Externalization, Objectification, and Internalization of Christian Scripture
Since the Bible has existed for a very long time—long outliving the lives of all of us—it is thoroughly objectified and internalized as authoritative for those growing up as Christians. Because of this, those of us who are Christians often are not aware of the process of externalization—of the historical struggles in the canonization of the Bible. (Canonization has to do with the decisions about what books would be included in scripture and which ones would be left out an non-authoritative.) The following account summarized steps in the creation of the Bible—the “externalization” of this critically important holy book for the Christian Community.
An Historical Account of the Canonization of the Protestant Christian Bible
621 BCE Deuteronomy accepted as the "Word of God"
This was the first notion of God's word being part of a written script.
400 BCE The rest of the Torah is canonized as "scripture." (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers)
200 BCE The Prophets are canonized as "scripture."
90 CE The Writings (wisdom literature) are canonized as "scripture." Christians simply accept the decisions of the Hebrew leaders as to which books are "Sacred scripture." Note that for Jesus, the scriptures did not include “the writings”—known now as the “wisdom literature.” Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth Esther, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, and other books were not yet part of the “Bible.”
200 CE The Muratorian canon contained fewer than our current 27 books in the "New Testament." Disputed texts were Hebrews, James, 2nd and 3rd John, 2nd Peter, Jude, and Revelation. (Paul's letters were generally considered scripture by various Christian leaders by 150 CE, and other books gradually came to be accepted. The synoptic gospels were accepted in the second century, though others like the gospel of Mary and the Gospel of Infancy were rejected at the Muratorian canon council in Rome. Revelation was also rejected as authoritative scripture at various church councils for the next 200 years.)
360 CE Revelation is once again rejected as scripture at the Council of Laodicea.
397 CE At Carthage, the canon of scripture is declared "closed," with Revelation being included. The very gregarious and popular Bishop Athanasius was able to get everyone to accept his own personal list of "scriptural" books. He mistakenly thought Revelation was written by John the Evangelist. In any case, anything written after the time of the apostles would not be considered scriptural. Many early church leaders were outraged, with Tertullian declaring, "The Holy Spirit has been chased into a book." Roman Catholic, Eastern, and Coptic churches each ended up with slightly different collections of books that they insist are the "real Bible."
@ 600 CE John 8:1-11 is the story of a woman who had been caught in adultery and might be stoned, but Jesus said "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone. When no one threw a stone and they all left, he turned to the woman and said "Go, and sin no more." This story is not found in any Greek version of the book of John until 600 CE. It was clearly added to the book of John and to the canon at that time.
1940s To be in keeping with the Eastern Orthodox Church, some English translations of the Bible added an 151st Psalm. Previously there had only been 150 Psalms.
Roman Catholics have several books in their Bible that Protestants do not recognize (Tobit, Judith, and so forth). The United Methodist Church does not officially recognize Lamentations as scriptural, following the position of founder John Wesley. Other Protestant reformers had other books they did not regard as scriptural.