1. Discuss the number and types of manuscripts and the Codexes. The canon is a rule or standard. The papyri manuscripts were the oldest and just sheets of paper, in 86 different forms and fragments of the New Testament. They are important because they are very early, even back to the 1st century, and may even be the first copy in some cases. The uncials (269 in all) were written in all capital letters on leather. The miniscules (2,295 in all) were written in Greek, in long hand, and were not in all capital letters like the uncials. The lectionaries (2,205 in all) were not as important as the first three, but they were still worship manuals that gave an indication of how the early church worshipped. The translations (Syriac, Latin, Coptic, and others) were written close to the originals.

The codex was in the form of a book, and it allowed someone to carry multiple books of the New Testament around in a single text. The Bible was in this book form around the 4th or 5th century, and the codexes were more complete. The name of each codex was based on where it was discovered.

2. Discuss the disputed books that were decided on as part of the canonization process. The books of the New Testament were accepted or rejected based on things such as authorship, length, and content. Because the author was not identified, the book of Hebrews was a problem. The Epistle of James was a problem because it seemed to contradict some of Paul's writings. II Peter was a problem because of content, Jude was a problem because of content, brevity, and authorship, II and III John were problems because of brevity, and the book of Revelation was a problem because of its apocalyptic content. Many other books were excluded, some because of suspected forgeries, including the Shepherd of Hermes, the Letter of Barnabas, the Didache, the Gospel of Hebrews, the Revelation of Peter, and the Acts of Peter. Consideration of all of the books that were removed was complete by 280AD.

3. Discuss the four periods of the canonization process. The first period, Apostolic period to 140AD, was not as focused on Scriptures because the early church was looking for Jesus to return. Even though all the New Testament had been written by 100AD, no one was that concerned yet. James was probably the first book, and it was written about 45AD. Paul's writings were next, probably followed by Mark and the other gospels. In 100AD, Ignatius is the person credited with saying that a New Testament would be better for the church than the Old Testament. From 140AD to 220AD, Irenaeus started his list of the New Testament, and amazingly, he listed about 70-80% of the final list. He identified the four gospels, Acts, all of Paul's known writings, and two of the catholic epistles (James and Revelation). Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian agreed with his list. From 220AD to 340AD, a lot of decisions were made about which books would be added and deleted. Origen was a key person in this process, and he decided that Hebrews and Jude belonged. He was not sure about II and III John and Jude. Eusebius wrote that these books and II Peter should be included. From 340AD to 400AD, there were repeated efforts to eliminate the disputes. Athanasius was the first person to list all 27 books of the New Testament. Constantine, Eusebius, and Jerome agreed. The Councils of Nicea, Hippo, and Carthage also agreed. The whole process was complete by 400AD.

4. Discuss the characteristics of the ante-Nicene literature. The ante-Nicene literature is the closest to the New Testament writings and is valuable as history. All literature during this period was called either ante-Nicene, Nicene, or post-Nicene literature because the Council of Nicea in 325AD was very important to the church. There were four periods of ante-Nicene literature: (1) Period of Edification (90-150AD), (2) Apologetical Period (140-180AD), (3) Polemical Period (180-225AD), and Systematic Period (200-255AD).

Concerning the period of edification, the characteristics of the literature were: (1) informal writing, (2) reflected very little paganism, (3) very practical rather than theological, and (4) based on the Old Testament. Some of the major works were I Clement, the Epistles of Ignatius (110 AD), the Didache (around 120AD), the Epistles of Barnabas (130AD), the Shepherd of Hermes, and a few others (for example, the Epistle of Polycarp and the Epistle of the bishop of Smyrna).

5. Discuss the literature of the ante-Nicene literature. Clement was the pastor of the church at Rome and he wrote his epistle to the Corinthian church, apparently because they were still having problems. He referred to the deaths of Paul and Peter but did not provide any additional information. Roman tradition maintains that Peter was the first bishop of the church at Rome, followed by Linus, Anticletus, and Clement. However, Clement is the first recorded bishop of the church at Rome. Ignatius was the bishop of Antioch, martyred in 117AD, and showed the development of the church during the first part of the second century. He dealt with some of the divisions within the church. He said that problems should be resolved based on episcopal authority. Members should listen to those who had Apostolic Succession. After that, listen to the bishop and then the presbyters (pastors). Larger cities would have a bishop to oversee the presbyters of all the churches. By the 5th and 6th centuries, the office of Pope had been established to oversee all the bishops. The Didache was supposed to be the teaching of the Apostles, but it was not. It had been mentioned by Eusebius but not actually found until the 19th century in Constantinople. This work is a church manual that shows the simple worship of the early church (preaching, praying, singing, collections), their witnessing, their two ordnances (baptism and the Lord's Supper), and their not observing sacraments. The Epistle of Barnabas was not Gnostic but had Gnostic tendancies (mainly, a hatred of the Jews). The Shepherd of Hermes was a collection of apocalyptic, allegorical visions. It was a good representation of the local church but did not mention hierarchy, bishops, or presbyters.

				Tom of Bethany

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Lesson 12. Ante-Nicene Literature I

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