A Time Line of Key Events in the

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A Time Line of Key Events in the History of the
Bible
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The New Testament Canon

• Two questions in particular may be raised
  concerning the canon of the New Testament
• 1. Historically, how early can we trace the
  origin of the canon?
• 2. Theologically, what does the collection and
  recognition of the authoritative character of the
  several books mean?

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Oral Written Tradition

• From the beginning it was expected that certain
  of these documents would be read in the public
  gatherings of the church. The final instruction
  in Paul's earliest epistle is a solemn admonition
  to see that "this letter be read to all the
  brethren"

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• The witness of the New Testament to itself The
  first collections
• 1 Thess. 527 1Ti 518
• Col. 416 Lk 10 7
• Rev. 13
• II Peter,3, 15-16
• Jude 17

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Stages of NT Formation and Transmission 

• The Historical Jesus - words are spoken and deeds
  are performed by Jesus himself during his
  lifetime on earth.
• Oral Tradition - traditions and beliefs about
  Jesus are developed and passed on by early
  Christian communities.
• Written Sources - some of the miracles and/or
  sayings of Jesus are compiled and recorded in
  early written documents.

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Stages of NT Formation and Transmission

• Written Texts - individual letters, full Gospels,
  etc., are written with particular messages for
  particular situations.
• Canonization - four Gospels, several collections
  of letters, and a few other texts are accepted as
  authoritative scriptures.

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Four Criteria for Canonicity

• Apostolic Origin - attributed to and/or based on
  the preaching/teaching of the first-generation
  apostles (or their closest companions).
• Universal Acceptance - acknowledged by all major
  Christian communities in the Mediterranean world
  (by the end of the fourth century).
• Liturgical Use - read publicly along with the OT
  when early Christians gathered for the Lord's
  Supper (their weekly worship services).
• Consistent Message - containing theological ideas
  compatible with other accepted Christian writings
  (incl. the divinity and humanity Jesus).

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Witness Marcion Mar-shee-uhn

• The first person to attempt to define the canon
  precisely was the heretic Marcion
• a.d. c100c160, Christian Gnostic.
• Marcion was not satisfied with accepting the
  eleven books of his canon in the form he received
  them - He set out to reconstruct the original,
  uncorrupted text, free from all distortions

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Witness Marcion Mar-shee-uhn

• In responce to Marcion's canon, the expansion
  phase of the New Testament canon began. The books
  in his canon in unmutilated form were at the core
  of both the final canon and most approximations
  of it on the path to the final canon.
• Muratorian fragment is a copy of perhaps the
  oldest known list of the books of the New
  Testament

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Muratorian Fragment

• The Muratorian fragment is a copy of perhaps the
  oldest known list of the books of the New
  Testament
• The text of the list itself is traditionally
  dated to about 170 because its author refers to
  Pius I, bishop of Rome (142 - 157), as recent.

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Muratorian Fragment

• Accepts four Gospels
• Acts of all Apostles and 13 of the Pauline
  Epistles
• Not the Epistle to the Hebrews, 1 and 2 Peter, or
  James
• Epistle of Jude
• Book of Wisdom

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Witness - Ignatius

• Ignatius, bishop of Antioch in Syria110 CE in
  Rome
• Ignatius does not refer to older Christian
  writings by name, but his letters have quotations
  (of approval) from these writings
• Gospel according to Matthew
• Gospel according to Luke
• Acts
• Romans
• I Corinthians
• Ephesians
• Colossians
• I Thessalonians

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Witness - Polycarp

• Polycarp, Greek bishop of Smyrna (modern Izmir,
  Turkey) was the leading 2nd-century figure in
  Roman Asia.
• Born 70 -- died (martyred) 155 in Rome
• Polycarp has two or three times more quotations
  and reminiscences from the New Testament that
  does Ignatius. Of 112 Biblical reminiscences,
  about 100 are from the New Testament

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Witness - Polycarp

• Polycarp does not refer to older Christian
  writings by name, but The Letter to the
  Philippians has quotations (of approval) from
  these writings
• Gospel according to Matthew
• Gospel according to Mark
• Gospel according to Luke
• Acts
• I Corinthians
• II Corinthians

• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• I Thessalonians
• II Thessalonians
• I Timothy
• II Timothy
• Hebrews
• I Peter
• I John
• III John

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Witness - Justin Martyr(100 Shechem, Samaria -
165 CE, Rome)

• Just Martyr does not quote by name from any New
  Testament writings. He does use the formulae of
  quotation 'it is recorded' and 'it is written',
  when quoting from the 'Memoirs of the apostles'
  or simply the 'Memoirs'. These 'Memoirs', Justin
  tells his non-Christian readers, were called the
  'Gospels'.

• Justin Martyr considered these books of spiritual
  value
• Gospel according to Matthew
• Gospel according to Mark
• Gospel according to Luke
• Gospel according to John
• Revelation of John

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Witness - Clement of Alexandria

• (born 150 probably in Athens -- wrote 180-200 in
  Alexandria -- died between 211 and 215 in
  Jerusalem)

• He quotes from New Testament writings almost
  twice as often as from the Old Testament.
• Clement's work have citations from all the books
  of the New Testament with the exception of
  Philemon, James, II Peter, II John, and III John

• Clement cites some 359 classical and other
  non-Christian writers, 70 Biblical writings
  (including Old Testament apocrypha), and 36
  patristic and New Testament apocryphal writings,
  including those of heretics.

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Witness - Didymus the Blind

• Didymus the blind was a celebrated head of the
  catechetical school at Alexandria.
• Blind at the age of 4, he memorized great
  sections of the scriptures and, by means of
  secretaries, dictated numerous exegetical works.
• Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, made him head
  of the Alexandrian school

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Witness - Didymus the Blind

• The discovery in 1941 at Toura, south of Cairo,
  of a group of papyrus codices, dating from the
  6th or 7th centuries and comprising nearly 2000
  pages, has brought to light the text of half a
  dozen additional commentaries.
• Although these commentaries are on Old Testament
  books, Didymus includes in his exposition
  hundreds of citations from the New Testament.
  These come from all the books of the New
  Testament with the exception of
• Philemon, II John, and III John

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Witness - Tertullian of Carthage (Born 155/160
Carthage - Died 220? CE)

• Tertullian, an early Christian author and
  polemicist, helped to establish Latin -- rather
  than Greek
• The life of Tertullian is based almost wholly on
  information written by men living over a century
  after him and from obscure references in his own
  works.

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Witness - Tertullian of Carthage

• Tertullian's New Testament was not perceptively
  different from that of the preceding period. He
  cites all the books of the New Testament with the
  exception of II Peter, James, II John, and III
  John
• He considered heretical Acts of Paul

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Witness - Eusebius of Caesarea (Born. 260 CE
probably in Caesarea, Died. 340 CE)

• The 'Father of Church History
• Regarding Eusebius and the New Testament canon,
  we will use a well-known passage in his
  Ecclesiastical History

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Witness - Eusebius of Caesarea

• Homologoumena (recognized) ... the holy
  quaternion of the Gospels, which are followed by
  the book of the Acts of the Apostles. After this
  must be reckoned the Epistles of Paul next in
  order the extant former Epistle of John, and
  likewise the Epistle of Peter must be recognized.
  After these must be put, if it really seems
  right, the Apocalypse of John, .....

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Council of Laodicea 363-364 CE

• The 59th canon restricted the readings in church
  to only the canonical books of the Old and New
  Testaments.
• The 60th canon listed these books, with the New
  Testament containing 26 books, omitting the Book
  of Revelation, and the Old Testament including
  the 22 books of the Hebrew Bible plus the Book of
  Baruch and the Epistle of Jeremy.

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Council of Rome382 CE

• Local church council under the authority of Pope
  Damasus, (366-384) gave a complete list of
  canonical books of the OT and NT which is
  identical with the list later approved by the
  Council of Trent.

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Council of Hippo 393 CE

• Local North African Church council in union with
  and under the authority of the Bishop of Rome
  approved a list of OT and NT canon (same as later
  approved by the Council of Trent)

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Council of Carthage 397 CE

• Local North African Church council in union with
  and under the authority of the Bishop of Rome
  approved a list of OT and NT canon (same as later
  approved by the Council of Trent)

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Council of Carthage 419 CE

• Local North African Church council in union with
  and under the authority of the Bishop of Rome
  approved a list of OT and NT canon (same as later
  approved by the Council of Trent)

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Council of Trent 1534 to 1549 CE

• The canon of OT and NT received final
  definitions 46 books in the OT 27 in the NT
  "Henceforth the books of the OT and the NT,
  protocanonical and deuterocanonical alike, in
  their entirety and with all their parts, comprise
  the canon and are held to be of equal authority."
  The ancient Vulgate edition of the Bible was
  called the authoritative edition of the Bible.

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De Canonicis Scripturis

• A decree (De Canonicis Scripturis) was issued in
  which, for the first time in the history of the
  Church, the question of the contents of the Bible
  was made an absolute article of faith and
  confirmed by anathema.

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