The Canon of the New Testament - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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The Canon of the New Testament

What Books Belong in the Bible?

Robert C. Newman

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• Derived from the Greek “Kanon”
• Early meaning – a measuring rod
• Later meanings:
• A standard by which something is judged
• A list
• Our interest here:
• The list of books that belong in the Bible

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• Traditional Protestant View
• OT – 39 books
• Matching the traditional Jewish view
• NT – 27 books
• Matching the traditional Christian view

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• Larger Canons:
• Roman Catholics and Greek Orthodox add books to the Old Testament
• The Apocrypha
• Mormons accept three additional collections besides the Bible:
• Book of Mormon
• Doctrines & Covenants
• Pearl of Great Price

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• Smaller Canons:
• Marcion – c150 AD
• Only Luke & 10 Letters of Paul
• Swedenborgians
• NT – only 4 Gospels & Revelation
• OT – only 29 books
• Theological Liberalism
• A “canon” within the canon

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• Recognition by a church council
• Old books are canonical
• Valuable books are canonical
• Books which agree with previous revelation
• God-inspired books are canonical

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• The importance of time-perspective:
• Information is lost with the passage of time.
• So later people (typically) have less information on which to make a judgment.
• An important distinction exists between recognition:
• Soon after writing;
• Long after writing.

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• How recognize inspiration?
• Use arbitrary principles?
• Use God-given principles?
• God-given tests for inspiration:
• Connection with supernatural phenomena
• Connection with earlier inspired books
• Agreement with earlier inspired books

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• Mosaic period
• Old covenant established
• Prophetic period
• Old covenant developed
• Ministry of Christ
• New covenant established
• Ministry of Apostles
• New covenant developed

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• Mosaic period
• Moses gives signs to Pharoah & Israel
• Plagues, exodus, Sinai
• Prophetic period
• Prophets attested by miracles & short-term prophecies
• Ministry of Christ
• Miracles, short-term prophecy
• Ministry of Apostles
• Miracles, short-term prophecy

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• Moses
• Rescue predicted to Abraham (Gen 15:13)
• Prophets
• Prophets predicted by Moses (Deut 18)
• Christ
• Predicted by prophets (e.g., Isa 53)
• Apostles
• Chosen by Jesus

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Who is expected now?

• Jesus at his return
• The two witnesses
• The Antichrist
• False prophets & false Christs

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• Cannot contradict
• See Deut 13:1-3 – no other gods
• See Acts 17:11 – responsibility to test
• See Gal 1:8-9 – no other gospel
• Can explain and clarify
• Otherwise, why more revelation?
• Looks like book of Revelation designed to close the canon.

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• Like a blimp, the Bible closes off on the back end as it opens on the front
• Creation
• Sin & death
• Tree of life
• Garden
• God dwelling

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• We cannot easily re-do what was done long ago.
• We suggest the following as a check that the Bible is what it claims to be:
• Christian evidences point to Christ and to salvation through Him.
• Christ endorses the Bible:
• OT explicitly
• NT implicitly

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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Canonicity then reduces to two historical questions:

• What writings had Palestinian Jews come to recognize as Scripture at Jesus’ time?
• OT canon
• What Christian writings did Christians come to recognize as Scripture in the few centuries after Jesus’ time?
• NT canon

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• We pass the buck to our OT professors
• Vannoy, Putnam
• But see my paper “The Council of Jamnia and the OT Canon”
• Westminster Theological Journal (Spr 76)
• IBRI website (www.ibri.org)

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• Stimuli to recognize NT Scripture
• NT evidence for preparation & recognition of Scripture
• Indications of recognition in:
• The Apostolic Fathers (95-130 AD)
• Early Heretical Writers (before 150)
• Late 2nd Century (to 200)
• Towards formal recognition (to 400)

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• Need for revelation
• Problem of persecution
• Priorities of translation
• Threat of heresy

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• Selection of materials for inclusion
• Protection from error
• Public reading in the churches
• Circulation among the churches
• Collection
• Quotation as authoritative

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• Quotation as authoritative:
• 2 Peter 3:15-16 – “Distort Paul’s letters as they do the rest of Scripture”
• 1 Timothy 5:18 – refers to OT and NT (Luke 10:7) under the heading “Scipture says.”
• Jude’s citation of 2 Peter 2 & 3
• Concept of “Scripture” applied to NT by NT itself

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• Many allusions to NT writings
• Three explicit references to NT as Scripture:
• 1 Clement 47 (c95) to 1 Corinthians
• Polycarp (c110) to Ephesians 4:26
• Pseudo-Barnabas (c130) to Matthew 22:14

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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Take up the epistle of the blessed Paul the Apostle. What wrote he first unto you in the beginning of the Gospel? Of a truth he charged in the Spirit concerning himself and Cephas and Apollos, because that even then you made factions.

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For I am persuaded that you are well-trained in the sacred writings, and nothing is hidden from you. But to myself this is not granted, only, as it is said in these scriptures, ‘Be ye angry and sin not,’ and ‘Let not the sun set on your wrath’ [Eph 4:26]

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• Very allegorical
• In an exhortation, the author quotes Matthew 22:14 “many called, but few chosen,” under the heading, “As it is written.”

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• Basilides
• Ophites
• Marcion
• Valentinus
• Summary
• They applied concept of Scripture to NT
• Cite all Gospels but Mark, all Pauline epistles but Pastorals

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• Justin Martyr
• Irenaeus
• Muratorian Canon
• Tertullian
• Clement of Alexandria
• Some problem books:
• Hebrews
• Revelation

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• Origen (~230) – two categories
• Eusebius (~325) – four categories
• Athanasius (369) – Festal Letter
• Decisions of Church Councils:
• Synod of Laodicea (365)
• Synod of Rome (382)
• Synod of Hippo (393)
• Synod of Carthage (397)

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• Final details seem to have been providential, as with OT Canon.
• The early scholars and councils seem to have made good use of historical information.
• Questions were raised for Hebrews, Revelation and a few of the shortest books.
• Category of Scripture applied to NT writings already in apostolic period.
• Nearly all the NT canon seen as authoritative in early 2nd century.

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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• We don’t have all the information we would like …
• … but it is clear that these books came to be recognized as Scripture.
• God has retained control of history in His hands.
• He will carry out His word whether we believe it or not.
• So we might as well trust Him and seek to be on His side rather than on the other.

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks

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The End

We need not fear that God has botched up the choice of books to go into the Bible.

Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks