Feb.24,’08

 

Continuation of the study of how the ‘canon’ was formed:

 

1.  As the NT documents were copied, circulated and quoted by Christian

Apologists during the period of 100-250 AD, there emerged an selected

list that was viewed as “scripture” (God’s authoritative word).

   That list (Eusebius of Caesarea -340) called Homolegomena  included:

Four gospels, Acts, Thirteen Epistles of Paul, First Epistle of Peter and

I Epistle of John

   Antilegomena- Hebrews, Revelation, Second Epistle of Peter, the

Second and Third Epistles of John, Epistle of James and that of Jude.

This group was alternately accepted or rejected.

  Another group called “spurious” included Epistle of Barnabas, Clement

Of Rome to Corinthians, Polycarp to the Philippians,  the Shepherd of

Hermas, Apocalypse of Peter and Gospel of the Hebrews—these were

Read in some churches, but later dropped.

 

2. With the rise of the persecution under Emperor Diocletian in 303,

churches were to be destroyed, all Bibles burned, Christians were to

be deprived of public office & civil rights, and were to sacrifice to the

gods upon pain of death.  This last, terrible period of persecution

surpassed all that had come before and moved Christians to determine

just what was and was not  sacred scripture.

 

3. Later, in 1700’s a Latin document, called the Muratorian Canon,

so-named by its discoverer- Lodovica Antonio Muratori—lists scripture

from 170-180 AD.  It has [Matt, Mark], Luke (specifically called the third gospel)

John, Acts, 13 Pauline letters, Jude, 2 letters by John, & Revelation.

Tatian’s “Diatesseron” (harmony of the 4 gospels) was available in 160 AD.

 

4. There was a period of “informal” recognition of the NT books as

canonical as seen in the writings of Christian apologists—Irenaeus,

Justin (first to use “gospel” for 4 biographies), Clement of Rome, others

as well as their use in public readings in the local churches.

  We should  note the aspect of the scriptures of the NT as being

self-establishing and self- authenticating since they were given by

the Holy Spirit.  What these early Christians did was then respond to

the divinely given revelation from the Holy Spirit.

 

 

 

 

 

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5. Other influences may be noted:  in the East, Revelation was doubted

due to it millennium teaching in Ch.20, while Hebrews was disputed in

the West since it allowed no repentance for the apostate believer (6:4-6).

Athanasius (293-373, bishop of Alexandria), worked to settle this difference

by including both in the canon.  Some dispute remained in the East concerning

Revelation, but the West accepted Hebrews.  He first recognizes the present

27 books as canonical in about 367 AD.

 

6. About 363, the Council of Laodicea lists the OT books and all of the NT

books except for Revelation.   Two African synods (meetings of bishops) also issued formal statements of the NT canon accepting the 27 books we presently have.  Those are Council of Hippo in 393 AD and Carthage in 397 AD.  Augustine, bishop of Hippo exerted considerable influence on these councils and asserted that Apocryphal books are to be included in the OT.