by James Thomas Lee, Jr. 11/06/96 Copyrighted 1995 by James Thomas Lee, Jr. Copyright Number: TXu 704-227
Chapter 23. The Canon Process {179 words}
a. Trusting the Disciples {196 words}
b. Accrediting Each Book {1,028 words}
c. Accrediting The Difficult Books {797 words}
d. An Interesting Exception {223 words}
e. The Uniqueness of Christianity {176 words}
f. A Faith That Is Real {315 words}
Chapter 23. The Canon Process {179 words}
The above reasons for canonization are clear, and each one, in my opinion, is reasonable. The circumstances in the early Church called for immediate, sure action, and the leaders of the Church responded! But how did they canonize Scriptures? What criteria or criterion did they actually use to accept or reject certain writings? According to Misters Norman Geisler and William E. Nix, in their work, A General Introduction to the Bible, Apostolic authority was one standard [1]. The people of the early Church trusted the testimony of Jesus' disciples. According to Mr. John Murray, in his book, The Attestation of Scripture, the Lord, Himself, was another method, meaning that the early leaders of the Church also trusted the known testimony of the Lord [2]. Both of these sources, plus a few more which will be described later, were used to verify the Bible, but exactly how all of this was done is the next topic to be discussed.
Recall one of the conclusions which was drawn earlier from the fact of Jesus' Resurrection! At that time, a statement was made which said that we can trust what Jesus did and said because His Resurrection shows that He was approved of God. One thing that He did was to select twelve close followers to be His disciples. Eleven of those men ultimately became His Apostles, meaning that they saw Him after His Resurrection. With the exception of Judas, who had betrayed the Lord and killed himself, we can trust these eleven because Jesus had selected them and also because, in John 16:13-15, He had promised that the truth would be revealed to them. Either directly or indirectly, the Lord and His Apostles authenticated many, even most of the Old and New Testament writers, in all accounting for fifty-six of the sixty-six Books. The steps of this certification process are listed below.
Only ten of the sixty-six Books do not trace to a specific, formal authorization by either Jesus or one of the Apostles. These remaining Books have been approved based on the following additional information. For convenience, the numbering will begin where it just left off, at twenty.
All sixty-six Books of the Bible have been carefully scrutinized and considered before being made a part of inspired Scriptures. As one can see, the process has been somewhat logical and for the most part foolproof. Those who came up with the Canon, in essence, began with the single, simple premise that Jesus is Lord. They, then, considered the writings of those whom He had chosen, hence the Apostles, plus the writings of those whom the Apostles had chosen. Eyewitness data was used. Even secular historians got into the act. One could say that many were involved, at least to some degree, and also that the process involved constructing an actual audit trail based on one credible individual's certification of another. Throughout the canonization process, these writers and the early Church leaders essentially cleared or confirmed each other.
An interesting phenomenon arises from an investigation such as this one. Even though the Apocrypha, which are the books that comprise the Catholic Bible, was written before the time of Christ, no one has placed a formal stamp of approval on any of them. Misters Geisler and Nix point out that no one has recognized them as inspired [9]! One Alexandrian, Jewish philosopher who quoted Scriptures regularly, a man named Philo (20 B.C.- 40 A.D.), never referred to the Apocrypha as inspired. The Jewish historian, Josephus (30 - 100 A.D.), who has already been referenced several times in this text, never treated them as inspired, either.
Neither Jesus nor any of the other New Testament writers ever referred to them. Numerous biblical scholars, including Origen, Jerome, Martin Luther, and even many Roman Catholic scholars, have actually opposed the canonicity of the Apocrypha. Given all these facts, there is no reason why anyone today should accept these books as inspired, either! It was not until 1546 A.D. that those writings were finally added to the Catholic Bible, and this time period is well beyond that time when the Canon was formally established.
The sixty-six Books which make up the Christian Old and New Testament Bible are the only works available to mankind that are recognized to be both inspired by God and also a record of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only man in history to have been resurrected. Not only do these facts make the Bible very unique and special, but all of these pieces put together make Christianity, itself, very unique and special. This Faith, unlike all the others, did not originate with man. It came from God! God, Who can be shown to exist in a current setting, sent Jesus to this earth in the form of a man, to die for us and then to resurrect Himself from the grave. These are not mere childhood fables. They are in many cases clear, level-headed reports filed by credible, devoted historians, both secular and non-secular.
During the days when Christ walked the earth, the Romans and Jews tried diligently to get rid of Him, but they failed! Later, the Romans tried with all their power and might to destroy the New Testament Church, but they failed at that, too! They tried to torture and kill Christians, and while many faithful Saints did die, the enemies of the early Church could not stop that which God had started. The Bible records numerous instances where early Christianity was opposed by Roman brutality, but in the long run, Rome failed, not Christianity! Now, many years and centuries later, not one piece of historical evidence can be found which casts serious doubt on any part of this fact-filled story. Christianity, the one true Christ-centered religion for all mankind, has survived the Ages for the simple reason that it is real!
1. Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible (Chicago: Moody Press, 1968), page 183. [Note that this reference was taken from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, volume I, page 36.]
2. John Murray, The Attestation of Scripture, The Infallible Word (a symposium) (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1946), page 18. [Note that this reference was taken from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, volume I, page 36.]
3. Josephus, page 209.
4. Ibid, page 233.
5. Ibid, page 234.
6. Kenneth Baker, general editor, The NIV Study Bible - New International Version (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Bible Publishers, 1985), page 1918.
7. F. F. Bruce, The Canon of Scripture (llinois: InterVarsity Press, 1988), page 72.
8. Ibid, page 35.
9. Geisler and Nix, page 173. [Note that this reference was taken from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, volume I, pages 35-36.]
Chapter 24. Confirmation Through Archaeology
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