Understanding the Canon: Recognizing Scripture's Divine Authority
Summary
The exploration of the canon of Scripture is a journey into understanding how the books of the Bible were recognized as authoritative and divinely inspired. The term "canon" comes from the Greek word meaning "measuring rod," and it refers to the standard by which the books of the Bible were evaluated. This discussion is crucial because it addresses common questions and misconceptions about why certain books are included in the Bible and others are not.
One frequent question arises from those transitioning from Catholic to evangelical traditions: "Why is your Bible smaller?" The answer lies in the historical process of canonization, where certain books, known as the Apocrypha, were added later and are not considered part of the Protestant canon. This process was not arbitrary, as some popular narratives like "The Da Vinci Code" suggest, but rather a careful recognition of what was already accepted as Scripture by the early church.
The distinction between the terms "establish" and "recognize" is significant. While the Roman Catholic Church views the canon as established by the church, Protestants believe the church recognized the books that were already authoritative. This recognition process involved several criteria, including apostolic authorship, theological consistency, and widespread acceptance among early Christians.
The Old Testament canon was largely recognized by the time of Jesus, who referred to the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings, collectively known as the Tenakh. The New Testament canon, however, took longer to solidify. Early church figures like Marcion challenged the inclusion of certain books, prompting responses that helped clarify the canon. The Muratorian Fragment from around 140 AD and the Easter letter of Athanasius in 367 AD are key documents that reflect the church's recognition of the New Testament books.
Ultimately, the canon of Scripture is not a product of human decision but a recognition of the divine inspiration and authority inherent in these texts. This understanding helps us appreciate the Bible as a unified and coherent revelation of God's will and purpose.
Key Takeaways:
1. Understanding the Canon: The canon of Scripture is not an arbitrary collection of books but a recognized standard of divine revelation. The term "canon" itself means "measuring rod," indicating the criteria used to discern which books were divinely inspired. This process underscores the importance of recognizing God's voice in Scripture rather than establishing it by human authority. [05:47]
2. The Role of the Church: The church's role in canonization was not to establish the authority of the books but to recognize what was already evident. This distinction between "establish" and "recognize" highlights the church's responsibility to discern and affirm the divine inspiration of Scripture, rather than creating it. [05:03]
3. Criteria for Canonization: The early church used specific criteria to recognize canonical books, including apostolic authorship, theological consistency, and acceptance by the early Christian community. These criteria ensured that the books included in the Bible were authentic and authoritative. [20:31]
4. Historical Challenges: Throughout history, various heresies and alternative texts challenged the canon, prompting the church to clarify and affirm the recognized books. This process was not about suppressing other voices but about maintaining the integrity of the divinely inspired Scriptures. [12:03]
5. The Unified Message of Scripture: The canon of Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, presents a unified message of God's revelation. Jesus Himself affirmed the Old Testament as authoritative, and the New Testament writers recognized each other's writings as Scripture, demonstrating the coherence and unity of the biblical message. [08:31]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:27] - Introduction to the Canon
- [01:01] - Common Questions about the Bible
- [02:12] - Misconceptions from Popular Culture
- [03:13] - Historical Context of the Canon
- [04:33] - Protestant vs. Catholic Views
- [05:47] - The Process of Recognition
- [06:14] - Old Testament Canon
- [07:50] - New Testament References
- [09:09] - The Tenakh Explained
- [10:50] - Early Church Heresies
- [12:03] - Response to Heresies
- [13:12] - New Testament Canonization
- [14:53] - The Muratorian Fragment
- [17:07] - Challenges and Clarifications
- [20:31] - Criteria for Canonization
- [23:06] - Final Recognition of the Canon
- [24:13] - Conclusion and Next Steps
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: Understanding the Canon of Scripture
Bible Reading:
1. Luke 24:27, 44 - Jesus refers to the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms as Scripture.
2. 2 Peter 3:16 - Peter refers to Paul's letters as Scripture.
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Observation Questions:
1. What does the term "canon" mean, and how does it relate to the books of the Bible? [00:27]
2. How does the sermon describe the difference between the Protestant and Catholic views on the canon of Scripture? [05:03]
3. What role did early church figures like Marcion play in the process of recognizing the canon? [12:03]
4. How does the sermon explain the process of recognizing the New Testament canon, and what key documents are mentioned? [14:53]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the distinction between "establish" and "recognize" affect our understanding of the church's role in the canonization process? [05:47]
2. In what ways did the early church's response to heresies help clarify the canon of Scripture? [12:03]
3. How does the sermon illustrate the importance of apostolic authorship in the recognition of canonical books? [20:31]
4. What does the sermon suggest about the unity and coherence of the biblical message across both the Old and New Testaments? [08:31]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on the criteria used by the early church to recognize canonical books. How can these criteria guide your personal study of the Bible today? [20:31]
2. The sermon highlights the importance of recognizing God's voice in Scripture. How do you discern God's voice in your daily Bible reading? [05:47]
3. Consider the historical challenges to the canon mentioned in the sermon. How can understanding these challenges strengthen your faith in the Bible's authority? [12:03]
4. The sermon discusses the Protestant view of recognizing the canon. How does this perspective influence your view of church tradition and authority? [05:03]
5. Jesus affirmed the Old Testament as authoritative. How does this affirmation impact your understanding of the Old Testament's relevance today? [08:31]
6. The sermon mentions the unified message of Scripture. How can you apply this understanding to your approach to reading both the Old and New Testaments? [08:31]
7. Reflect on the role of early church councils in recognizing the canon. How does this historical process affect your trust in the Bible as a reliable source of divine revelation? [14:53]
Devotional
I'm ready to provide the 5-day devotional.
Quotes
Canon is a fascinating topic, and I should probably say right from the outset what kind of canon we're talking about. This is canon with one 'n,' not two 'n's,' that's the thing that, you know, goes boom. This is canon with one 'n,' and it's a Greek word, actually, comes directly from the Greek into the English, and the word literally means "measuring rod." [00:00:27]
And the call goes something like this: "I grew up Catholic, and attended a Catholic church, and I have become born again, and I'm now at an evangelical church, and I have a very troubling question to ask you. Why is your Bible smaller?" That's the question I get. "What happened to these books? You just took them out." Right? [00:01:24]
In fact, the book claims that the canon question was settled at the Council of Nicaea in 325. And that actually isn't true at all. In reality, actually there was a council that discussed the canon, and it was much later. It was actually in the 390's that we see it, not 325. [00:02:59]
Now, as Protestants we think a little differently about this issue than is thought of in the Roman Catholic Church. In Roman Catholicism, the idea of the church's role in the process of canon is understood as the church establishing what is in fact the canon. And as Protestants we substitute a word for "establishing." The word that we prefer to explain this process is the word recognize. [00:04:54]
The Old Testament, if we start, and where we really need to start here is Scripture itself. And one of the things we see is Scripture's own self-reflection on it as canon. We see this in Joshua; right there at the onset of the historical books there is the reference to the Book of the Law. [00:06:23]
The famous text of course here is Jesus on the road to Emmaus with the disciples, and while He is on the road to Emmaus, He is referring back to the law and the prophets. In fact, he mentions that twice in this time. So we see this, even on the road to Emmaus as Christ is there with the disciples in Luke chapter 24. [00:08:24]
And one of these figures, a heretic, by the name of Marcion produces what is sometimes called Marcion's canon, and in that he takes a swipe at these Old Testament books as not being authentic revelation, not authentic books of the Bible because of their content. So now the church has to respond to that heresy. [00:11:41]
And one of those touchstones along the way is a great document from 140 that we call the Muratorian Fragment. Now, it's called a fragment because it is, in fact, a fragment, very scholarly, isn't it? The beginning is lost, and the ending is lost, hence it's a fragment. [00:13:41]
But what this document gives us is sometimes what we refer to as the Muratorian canon. And it gives us some insight into the process, and it also shows us where we are in the process. Now, to back up from the Muratorian Fragment, we could even go back to the New Testament itself. [00:15:08]
And three criteria emerge. One is authorship -- the book had to be written by an apostle. Now, that's two-fold reason. One is the apostles were eye witnesses, and even in our courts of law today, right, hearsay evidence is ruled out, eye witness evidence, see, that matters. And multiple eyewitness evidence matters even more. [00:20:35]
So authorship -- apostolic authorship -- for instance Muratorian fragment mentions the book The Shepherd of Hermes, and it says, "This book is a helpful book, Christians should read it," but it also says it shouldn't be read aloud in the church, meaning when the Scripture is read aloud, right? Because they didn't want to confuse it as Scripture. [00:21:22]
Well, Athanasius, in 367, as a bishop writes an Easter letter to the churches. And in his Easter letter of 367, sometimes it's called the paschal letter -- p-a-s-c-h-a-l -- for that time of the suffering of Christ, the paschal lamb -- 367, gives us a list of the 27 books of the New Testament. [00:23:20]
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