How We Got

The Bible
Part 1
What’s A Canon?
 A Popular Controversy

• How do we know
• Is there a God?
we’ve got the right
• Which religion is true? books?
• Can I believe the • Who decided what
claims of Christianity? books would be in the
Bible?
A Popular Controversy

• High Level of Interest

• Of The People
 A Popular Controversy

• Nag Hammadi Library - 1945

• The Dead Sea Scrolls - 1947
A Popular Controversy
A Popular Controversy
A Popular Controversy
A Popular Controversy
A Popular Controversy
• Multiple Christianities
• Canonization = Suppression
• Superiority of the Gnostic
Texts
A Popular Controversy
Why Now?

• 2000 Years of Privilege

• Irresponsibility of the Church
• Lack of Curiosity
 A Popular Controversy

• Essential Unity of the Church

• Essential Agreement over Scriptures
• Superiority of The Canonical Documents
What’s A Canon?
 What’s A Canon?

• An authoritative list of documents

• Hebrew: qaneh – measuring reed
• Greek: kanon
• Latin: canon – A List
 Evolution of the
Old Testament Canon
 Evolution of the
New Testament Canon
• A.D. 100 (2nd Century) - Loose Documents
• A.D. 140 - Marcion
• A.D. 200 (3rd Century) - Muratorian Canon
• A.D. 250 - Origen
• A.D. 300 (4th Century) - Eusebius
• A.D. 400 (5th Century) - Council of Carthage
 Canon Criteria

• Apostolic Authority
• Antiquity
• Orthodoxy
• Catholicity
• Traditional Use
• Inspiration
 Conclusions

• There has been consistent unity in the

church over the contents of the canon.
• The canonization of Scripture was a
recognition rather than an imposition.
• Gnostic texts were never considered valid
by the early church.
 Credits
• Recommended Reading
• F.F. Bruce,
The Canon of Scripture
The New Testament Documents Are they
Reliable?
• What’s His Name,
• Walter Kaiser,
The Old Testament Documents Are They Reliable
Relevant?
• Roger Beckwith,
The Old Testament Canon of the New Testament
Church
• Wikipedia
• Google Image Search
• Presentation by Mike Schellman
• Slides and Layout Also By Mike Schellman
How We Got
The Bible
Part 1
What’s A Canon?