History of the Canon of the Bible 0.

Introduction Today we, Christians agree that the Bible is the Word of God and many take it for granted that it should be the way it is. Many are unaware of the work and the time it took for it to be composed and established. If it is clear that the Bible is not only a Book but a collection of books, it is also clear that these books were not written by one person and at one particular time. Throughout the ages, God has spoken to his people, and throughout the ages, many have claimed to have heard the Word of God addressed to them. In fact, the letter to the Hebrews says: In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe. (Heb. 1:1-2) The question that easily comes to mind is; how do we recognize the Word of God in the human words spoken by a person? Or how do human words become the Word of God? for indeed, if God speaks to us he doesnt speak in any other language but our own, and he doesnt use any other words but ours. This is where the question of Inspiration comes in. We are equally aware that this Word of God was first passed on orally and only later was it put to writing. In fact, when Jesus told his Apostles: Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News of salvation to every creature (Mk. 16:15), he did not hand them a book containing this Good News to be proclaimed. They were to pass on orally and practically what he had orally and practically passed on to them, and this is what they did for quite a long time. But when the Apostles started dying and the early Christians feared that in the long run the message might be altered, they started putting to writing the teachings of the Apostles. Hence Luke could say, addressing himself to Theophilus: Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received. (Lk. 1:1-4). Here again, we realize that much has been written, especially concerning the life, teachings and death of Jesus Christ. But how do we know which, among the much literature written about Jesus, is authentically the Word of God? This question brings up the issue of the Canonicity of Scriptures. In this work, I am going to, first of all, define and clarify the concepts: History, Canon, and Bible, and then I am going to retrace the formation process of the Canon of the Bible which is divided into the Old Testament and New Testament. 1. Definition of concepts 1.1. History

The Encyclopedie Universalis 2010 defines history as an ensemble of past events of a society and the study of these events, an ensemble of knowledge relative to the life and evolution of humanity1. The free online dictionary defines it as a usually chronological record of events, as of the life or development of a people or institution, often including an explanation of or commentary on those events2. From the above definitions we can note that history deals with past events, and that it studies these events. It is chronological and often includes explanations or commentaries on the events. A history of the Canon of the Bible should therefore be a methodic attempt to explain how the Canon of the Bible came to be formed. 1.2. Canon From the Greek word Canon means cane3, rod. In a transferred sense, it means a surveyors staff, a measuring rule. In spiritual matters it meant a norm, an unerring measure for the discrimination of right and wrong, a rule of conduct in Ethics. It is in the sense that it is used in 2Cor. 10:13-16 and Gal. 6:164. Since the Holy Scriptures are the Rule of the Churchs faith and life they have been referred to as Canon since the middle of the IV century. Canon in this context is both active and passive: active in the sense that the Scriptures determine the faith of the Church, and passive since it is the Church that recognizes them as inspired5. In mathematics, astronomy and historical writing it meant list or index6. The Dictionary of Catholic Theology defines the Canon of Scripture as A list or collection of books, regulated by the tradition and authority of the Church, which, having a divine origin and infallible authority, contain or are themselves the rule of truth inspired by God for the instruction of men7. It is this definition is widely used in the Church when we talk of the Canon of scriptures. The Bible For Christians, the Bible is first and foremost, the Word of God and rule of faith. This view is expressed in a magnificent way in the Dogmatic Constitution of the Second

1.3.

Ensemble des vnements passs dune socit et leur tude, ensemble de connaissances relatives { la vie et { lvolution de lhumanit. 2 http://www.thefreedictionary.com/history (26 Dec. 2010) 3 It has fundamentally the same meaning as the Hebrew word kaneh which means reed. 4 Cf. Alfred Wikenhauser, New Testament Introduction, Herder Druck, Freiburg, West Germany, 1958, p. 9 (footnotes) 5 Cf. H. Waldenfels, Manuel de thologie fondamentale, cerf, Paris, 1990, p.683. 6 Cf. Alfred Wikenhauser, New Testament Introduction, Herder Druck, Freiburg, West Germany, 1958, p. 9 (footnotes) 7 Le canon des Ecritures est la liste ou la collection, rgle par la tradition et lautorit de lEglise, des livres qui, ayant une origine divine et une autorit infaillible, contiennent ou forment eux-mmes la rgle de la vrit inspire par Dieu pour linstruction des hommes (Andr Paul, Cahier vangile no. 49.)
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Vatican Council, Dei Verbum, no. 21, which puts in parallel the table of the Word of God and the table of the Body of Christ8. It says:
The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord, since, especially in the sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life from the table both of God's word and of Christ's body. She has always maintained them, and continues to do so, together with sacred tradition, as the supreme rule of faith, since, as inspired by God and committed once and for all to writing, they impart the word of God Himself without change, and make the voice of the Holy Spirit resound in the words of the prophets and Apostles. (). For in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them () 9.

But the Bible is also a literary work, a book. In fact, it is not only a book but a collection of sacred scripture of both Judaism and Christianity. Its Canon and order vary between denominations. While the Jewish Tanakh comprises 24 books, the Christian (Protestant) Bible arranges the same texts into 39 books of the Old Testaments while the Catholic edition adds 7 books known as the Deuterocanonical books to have 46 books. Complete Christian Bibles range from the 66 books of the Protestant canon to the 81 books in the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible10. While the Jewish Bible is divided into three main parts (the Tanakh): the Law (Torah), the Prophets (Neviim) and the Writings11 (Ketuvim), the Christian Bible comprises two parts: the Old Testament (containing the books of the Hebrew Scripture) and the New Testament (containing 27 books). 1.3.1. Etymology The English word bible is from the Greek "the books" (singular ) passing through Latin biblia. Middle Latin biblia is short form for biblia sacra "holy book"; while biblia in Greek and Late Latin is neuter plural (gen. bibliorum), it gradually came to be regarded as a feminine singular noun (biblia, gen. bibliae) in Medieval Latin, and so the word was loaned as a singular into the vernaculars of Western Europe. Latin biblia sacra "holy books" translates Greek , "the holy books12". The word itself literally means "paper" or "scroll," and came to be used as the ordinary word for "book". It is the diminutive of , "Egyptian papyrus". The Greek ("little papyrus books") was an expression Hellenistic Jews used to describe their sacred books (the Septuagint). Christian use of the term can be traced to about AD 22313. 2.0. The Jewish canon

Cf. H. Waldenfels, Manuel de thologie fondamentale, cerf, Paris, 1990, p.682. VATICAN II, Dei verbum, 1965, no. 21 10 Cf. Bible, in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible (26 Dec. 2010) 11 Poetic and philosophical works such as the Psalms and the Book of Job. 12 Bible, in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible (26 Dec. 2010) 13 Idem.
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The Hebrew Scriptures are divided into three parts known as Tanakh. These include: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. This division is alluded to in the New Testament in Luke 24:44. The Hebrew Bible was probably canonized in these three stages: the Law canonized before the Exile, the Prophets by the time of the Syrian persecution of the Jews, and the Writings shortly after AD 70 when Christians began accepting Christian writings as scripture14. In the confusion caused by the destruction of the Temple, the dissolution of the national cult and the Sanhedrin, a synod was held in Jamnia between 70 and 100 AD where the rabbis, with Gamaliel II15, fixed a Canon of 24 books (different from those found in the Septuagint) equaling the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet16. This canon of Jewish scripture is attested to by Philo, Josephus, the New Testament and the Talmud. 2.1. The Torah (Instruction) also known as the Five Books of Moses comprises the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The titles of the books come from the first words of the respective texts. While Genesis tells the story of creation and the covenants with the Hebrew patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), the other four books tell the story of Moses, the liberation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt, the renewal of the covenant with God on Mount Sinai and the wandering of the Jews in the desert until the final entry into the Promised Land (Canaan). The Torah ends with the death of Moses. The Torah contains the commandments of God revealed to Moses, which provide the bases for the Jewish religion. These commandments are about 613 in number. The Torah is divided into fifty-four portions read on successive Sabbaths in Jewish liturgy, from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Deuteronomy. It ends and begins all over at the end of sukkot. 2.2. Neviim (the Prophets) tells the story of the rise of the Hebrew monarchy and its division into two kingdoms, of the prophets who warned the kings and the sons of Israel about Gods punishment and ends with the conquest of the kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians and the conquest of the kingdom of Judah by the Babylonians and the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem. According to Jewish tradition, Neviim is divided into eight books: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings (First and Second Kings), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the Minor Prophets grouped together (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi). 2.3. Ketuvim (Writings) is thought to have been written after the Babylonian exile. Many of the Psalms are attributed to King David while Solomon is thought to have written the Song of Songs, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Lamentations is attributed to Jeremiah while the Book of Ruth is the only biblical book centred on a non-Jew (Ruth) who married a Jew
Bible, in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible (26 Dec. 2010) Cf. Franois Kwame, Lesson notes on Synoptic Gospels given at ITCJ. 16 Cf. Bible, in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible (26 Dec. 2010)
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and upon the death of her husband, followed the Jewish customs. She was the great grandmother of King David. Collectively Ketuvim contains lyrical poetry, philosophical reflections on life, and the stories of the prophets and other Jewish leaders during the Babylonian exile. It ends with the Persian decree allowing Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple 17. Ketuvim comprises the following books: Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentation, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra and Chronicles. It should be noted that there was an edition of the Hebrew Bible translated into Greek called the Septuagint which included books not found in the Jewish Bible. It was the source of books found in the Christian (Catholic) Old Testament. 3.0. The Christian Canon The Christian Bible is divided into two parts: the Old Testament which consists of the Hebrew scriptures of Judaism, and the New Testament which records the lives and teachings of Jesus and his followers. "Testament" comes from the Greek (covenant) through the Latin testamentum. It signifies a formal and legally binding declaration of benefits to be given by one party to another (e.g., "last will and testament" in secular use). But in its use to refer to Scripture, it does not connote mutuality; rather, it is a unilateral covenant offered by God to individuals18. 3.1. The Old Testament From the first day of its existence, the Christian Church possessed a Canon of inspired scripture - the Old Testament. In fact, like every good Jew, Jesus accepted the Old Testament as the Word of God and appealed to it. He proved the indissolubility of marriage from Gen. 1:27, 2:24 (Mk. 10:6-9), the resurrection of the dead from Ex. 3:26 (Mk. 12:2627). Yet he takes an independent critical attitude towards the Old Testament. In fact, he shows himself equipped with complete authority over the Old Testament, testified by the antithesis in the Sermon on the mountain: Of old it was said to you but I say to you. (Mt. 5:21-48). Earlier on he had said that he came not to destroy, but to fulfill the Law (Old Testament) (Mt. 5:17). As their Master, the early Christians regarded the Old Testament as having absolute authority and argued from it to prove the correctness of the Christian faith (Acts 18:28). They saw in it the foretelling of Christ and this prophecy reached its fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth. (cf. Jn. 5:39, Acts 7:2, 2Tim. 3:15, Heb. 10:1)19. Even though Christians generally accept the Old Testament as inspired, they however, according to their denomination, disagree about the incorporation of a small number of books into their canons of the Old Testament (39 Books for Protestants and 46
Cf. Cf. Bible, in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible (26 Dec. 2010) Cf. idem. 19 Cf. Alfred Wikenhauser, New Testament Introduction, Herder Druck, Freiburg, West Germany, 1958, p.22.
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for Catholics). But broadly speaking, the Old Testament contains the same material as the Hebrew Bible. However, the order of the books is not entirely the same as that found in Hebrew manuscripts and in the ancient versions and varies from Judaism in interpretation and emphasis. (See for example Isaiah 7:14). 3.2. The New Testament The New Testament is made of 27 books, grouped under four different genres of Christian literature: Gospels (Mathew, Mark, Luke and John), the Acts of the Apostles, Epistles (13 Pauline epistles, 7 general epistles, 1 epistle to the Hebrews) and the Apocalypse. Jesus is its central figure. The New Testament presupposes the inspiration of the Old (2 Timothy 3:16). Nearly all Christians recognize the New Testament as canonical scripture. It should be noted that the whole of the New Testament was written in Greek (Koine). 4.0. 4.1. The Canon of the New Testament Scripture versus Tradition When we talk about scripture and tradition we are, in fact, talking about the transmission and conservation of the word of God. If the Father who is in heaven meets his children and speaks with them20, then it must be through a medium. But we know that the Bible was not dictated from Heaven to a group of persons who noted down what they heard. It contains essentially the faith experience of a believing community with their God, and this experience, whether in the Old or the New Testament was first transmitted and conserved orally, and only later was it put down in writing. The New Testament as well as the Old is the fruit of tradition and writing. In fact, when God intervened directly in human history through his incarnate Word, Jesus lived, taught and performed actions which were all meant to promote the reign of God on earth and lead to the salvation of the human race. After his death, the Apostles, according to the mandate they had received from him, proclaimed the Good News by word and deed. This oral tradition was for a long time the means of transmission of the words and deeds of Christ. Writing came later to formalize and give a normative character to what had always been proclaimed as the Good News of Jesus Christ21. The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation can thus affirm that Scripture and Tradition both form the supreme rule of faith.22 4.2. The question of inspiration We cannot talk about the Canon of the Bible without talking about inspiration for, if some books were chosen as being the word of God, and others left out, it is because those
Cf. VATICAN II, Dei verbum, 1965, no. 21 Cf. Franois Kwame, Lesson notes on Synoptic Gospels given at ITCJ. 22 Cf. VATICAN II, Dei verbum, 1965, no. 21.
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that were chosen were considered inspired by God while the others not. Thus to say a book is canonical is to recognize it as the inspired word of God23. 4.2.1. Among the Jews The belief in the sacred character of some books is as old as Hebrew literature. In fact, Jews considered Moses and the prophets as the authorized interpreters of Gods wishes, hence their writings were considered by the Jews as the word of God. The word inspiration is used for the first time by Flavius Josephus (A.D. 37-95) while talking about the 22 books which the Jews considered divine and for which they were ready to die if need arose24. 4.2.2. Among the Christians In the Gospel of Mark (cf. Mk. 7:1-13) we see Jesus accusing the Pharisees and scribes for nullifying Gods word in favour of their human traditions. Jesus expressly refers to the scriptures (the Law) as the word of God and his attitude towards them was often in conformity with general belief, that is, that the scriptures were the word of God 25. We also see this in the writings of the apostles 2Tm 3:16, Rm. 3:2; 4:3; 9:17, 2Pt. 1:20-21. The Church holds that God is the author of Sacred Scripture. The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.26
God inspired the human authors of the sacred books. To compose the sacred books, God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them in this task, made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more27. The inspired books teach the truth. "Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures"28.

4.3.

The question of errors in the scripture Following the theory of inspiration, the Church affirms that, since the Bible is inspired by the Spirit, it is without error. In fact we read in Dei verbum no. 11:
Those divinely revealed realities which are contained and presented in Sacred Scripture have been committed to writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. ().

23

24
25 26

The African Bible, Paulines, 2000, p. 14 Inspiration of the Bible, in http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08045a.htm (26 Dec. 2010)

See also Jn. 10:35, Jn. 15:25, Mt. 8:17; 12:7; 21:16 Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 105 27 Ibid. no. 106 28 Ibid. no. 107

Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation29.

However, the same document gives some points to be considered in order to better see clearly what God wanted to communicate to us. These points include: - The "literary forms" - for truth is set forth and expressed differently in texts which are variously historical, prophetic, poetic, or of other forms of discourse, - Particular circumstances: these literary forms should be considered in accordance with the situation of the authors own time and culture. Customary and characteristic styles of feeling, speaking and narrating which prevailed at the time of the sacred writer and the patterns men normally employed at that period in their everyday dealings with one another. - Content and unity of the whole of Scripture: if the meaning of the sacred texts is to be correctly worked out these texts must be considered in the general setting of the whole scripture, for the Bible is a whole. - The living tradition of the whole Church must be taken into account along with the harmony which exists between elements of faith. Whether the Bible is without error or not is a question that divides theologians today. There are three points of view: i. Absolute inerrancy: The claim that the Bible is without error of any kind. This was the point held by most popes and theologians until the mid-20th century. ii. Limited inerrancy: holds that the Bible is without error in matters of faith, morals and the criteria for salvation. However, the Bible contains errors when describing other matters, such as scientific observations and historical events. This belief had its origins in the Church with the writings of Richard Simon (1638 - 1712) who rejected Moses as author of the Pentateuch. iii. No inerrancy: rejects the fact that the Bible is without error and sees it as containing much legend, myth, historical and scientific inaccuracies, religious propaganda, etc. However, the declaration of Dei verbum is ambiguous and leaves room for diverse interpretation. It states: we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures.30 4.4. Moments in the formation of the canon We should start by noting that the early Christians did not have any intention of forming a New Testament. The writings which make up today the New Testament were circumstantial writings. On the contrary, as we have noted, they considered the Hebrew
29 30

VATICAN II, Dei verbum, 1965, no. 11 VATICAN II, Dei verbum, 1965, no. 11

scripture as the word of God and used it with respect. How then did the New Testament come to be formed and why? To answer the question, we can distinguish the following moments which were important in the formation of the Churchs Canon: 4.4.1. Sources of revelation in primitive Christianity There were three main sources of revelation in primitive Christianity: a. The Hebrew Scriptures which Jesus and the early Christians accepted as the word of God. For primitive Christianity Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament and this Old Testament could henceforth be rightly interpreted only with reference to this fulfillment. b. The authority of Christ himself. The Apostles and their followers did not preach the Old Testament, but bore witness to Christ - the new master. His words and teachings were considered the word of God and a norm for their spiritual life. Early enough, the disciples began to write down the words of Christ (cf. Lk. 1:1-4) and use them as a norm to decide matters without further discussion (1Cor. 7:10, 9:14; Acts 20:35) and to use them in liturgies. c. The authority of the apostles themselves. They were first-hand witnesses to these writings in which the words of the Lord and the Apostles were to be found. In the subapostolic age, their authority became even greater. Ignatius exhorts the Magnesians to hold fast to the precepts of the Lord and of the Apostles, and Polycarp sets before the Philippians the example of Paul and the other Apostles31. At first, the words of the Lord were spread orally. But with the expansion of Christianity, there was need to send letters to individual churches to instruct them on the important questions of Christian faith, to warn them against errors and to give all sorts of directions. These letters were treated as official declarations and later, some of them were accorded the same authority as the Old Testament. 4.4.2. Growth of substance of the New Testament Canon Among the many writings circulating within the early Christian community, two collections formed the basis for the establishment of the New Testament. They were the four Gospels and the corpus paulinum of thirteen writings. It is not clear when and how the four Gospels were united into a collection, but some thought this took place in Asia Minor during the reign of Hadrian (117-138).32 At first, the words of the Lord, especially those contained in the four Gospels were cited with the formula: the Lord says. This means the books were not yet recognized as scripture with the same authority as that of the Old Testament. Justin was the first witness to tell us that the Gospels were read in Liturgical celebrations, and he attested this as a firmly established custom. He said in his Apology I (67,3) : at liturgical assemblies they first read the recollections of the Apostles (which

31 32

Cf. Alfred Wikenhauser, New Testament Introduction, Herder Druck, Freiburg, West Germany, 1958, p. 25. Cf. Alfred Wikenhauser, New Testament Introduction, Herder Druck, Freiburg, West Germany, 1958, p. 27.

are called Gospels, 66,3) or the writings of the Old Testament Prophets, and this was followed by a sermon.33 The collection of the corpus paulinum took place earlier than the collection and arrangement of the four Gospels. The most important evidence of the time of this collection is Polycarps letter to the community of Philippi (dated before the martyrdom of Ignatius between 107 and 117 A.D.). In the letter, Polycarp shows knowledge of all of Pauls thirteen letters except 1Thess., Titus, and Philemon. It cannot be doubted that in the second century, the Gospels, the Pauline Epistles and other writings from the apostolic age (Acts, Apocalypse etc.) were highly valued in the various churches and used in liturgical worship. Gradually, the Gospels began to be referred to as books in the same title as the books of the Old Testament but not the Pauline writings, and the solemn formula used to introduce books of the Old Testament and this is written also began to be used for the Gospels. It is only in the second half of the second century that writings of Paul, the Acts of the Apostles, Apocalypse, 1Jn. and 1Pt. gained the same canonical standing as the Gospels. 4.4.3. Marcion and his significance in the establishment of the Churchs Canon Marcion, a wealthy gnostic, rejected the Old Testament as being from the Jewish avenging God of justice, whereas the Christian God is the Father of mercy and the God of all consolation. To him only those scriptures that originated from the God of Jesus Christ should be accepted. Marcion equally rejected the writings of all the other apostles except Paul, as corrupted by Jewish admixtures. Against the Old Testament which he rejected, he set up a collection of one Gospel (by Luke - Pauls disciple) and ten Pauline Epistles. Marcions action undoubtedly accelerated the fixing of the Churchs Canon. The Church found itself obliged to a stand for those writings which she had recognized but which the heretics rejected. 4.4.4. Canon of the Western Church a. Irenaeus of Lyon (Born in Asia Minor and became Bishop of Lyon) His principal work, Against Heresies was composed between 180 and 190 A.D. He recognized the following (21 (22))books as canonical: the four Gospels, Acts, the Epistles of Paul except Philemon, 1Pt., 1Jn and 2Jn, the Apocalypse. He introduces the Pastor of Hermas with as scripture says. b. The Canon of the Fragmentum Muratorianum (Rome) This document composed in the second century was discovered by the Italian historian, L. A. Muratori in the Ambrosian Library at Milan and published in 1740. It is the oldest ecclesiastical document about the New Testament Canon. It admits 22 (23) writings to the New Testament Canon: the four Gospels, Acts, 13 Epistles of Paul, three Catholic Epistles (Jude and the two Epistles from John), the Apocalypse of John and the Apocalypse of Peter.
33

Ibid., p.29

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c. Hippolytus of Rome (+235) He was a pupil of Irenaeus and was later elected anti-pope and led a schismatic sect. He recognized the Old Testament which he called the Prophets and the New Testament which he called the Apostles. His New Testament includes 21 (22) books: the four Gospels, Acts, 12 Epistles from Paul (except Philemon), 1 and 2 Pt., 1Jn., Apocalypse of John. d. Tertullians evidence for Africa His New Testament which is also that of the African Church contains 22 books: the four Gospels, Acts, 13 Pauline Epistles, 1Pt., 1Jn, Jude and the Apocalypse of John. From the above, we can see that by 200 A.D. the Western Church possessed a collection of writings from the apostolic age which not only were read at divine worship, but also were recognized as authoritative and stood on the same footing as the Old Testament. This collection is the foundation of the 27 book New Testament that we have today. 4.4.5. Canon of the Greek Church a. Egypt and Palestine Here we have mostly the writings of Origen and Clement. The Egyptian Church possessed all the 27 writings of the New Testament but also other writings to which it attached great authority. i. Clement wrote commentaries on all the 27 New Testament books except Jas., 2Pt., and 3 Jn. In addition to these books, he quoted from a number of early primitive and early Christian writing which he considered inspired ex. the Pastor of Hermas and the Apocalypse of Peter. ii. Origen recognized the four Gospels, 2 Epistles of Peter, James, Jude, Epistles of John, Acts, and 14 Epistles of Paul. He accepts the Apocalypse in his commentary on John. Since Origen is merely repeating the opinion of the Egyptian Church, it follows that this Church accepted the 27 books of the New Testament as well as other writings to which it attributed much authority. iii. Eusebius (Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine +340). He is important not for his evidence in the Canon of the New Testament but for the copious information he provides in his Church History about the state of the Canon. In fact, he gives a comprehensive survey of all the writings which call for notice in the history of the New Testament Canon. 4.5. The final fixing of the Canon in the Latin Church (400 A.D.) The Arian heresy which had shaken the Church for almost a century helped bring together the Eastern and Western Church to share ideas. In 382 according to some sources, Pope Damasus (366-384) called a synod in Rome attended by both Eastern and Western Bishops. It is in this synod that a catalogue of canonical books of the Old and New Testaments was drawn and finalized. This catalogue was accepted by the three African synods of Hippo Regius (393), and Carthage (397 and 419). The Council of Trent and the First Vatican Council 11

4.6.

On 8th April 1546, the Council of Trent issued a decree De canonicis scripturis in which it listed the books of both Testaments that the Catholic Church considered as canonical. This list confirmed the list of New Testament books issued by the council of Florence. During its third session on 24th April 1870, the First Vatican Council referred to the decree of Trent, repeated it and added the reasons why the Church regarded the writings as holy and canonical. These decrees of the councils of Trent and the Vatican are infallible and irreformable decisions of the magisterium. For catholic therefore, the decree of the council of Trent is the end of the history of the Canon. 5.0. Conclusion From the above presentation we can see that it was not an easy job to come up with the Canon of scriptures. It took time, energy and much sacrifice, and above all it needed the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In this work, I have tried to show the evolution that place in the formation process of the Canon of scriptures. After defining the main concepts: history, Canon and Bible, I went on to examine the Jewish and Christian canons. I said the Jewish scriptures or Tamakh was divided into three main parts: the Law, the Prophets and the writings and that the Canon of the Jewish scripture was finally drawn up in Jamnia between 70 and 100 A.D. and that this Canon contained 24 books according to the number of the Hebrew alphabet. The Christian scriptures on their part are made up of the Old and the New Testament. The Old Testament contains the Jewish scriptures while the New Testament contains writings on the life and teachings of Christ and the apostles. I then went on to show that to talk about the Canon of the Bible it was necessary to talk about inspiration and inerrancy. God being the inspirer of the sacred authors, the Bible is without error in transmitting to us the message of salvation given by God. In the last part of the work, I traced the moments in the formation of the Bible Canon starting with sources of revelation in primitive Christianity through the formation of the canons of the Western and Eastern Churches and finally to the fixing of the Canon in the Western Church in the fourth century. The council of Trent confirmed the Canon of Florence and put a final seal to the question of the Canon of scripture. LINDJO JOSEPH ALPHA Jesuit Institute of Theology Abidjan, Ivory Coast First Year Theology

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