Transcript The Formation of the NT Canon

The Formation of
the NT Canon
June 1, 2007
Diversity to Unity or vice-versa
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Model of Canonization:
 Evolutionary:
some scholars, like Bart
Ehrman, claim that canonization involved the
exclusion of various letters so that the early
diversity of Christian thought was diminished
to a unifying gospel and doctrinal norms.
They assume diversity gave way to
uniqueness.
Which model?
Compare the Gospel of Thomas (and Philip), which was
written after the Gospels and Paul’s letters we possess
today, with the canonized writings, is misguided.
 Gospel of Thomas—only a collection of sayings;
denuded of their narrative context. The story does not
matter, only the esoteric and secret wisdom that the
sayings contain.
 Interest in dialogue that is not in Q.

Q has an interest in eschatology, which is absent in Thomas;
implies little influence on the early form of Q (that is, the material
common to Matthew and Luke but not in Mark).
Which model?
Marcionite and Gnostic “Christianity”
emerged in 2nd century, as well as
Ebionite groups (Pharisaic Jewish
“Christians” from Jerusalem).
 Paul, James, and Peter are all in
agreement about the Gospel and Gal.
1stresses the need to get the story straight
and avoid competing Gospels.
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Composition of NT
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Oral Tradition and Living Eyewitnesses
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Papias; Ancient historians prioritize hands-on experience
Stories transmitted by word of mouth for a considerable period of
time…until living witnesses began dying.
Firmly regulated “narrative forms,” hymns, collections of sayings,
collections of miracles, and other collections that would be
passed on from community to community.
Anyone regarded as a living and active witness would have been
granted priority in teaching, or someone directly connected to the
apostles.
NT Composition
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Septuagint (LXX)—“the interpretation of the seventy elders”:
Greek version of Hebrew Bible completed by 72 (six from each
tribe) Jewish scholars in Alexandria, Egypt in 250 B.C. (Ryland’s
Papyrus #458-150 B.C.; Deut. 23-28)
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Hebrew Scripture quotes in NT from the LXX and Aramaic Targums.
It seems that early Christians had collections of Scriptures, called
catenae, to lend authority to a teaching, a narrative, or a point of
preaching (Romans 9:25-29; 10:18-21; Heb. 1:5-13).
Sayings/Deeds of Jesus (Aramaic),
Apostles and LIVING eye-witnesses

“Q”
NT Composition
o
Written documents in this cultural context
served as a substitute for what would
preferably be stated orally, or in public
conversation. So, most documents were
written with keen attention to how they would
sound when read aloud.
Paul

Paul (I Cor. 15; cf. Phil. 2—worship hymn)
had received an earlier synopsis of
doctrine—this antedated his writing of 1
Thessalonians (49 A.D.).
 Earliest
Jewish Christians had already
brought their knowledge of the OT to bear on
the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and
actual teachings from Jesus—e.g. Romans
13-15, Galatians 4-5, 1 Thessalonians 4-5.
Paul
o
Paul’s letters (and the entire NT for that
matter) are oral documents. They were
meant to be the next best option outside of
physical, face-to-face speech. They are
meant to be read as something that would be
said in conversation.
Pauline Epistles
Cor. 16:22—“Let anyone be
accursed who does not love the Lord,”
marana tha. (shorter form of: anathema
marana tha). A prayer follows the oath curse.
This implies a High Christology among
Aramaic-speaking Christians in the early
years of the Church.
 Prayers—1
Pauline sources
 Creedal
Fragments
 Hymns or hymn fragments (Phil. 2: Gospel story
in oral form as written synopsis, latest date of 62
A.D.)
 Teaching collection (Hebrews 6; I Cor. 15:1-10)

All of these reflect a High Christology—
Jesus as redefining what YHWH was like: he
put a human face on God.
Writing Materials/Surfaces


Papyrus; Parchment or Vellum—scribes were
among the few persons who knew how to
write and read.
Paul seems to have had someone who could
write down what he recited.
 Expensive—most
Papyrus made near the Nile, in
Egypt.
 NT epistles and gospels considered lengthy by
most ancient standards of letter-writing. No
punctuation or division of words, e.g.
“JESUSISNOWHERE”.
“Q” and the Synoptic Gospels
Mark is considered the earliest Gospel (late 60’s A.D.)--the
most complete miracle accounts, with phrasing that
appears inchoate elsewhere. Matthew and Luke drew
from him independently and from an alternate source,
which scholars call “Q” (and other oral forms).
 “Q”: This is a collection of sayings and doings of
Jesus that are not in Mark, but in both Matthew and
Luke.
 EMPHASIS: Wisdom, Discipleship—eschatology
 Contains primarily sayings of Jesus, but also directs
attention to miracle accounts.
COLLECTION AND CANON
 Collection
of NT: Pauline letters—evidence of
circulation; seven-churches edition (P46),
Ten-Letter edition (Marcion), fourteen letter
edition (Codex Sinaiticus)
 Canonization: Four-fold Gospels
(tetraevangelium)--Justin Martyr (asserted
that these were widely accepted)-(“memoirs”), Irenaeus, P45, Codex D
COLLECTION AND CANON
CONT.
 Role
of Marcion (joined the Roman church from
Pontus in 144 A.D.—deemed the OT God to be
vengeful; Kept Paul and Luke, and even omitted Luke
1-2 as “too Jewish”) and the Montanists/Gnostics
 Closure: Muratorian Canon—22 of 27 documents
included; Eusebius (320-330) 4th century—lists all 27;
EAST—Letter of Athanasius, writing in 367 A.D.,
affirms all 27 books as “wellsprings of salvation.”
 Standards for Canonization:
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Apostolicity, Universality, Traditional Usage,
Ecclesiastical Centers, Inspiration
MANUSCRIPTS
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APOCRYPHA (hidden books)—Council of Trent
(1545, 1563 part of counter-reformation)
MS
MSS
DSS
4QD+ⁿ = 4th Cave-Deuteronomy
P = papyrus
P52—oldest NT papyrus in the world, Jn. 1,
University of Manchester.
MANUSCRIPTS
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Codex—book of manuscripts
There are a couple hundred ancient Greek
manuscripts.
5,000 up to the Middle Ages
40,000 in all languages up to the Middle Ages
(Coptic, Syrian, Latin, Ethiopic, Armenian,
Slavonic, Georgian, Gothic)
DIRECTION OF READING—Koine and Hebrew
MANUSCRIPTS
LOWER CRITICISM
 OT—97% represents originals
 NT—99.4% represents original; Mk 16:9-20 and John 7:53-8:11
disputed.
HIGHER CRITICISM
 Who, when written
 Why
 Audience
 Where written and “situation”
Gospel of Thomas/Peter—Gnostic texts-Psuedoepigrapha: NT
APOCRYPHA.
MANUSCRIPTS-OT
Masoretic text—included vowels
 Oldest Hebrew (MT) manuscripts 1000
A.D.
 DSS closed the gap by over 1000 years—
150 B.C.--300 B.C.
 Dead Sea—very dry conditions
 Qumran community—Essenes
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Number
Contents
p46
most of Paul's letters and
Hebrews
p52
fragment of John
p66
most of John
p45
four gospels and Acts
p32
most of Titus
p75
p13
p72
p47
most of Luke and John
part of Hebrews
1 Pet, 2 Pet, Jude
fragment of Revelation
Approximate Date
once dated c. 200
redated by Young Kyu Kim
to c. 85
c. 110-125
c. 125-175
or 3rd century
usu. III
but some date it II
usu. III
but some date it II
c. 175-225
c. 200
III
III
PAPYRI AND UNCIALS
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While the papyri are generally early, most of
them are fragmentary. The earliest nearly
complete NT manuscripts are from c. 325-350,
and most of them are later. These are written on
parchment and are generally referred to simply
as Uncials in order to distinguish them from the
later manuscripts that were written using lower
case letters. The Uncials date from c. 200 to the
11th century (XI).