Testament,
so the Vulgate has 46.
1536: Martin Luther
translates the Bible from
Hebrew and Greek to
German.
He assumes that, since
Jews wrote the Old
Testament, theirs is the
correct canon.
He puts the extra 7 books
in an appendix that he
calls the "Apocrypha."
This is the Old Testament
that most Protestants use
(Anglicans also use the
Apocrypha devotionally).
1546: The Roman Catholic Council of Trent
reaffirms the canonicity of all 46 books.
Development of the New Testament
Canon
Where NOT to look for a reliable account:
ca. 51-125 CE: The books of
today’s New Testament
are written.
But during this same period
other early Christian
writings are produced:
The Didache (ca. 70)
1 Clement (ca. 96)
The Epistle of Barnabas
(ca. 100)
7 Letters of Ignatius of
Antioch (ca. 110)
The Shepherd of Hermas
(ca. 100)
If you want to read them:
www.earlychristianwritings.
com/
ca. 140: Marcion, a businessman in
Rome, teaches that there were two
Gods:
Yahweh, the cruel God of the Old
Testament
Abba, the kind father of the New
Testament
So Marcion eliminates the Old
Testament as scripture and, since
he is anti-Semitic, includes in the
New Testament only 10 letters of
Paul and 2/3 of Luke's gospel (he
deletes references to Jesus'
Jewishness).
Marcion’s Canon
Gospel according to
Luke
Romans
I Corinthians
II Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
(Laodiceans)
Colossians
Thessalonians I
Thessalonians II
Philemon
Marcion's "New Testament"—the first to be compiled—forces other
Christian leaders, like Irenaeus, to decide on a core canon: the four
gospels, letters of Paul, other letters, but not Philemon, Hebrews, 2
Peter, 2 & 3 John or Jude; it also includes the Shepherd of Hermas.
Irenaeus’ Canon ca. 180 CE
Matthew
Thessalonians I
Mark
Thessalonians II
Luke
I Timothy
John
II Timothy
Acts
Titus
Romans
James (?)
I Corinthians
1 Peter
II Corinthians
1 John
Galatians
Revelation of John
Ephesians
Shepherd of Hermas
Philippians
But the periphery of the canon
is not yet determined.
According to one list, compiled
at Rome around 200 (the
Muratorian Canon), the NT
consists of:
The 4 Gospels (though first
2 are missing)
Acts
13 letters of Paul
1-2 John
Jude
The Apocalypse of Peter.
But not Hebrews, James, 3
John, 1 & 2 Peter, or
Revelation
In the early 300s, Eusebius of Caesarea classified books of
the New Testament into “recognized,” “disputed,” “spurious”
and “heretical” categories.
Recognized: The four Gospels,
Acts, Paul’s letters, 1 John,
1Peter and “if it really seems
right,” Revelation
Disputed: James, Jude, 2 Peter
and 2 & 3 John
Spurious: Acts of Paul, Shepherd
of Hermas, Apocalypse of Peter,
Letter of Barnabas, the Didache,
the Gospel of the Hebrews and,
“if it seems right,” Revelation
Heretical: Gospels of Peter,
Thomas, Matthias, etc., Acts of
Andrew, John or other apostles
367: The earliest extant list of the books of New Testament,
in exactly the number and order in which we presently have
them, is written by Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, in his
Easter letter.
397: The North African Council
of Carthage reproduces the
same list and declares: “apart
from the canonical Scriptures
nothing is to be read in church
under the name of the divine
Scriptures … Let the church
across the sea be consulted
for the confirmation of this
canon.”
1442: At the Council of Florence, the entire western Church
recognizes the 27 books, though does not declare them
unalterable.
1536: In his translation of the Bible from Greek into German, Luther removes 4 NT
books (Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation) from their normal order and
places them at the end, stating that they are less than canonical.
Most other Protestants do not agree with him.
1546: At the Council of Trent, the Roman Catholic Church
reaffirms once and for all the full list of 27 books as traditionally
accepted.
This is the only “universal” church council to make a formal
claim about the extent of the Christian canon (Protestant,
Eastern Orthodox, Coptic and other Christians do not consider
this council universal)
—over 1500 years after the Christian movement began!