BIBLE DOCTRINE I
LECTURE 5
BIBLIOLOGY: CANONIZATION
That written in dark gray is from Robert Sargeant’s book Landmarks of Baptist Doctrine, the rest (black) is from David Cloud’s book Attention to Doctrine.
How do you know that all 66 Books in our Bible are suppose to be there?
Couldn’t there be some Books to be added to it?
Who figured all this out as to what should be included as the holy Scriptures?
The word ‘canon’ comes from the Greek word kanon which means ‘a rule’, and conveys the idea of a measure; a test, a straight-edge, a critical standard, a fixed amount, a defined limit.
The word ‘canon’, as applied to the scriptures, was first used by Athanasius (296-373 AD) and means:
The rules or standards by which each Book in the Bible was measured to determine its admission to the sacred collection.
The name given to the collection of Books which measured up to the applied rules or standards.
Thus we speak of ‘the Sacred Canon’ as those 66 genuine, authentic, and inspired Books which comprise the Holy Bible.
‘Canonization’ is the process of determining which writings ‘measured up’ as genuine scripture.
It is important to understand that canonization was only man’s recognition of a Book’s pre-existing God-given authority. It was not man giving that Book its divine authority.
‘Canonicity’ is determined by God and discovered by man.
There were four basic tests of ‘canonicity’ for a ‘Book’: Writer, Contents, Inspiration, and Acceptance.
1. Writer: was he a ‘man of God’; a prophet? an apostle? Was the writer well known and well respected of those true
Christians/saints of that era? Did he live in the time period associated with what he was writing about.
2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved
by the Holy Ghost.
2. Contents: do the contents have spiritual ‘life’?; are they life-giving? are they edifying? do they stand apart in their
spiritual character? Is the narrative historically and scientifically accurate?
John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart.
1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and
abideth for ever.
3. Acceptance: was there a widespread acceptance of the Book by God’s people? Did the Jews accept the O.T. Book?
Did the churches accept the N.T. Book?
Rom 3:1-2 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly,
because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
Col 4:16 And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that
ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.
4. Inspiration: is there a ‘thus saith the Lord’? Is there the obvious authority from God stamped in it? Does it contain
obvious errors?
2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved
by the Holy Ghost.
2 Tim 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness:
1 Cor 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the
Spirit and of power:
None of these tests by themselves is trustworthy, but the combination of these 4 help us to come to the faith that the 66 Books of the Bible that we have are indeed all the Word of God. It all comes ultimately down to faith. The historical record is silent on the assimilation of the Books of the Bible. There has been little to no questioning of the validity of the 66 Books of our Bible by conservative Christianity for the past 1800+ years. The only ones questioning it are the liberal bible-deniers.
Canonicity terminology:
Homologoumena: canonical books accepted by all.
Antilegomena: canonical books disputed by some.
Apocrypha: non-canonical books accepted by some.
Pseudepigrapha: non-canonical books rejected by almost all.
The Canonization of the Old Testament
The Old Testament canon was formed progressively as the Books were written down and received by the nation of Israel. This is evidenced by the immediate reception of the Law:
Ex 24:3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do.
Josh 24:26-27 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.
There were not 3 separate canonizing periods, as claimed by Higher Critics (they try to promote late dates for the writing of most Books).
Some religious and historical writings are mentioned in the Old Testament, but these were not received as God’s Word:
The Wars of the LORD (Num 21:14); the book of Jasher (Josh 10:13); The Acts of Solomon (1 Ki 11:41); the Book of Shemaiah (2 Ch 12:15); the Story of the Prophet Iddo (2 Ch 13:22); the Book of Jehu (2Ch 20:34).
Scripture itself defines the limit of the Old Testament canon:
Matt 23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
From Abel (Gen 4:8) to Zechariah (2Ch 24:20,21). The Hebrew O.T. begins with Genesis and ends with Chronicles.
Here are the O.T. antilegomenas: Song of Solomon (sensuality); Ecclesiastes (skepticism); Esther (absence of any title referring to God in it); Ezekiel (perceived discord with the Law of Moses); Proverbs (26:4 and 5 issue).
Here are the Old Testament apocryphal books: Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Tobit, I & II Esdras, I & II Maccabees, Judith, Baruch, Letter of Jeremiah, Prayer of Azariah, Susanna, additions to Esther, Bel and the Dragon, The Prayer of Manasseh.
The Apocrypha were officially canonized by the Roman Catholic Church in 1546 at the Council of Trent. They refer to them as ‘deutero-canonical’ books (second canon). They state: “if anyone receives not as sacred and canonical the said books entire with all their parts, as they have been used to be read in the Catholic Church….let him be anathema!”
The Rheims-Douay Version (1582) contains a total of 73 books.
The Apocryphal books are not to be a part of our Bibles:
They have never been a part of the Jewish canon.
They were never quoted or alluded to by Jesus Christ or any apostle.
Most Church fathers totally rejected them.
Many of the books contain historical, geographical and chronological errors.
Many of the books teach gross heresy.
They lack the power and distinctive elements of the Word of God (they fail the 4 main tests).
Here are a few of the Pseudepigraphal books: Enoch, Assumption of Moses, Sibylline Oracle, Book of Adam and Eve, Life of Asenath, Book of Noah, Magic Books of Moses, The Story of Ahikar, Pirke Aboth, and Zodokite Fragment.
It was to the Jews that God assigned the task of preserving the Hebrew Old Testament (Rom. 3:1-2). In Romans 3 Paul describes the Old Testament as the very “oracles of God,” and these oracles were committed to the Jews. Even though they did not always obey the Scriptures, they held them in reverence and believed that each jot and tittle was the inspired Word of God.
In particular, it was the Jewish priests who were responsible to care for the Scriptures:
Deut 31:2426 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
Deut 17:18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
Though there were periods of spiritual backsliding in which the Word of God was almost unknown among the Jews, God preserved His Word in spite of man’s failure. The Word of God was never permanently lost:
2 Chron 15:3 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.
1 Sam 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
2 Kings 22:8 And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.
The Canonization of the New Testament
The NT Books were recorded under divine inspiration between 50 AD (Matthew or James) and 95 AD (Revelation). The great mark to their canonicity was their apostolicity.
The scriptures were being circulated as early as 65 AD:
James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
Clement of Rome (96 AD) quotes Matthew, Luke, Romans, and several other NT Books.
The Epistle of Barnabas (100 AD) quotes from Matthew, referring to it as scripture.
It is very probable that the O.T. and N.T. Books were canonized as they were written and circulated amongst God’s people (Jews, churches). Most believe the complete Bible was a ‘settled’ issue for God’s people between 200 and 400 AD.
Here are the N.T. Antilegomenas: Hebrews (against the priestcraft); James (supposed conflict with Paul’s writings); 2 Peter (different style than 1 Peter); II & III John (because of anonymity and their private nature); Jude (cites from the book of Enoch); Revelation (premillenial teaching).
Here is the N.T. Apocrypha: Epistle of Barnabas, Epistles of Clement, The Didache, Acts of Paul and Thecla, Gospel of the Hebrews, Epistles of Ignatius, Epistle to Corinthians, Shepherd of Hermas, Apocalypse of Peter, Epistle to the Laodiceans, Epistle of Polycarp.
The N.T. Pseudepigrapha has Books such as: the 21 Gospels (including Andrew, Barnabas, and Nicodemus), the Acts (of John, Peter, Andrew, etc.) , and the Apocalypses (Revelation of Peter, Paul, Thomas, Stephen and John the Theologian).
The books of the Bible were given by divine inspiration.
2 Tim 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2 Peter 1:19-21 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
What do the early church leaders say of canonization?
This process of canonization was led by the Spirit of God:
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Canonization was not the haphazard process that is described in most contemporary books on the history of the Bible.
By the 2nd century we have evidence that the New Testament was commonly recognized as Scripture by the believers.
(1) Clement of Rome. “Clement of Rome, whose first letter to the Corinthians is usually dated about A.D. 96, made liberal use of Scripture, appealing to its authority, and used New Testament material right alongside Old Testament material. He clearly quotes from Hebrews, 1 Corinthians and Romans and possibly from Matthew, Acts, Titus, James and 1 Peter. “Here is the bishop [pastor] of Rome, before the close of the first century, writing an official letter to the church at Corinth wherein a selection of New Testament books are recognized and declared by episcopal authority to be Scripture, including Hebrews” (Wilbur Pickering, The Identity of the New Testament Text).
(2) The Epistle of Barnabas is variously dated from A.D. 70 to 135. The author quotes the Gospels as well as Romans and 2 Peter and regards them as Scripture. He also “has possible allusions to 1 and 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Hebrews, and 1 Peter” (Pickering).
(3) Ignatius (c. A.D. 110) refers to “all the epistles of Paul.”
(4) Polycarp, in his letter to the Philippian church in about 115 A.D., “weaves an almost continuous string of clear quotations and allusions to New Testament writings. ... There are perhaps fifty clear quotations taken from Matthew, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, 1 and 2 Peter, and 1 John, and many allusions including to Mark, Hebrews, James, and 2 and 3 John. (The only NT writer not included is Jude!)
This from one who was perhaps the most respected bishop in Asia Minor, in his day. He was martyred in A.D. 156” (Pickering).
(5) Justin Martyr (died 165 A.D.) testified that the churches of his day met on Sundays and “read the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets” (Apology, I, 67). He also said: “For the apostles in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, thus handed down what was commanded them...” (Apology).
(6) Melito, a pastor in the church at Sardis, wrote a commentary on Revelation in 165 A.D.
(7) Athenagorus in 177 A.D. quoted Matthew 5:28 and calls it Scripture. “... we are not even allowed to indulge in a lustful glance. For, says the Scripture, ‘he who looks at a woman lustfully, has already committed adultery in his heart’” (Plea).
(8) Theophilus, who was ordained a pastor in the church at Antioch in about A.D. 170, quotes from 1 Tim. 2:1 and Rom. 13:7 as “the Divine Word” (Treatise to Autolycus, iii). He says, “The statements of the Prophets and of the Gospels are found to be consistent, because all were inspired by the one Spirit of God”.
(9) Irenaeus, who died in 202 A.D., stated that the apostles taught that God is the Author of both Testaments (Against Heretics IV, 32.2) and evidently considered the New Testament writings to form a second Canon. He quoted from every chapter of Matthew, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and Philippians, from all but one or two chapters of Luke, John, Romans, 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus, from most chapters of Mark (including the last 12 verses), Acts, 2 Corinthians, and Revelation, and from every other book except Philemon and 3 John. Thus, the Bible that Irenaeus had was very close to what we hold today!
In about the year 208, Tertullian pointed to churches founded by the apostles and indicated that the “authentic writings” were still extant and were the absolute standard by which the truth was measured in the believing churches. He urged heretics to “run to the apostolic churches, in which the very thrones of the apostles are still preeminent in their places, in which their own authentic writings are read, uttering the voice and representing the face of each of them severally. Achaia is very near you, (in which) you find Corinth. Since you are not far from Macedonia, you have Philippi; (and there too) you have the Thessalonians. Since you are able to cross to Asia, you get Ephesus. Since, moreover, you are close upon Italy, you have Rome, from which there comes even into our own
All of the Reformation confessions of faith upheld the 66 books of the Bible as divine Scripture. Examples are the Reformed Confession of 1534, the Helvetic Confession of 1536, the Belgic confession of 1561, and the Westminster Confession of 1643, and the Baptist Philadelphia Confession of Faith, 1742. The Westminster says the 66 books of the Bible were “immediately inspired by God, and, by his singular care and providence, kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical; so as in all controversies of religion the church is finally to appeal unto them.”
Did the ‘writers’ of the various books of the Bible actually know that they were writing scripture?
Contrary to most contemporary books on Bible history, the apostlesand prophets who wrote the New Testament knew that they werewriting under prophetic inspiration. Consider the following statementthat expresses the approach that is all too typical today to theinspiration and canonization of the New Testament: “When theactual work of writing began no one who sent forth an epistle orframed a gospel had before him the definite purpose of contributingtoward the formation of what we call ‘the Bible.’ ... They had nothought of creating a new sacred literature” (“Canon, NewTestament,” International Standard Bible Encyclopedia). This is heresy,as we see from the following study: