How We Got Our Bible

Part 2 – Canonization

Grateful acknowledgement to Dr. Richard Keltner and Pastor Daryl Hilbert for some of the material upon which this study is based.

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Once inspiration is determined as a foundational tenet, then we can begin to look at canonization. Simply put, canonization is how man collected the inspired Word. Inspiration has to do with the Bible’s authority, while canonization has to do with the Bible’s acceptance. In other words, canonization is concerned with the recognition and collection of inspired Scriptures.

B. What exactly does canon mean? “Canon” comes from the Greek word κανών kanon, and literally means a rod or bar, straight or measuring.

1. It was used for staves to preserve the shape of the shield. It was also used as a rule or straight-edge by shipbuilders and carpenters.

2. This Greek word very possibly came from the Hebrew word קָנֶה qaneh, which means reed. In Ezek 40:3 it is used as a “measuring rod.”

3. Later, the word took on the metaphorical meaning rule as a “standard or norm”. The apostle Paul used this word in Galatians 6:16 to represent a “rule” or “standard” by which to walk.

4. From there, the word’s meaning was extended in the early Christian era when it was applied to “authoritative Scriptures”. The first clear statement where kanon was used for the authoritative Scriptures appears as early as A.D. 350 by Athanasius. ...it seemed good to me also, having been urged thereto by true brethren, and having learned from the beginning, to set before you the books included in the Canon, and handed down, and accredited as Divine...[in the same letter, Athanasius pronounced all 27 books of the New Testament as canon in A.D 367]

C. After that time, the word “canon” was emphatically applied to the authoritative and inspired Scriptures. The use of “canon” was expanded to other meanings such as the “registrar of Roman Catholic saints” and also “church teaching”. However, the real impact of this word upon history and religion surrounds its meaning concerning which writings are recognized as inspired and those which are not.

D. Canon then means the standard by which the Church regards books of the Bible as authoritative and divine.

II. GOD IS THE DETERMINER OF CANON

A. Before going any further, we must grasp one very important concept. That being the fact that God was the “determiner” of canon, while man is simply the “discoverer”. What exactly is meant by that? A book is determined canonical not because the church or any man deems it so, rather it is canonical because God inspired it.

B. Determining which books are inspired was God’s responsibility. God either inspired a particular book or he did not. It is not as though the church or any man came along and said, “Oh I like this one, it shall be called inspired (canon)”, or “This book inspired me, so let’s call it inspired (canon)”.

C. Thus, it could be said that the church is:

1. not the “determiner” of canon, but the “discoverer” of canon;

2. not the “mother” of canon, but the “child” of canon;

3. not the “regulator” of canon, but the “recognizer” of canon;

4. not the “judge” of canon, but the “witness” of canon.

D. The authority of the Scriptures is not founded, then, on the authority of the Church: It is the Church that is founded on the authority of the Scriptures. (Louis Gaussen, Theopneustia, p. 137.)

III. THE CHURCH IS THE DISCOVERER OF CANON

A. The next question is, “What standard(s) did the church or men use to discover canon?” While a list of standards was never found from the early church Fathers, we can deduce certain principles used by them. There are at least five questions: Is the book…?

1. Authoritative - did it come with the authority of God, i.e. “thus saith the Lord”?

2. Prophetic - was it written by a man of God, i.e. God’s mouthpiece?

3. Authentic - did it teach the truth about God, i.e. His character and will?

4. Dynamic - did it have life-changing power, i.e. “living and active”?

5. Received - was it accepted by God’s people, i.e. true believers?

B. The characteristics sought by these questions were the earmarks of inspired books. If they were apparent, the book was accepted. If they were absent, the book was rejected. If they were not apparent, the book was doubted until it was fully tested. (Geisler and Nix, General Intro to the Bible, 138)

C. The five questions discussed in detail for discovering canon are:

1. Authoritative

a. The first question is, “Was it authoritative?” This is perhaps the most important and fundamental question of them all. If a writing is not authoritative, it does not mean that the book is useless, but it dogmatically is not the Word of God!

b. Some of the characteristic phrases that qualify a writing as authoritative were:

(1) “thus saith the Lord” (KJV; 415 times in OT; Exo 4:22 cp. 5:1; Jdg 6:8; Isa 7:7; Ez 2:4...122 times)

(2) “And the word of the Lord came to...” (103 time in OT; Isa 38:4; Jer 1:2)

(3) “God spoke...” (Ex 3:14; Jonah 4:9)

c. When dealing with the canonicity of some of the prophets, where these phrases were used, it hardly became necessary to look for other characteristics of canonicity. On the other hand, some books were rejected by all, on the basis that they had no such authoritative phrases, such as the Pseudepigrapha (non-canonical writings with falsely accredited authors).

d. It was with this same principle that some doubted the book of Esther. For there is no mention whatsoever of the name of “God” in the book of Esther, let alone the phrase, “thus saith the Lord”. However, after much scrutiny the early church Fathers were convinced that Esther was canon based upon the other standards, and thus its authority was accepted.

(1) In a brief defense of Esther, even though God’s name is not used, His hand and providence were manifested on behalf of the Jewish people.

(2) Secondly, some claim that the reason God’s name was left out was because being exiled, the covenant name of God was not associated with the Jews anymore.

(3) Others claim that God’s name was not mentioned to protect it from pagan plagiarism by the substitution of a heathen god.

(4) An interesting note by W.G. Scroggie claims that the name Yahweh (YHWH) is found acrostically in the book in such a way that it is beyond probability that it was a coincidence.)

(5) The book of Esther has brought both comfort and conviction to the people of God, and has been accepted as a divinely inspired book.

e. The bottom line is, however, that the cautiousness of the early church Fathers, actually confirmed that these men included no book that God wanted excluded from canon, and included only those which they were sure were authoritative.

2. Prophetic

a. The next question for the standard for canon was, “Was it written by a man of God?”

b. This is a vitally crucial basis in discovering who actually penned the words of God. As already mentioned from 2 Peter 1:20-21, prophets, were men of God, who were “carried along” and moved by the Holy Spirit to write God’s Word. These words did not originate (they were not from the prophet’s own” interpretation” or lit. “unraveling or disclosure”) from these men, but these men were specially called by God to be the vehicle of them.

c. This explains the many instances in the Old Testament where the phrase is used, “and the word of the Lord came to....” There were only certain men chosen by God to whom His actual word came to.

d. However, to give credence and infallibility to God’s Word, God proclaimed a prophetic test. This test would sort out the true from the false prophets. The test was that everything this prophet said must absolutely come to pass. If it did not, the false prophet was stoned because he did not carry God’s infallible Word.

(1) Deu 18:20 'But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' 21 "You may say in your heart, 'How will we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?' 22 "When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.

e. This test accomplished two things. One it assured the people which was God’s word and which was not. (The original concept of canonization began with God!). And two, it gave the people confidence to obey God’s Word. In fact, once the people knew it was God speaking through the prophet, they were accountable to obey, because they were in every sense, obeying God.

(1) Deu 18:19 'It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.

f. This same principle was recurrent in the New Testament with the apostles. They were to be the spokesmen of God’s infallible Word. They, like the prophets, had God’s exclusive truth. Bearing this in mind, what a powerful statement it was for Peter to make about Paul’s writings.

(1) 2Pe 3:16 as also in all his [Paul’s] letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

g. So, according to Peter, Paul’s writings were equivalent to divinely inspired Scriptures. But this was not only true for Paul, but also for Peter, John, Matthew, James and Jude. It would also include Mark and Luke, who, although not apostles, were under the tutelage of the apostles and chosen by God to be a vehicle for His inspired Word.

3. Authentic

a. The next standard of canon is authenticity. The question that the Early Church Fathers asked was, “Does this book tell the truth about God, Christ, man, salvation etc?” If the book did not completely agree with other revealed truths from God’s Word, it was rejected.

b. This close scrutiny was passed on from the apostles themselves, who were always defending the truth. John gives clear instructions to “test the spirits” in light of their present day false prophets.

(1) 1Jo 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

c. This discernment for God’s revealed truth was naturally handed down to the early church. A clear example of this is with the Bereans who respectfully “examined” Paul’s teaching to ensure that he was an apostle with God’s truth

(1) Act 17:11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

d. Without a doubt, the seed was planted for the Early Church Fathers to be on guard when it came to accepting anything as God’s truth. Their motto was kind of “If in doubt, throw it out”, a policy that we would be wise for using in today’s church. Not for determining canon, that has been done for us, but rather for discerning truth from false doctrine.

4. Dynamic

a. Yet another standard was applied to ascertaining canon from non-canon writings. This standard was a question of dynamics. The question that could have been asked was, “Does this book come with the power of God?” In other words, God’s Word is dynamic; it is “living and active”.

b. That means God changes lives through His Word by the power of His Spirit. If that could not happen, then a book was rejected. This was recognized by Paul when he wrote to Timothy:

(1) 2 Timothy 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

(a) An interesting note is that the Greek word for “able” here in this passage is dunamai which means ability or power. We get our English word “dynamite” from this word.

(b) The Scriptures have dynamic power because they are inspired by God and it is the instrument used by the Holy Spirit (Eph 6:17; Ps 19:7) to change the lives of believers. And as Paul shares with Timothy, the Scriptures enable man to know God’s plan for salvation.

c. A book cannot have the power to change lives or convert the soul if the book contains errors. Many passages in the Bible are written in a “cause and effect” formula. Only a Sovereign God has the ability to bring about such effects. Man often attempts to diagnose life, but unless he is using God’s Word as a guideline, he is shooting in the dark.

d. But only heaven will reveal the untold number of martyrs and of troubled believers that have been comforted, solaced, and encouraged through the Scriptures. Geisler and Nix state it well:

(1) A message of God would certainly be backed by the might of God.

5. Received

a. The capstone of all these standards would be in the reality of whether or not a book has been received by the people of God. The question that could have been asked was, “Has this book been accepted generally by the people of God?”

b. First of all, when speaking of the people of God, what is meant, is the true believing church. We certainly would not include heretical groups or unbelievers, such as Marcion the Gnostic, (100-160)who rejected the Old Testament and almost all of the New Testament (a revised Luke and ten of Paul’s epistles, but not the Pastorals). And as already sited, Peter, writes of unbelievers who reject the Scriptures (2 Pet 3:15).

c. Secondly, all non-canonical books were more or less rejected by this standard. If a book did not stand the test of time and acceptance, it was eventually rejected. Initially, the books were accepted by the recipients, such as in the case of the Thessalonians.

(1) And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

d. As these books were cherished and collected, they were also copied and passed on to succeeding generations. Over a period of time, some of these books, were universally accepted.

(1) Most of the canon was well known and in use nearly two centuries before Constantine, a time when the early church had already dismissed the many apocryphal gospels that arose later in the second century. The rejected gospels, far from containing the real truth about Jesus, were all distortions derived from the first-century canonical Gospels and laced with fanciful aberrations. (liberal scholar John A. T. Robinson)

(2) …some [early church] Fathers and canons recognized almost all of the books before the end of the second century, and the church universal was in agreement before the end of the fourth century.(Geisler & Nix, General Intro to the Bible; pg. 291).

(3) Irenaeus (c. A.D. 170), [was] the first early [church] Father who himself quoted almost every book of the New Testament. (ibid. pg. 292).

(4) Clement of Alexandria (c. A.D. 200) has almost an identical list, with the exception of his omission of 2 Timothy and 2 John. (ibid. pg. 292).

e. Some books were so unanimously accepted that when men like Marcion opposed them, they were met with fierce and instantaneous opposition.

(1) In like manner, too, he dismembered the Epistles of Paul...and also those passages from the prophetical writings which the apostle quotes... (Iraneus, Early Church Fathers, Vol 1, p 726)

(2) At least as early as A.D. 140 the heretical Marcion accepted only limited sections of the full New Testament canon. Marcion’s heretical canon, consisting of only Luke’s gospel and ten of Paul’s epistles, pointed up clearly the need to collect a complete canon of New Testament Scriptures. (Geisler & Nix, General Intro to the Bible; pg. 278)

f. These standards then, were the earmarks for the early church with which to recognize the books God had inspired and those which He had not. When discovered, they were added as the authoritative, prophetic, dynamic, authentic and accepted canon, namely the Word of God.

Saturday, February 10, 2018

How We Got Our Bible, Part 2 – Canonization

I. INTRODUCTION

B. What exactly does canon mean? “Canon” comes from the Greek word κανών kanon, and literally means a rod or bar, straight or measuring.

1. It was used for staves to preserve the shape of the shield. It was also used as a rule or straight-edge by shipbuilders and carpenters.

2. This Greek word very possibly came from the Hebrew word קָנֶה qaneh, which means reed. In Ezek 40:3 it is used as a “measuring rod.”

3. Later, the word took on the metaphorical meaning rule as a “standard or norm”. The apostle Paul used this word in Galatians 6:16 to represent a “rule” or “standard” by which to walk.

D. Canon then means the standard by which the Church regards books of the Bible as authoritative and divine.

II. GOD IS THE DETERMINER OF CANON

C. Thus, it could be said that the church is:

1. not the “determiner” of canon, but the “discoverer” of canon;

2. not the “mother” of canon, but the “child” of canon;

3. not the “regulator” of canon, but the “recognizer” of canon;

4. not the “judge” of canon, but the “witness” of canon.

D. The authority of the Scriptures is not founded, then, on the authority of the Church: It is the Church that is founded on the authority of the Scriptures. (Louis Gaussen, Theopneustia, p. 137.)

III. THE CHURCH IS THE DISCOVERER OF CANON

A. The next question is, “What standard(s) did the church or men use to discover canon?” While a list of standards was never found from the early church Fathers, we can deduce certain principles used by them. There are at least five questions: Is the book…?

1. Authoritative - did it come with the authority of God, i.e. “thus saith the Lord”?

2. Prophetic - was it written by a man of God, i.e. God’s mouthpiece?

3. Authentic - did it teach the truth about God, i.e. His character and will?

4. Dynamic - did it have life-changing power, i.e. “living and active”?

5. Received - was it accepted by God’s people, i.e. true believers?

C. The five questions discussed in detail for discovering canon are:

1. Authoritative

a. The first question is, “Was it authoritative?” This is perhaps the most important and fundamental question of them all. If a writing is not authoritative, it does not mean that the book is useless, but it dogmatically is not the Word of God!

b. Some of the characteristic phrases that qualify a writing as authoritative were:

(1) “thus saith the Lord” (KJV; 415 times in OT; Exo 4:22 cp. 5:1; Jdg 6:8; Isa 7:7; Ez 2:4...122 times)

(2) “And the word of the Lord came to...” (103 time in OT; Isa 38:4; Jer 1:2)

(3) “God spoke...” (Ex 3:14; Jonah 4:9)

(1) In a brief defense of Esther, even though God’s name is not used, His hand and providence were manifested on behalf of the Jewish people.

(2) Secondly, some claim that the reason God’s name was left out was because being exiled, the covenant name of God was not associated with the Jews anymore.

(3) Others claim that God’s name was not mentioned to protect it from pagan plagiarism by the substitution of a heathen god.

(4) An interesting note by W.G. Scroggie claims that the name Yahweh (YHWH) is found acrostically in the book in such a way that it is beyond probability that it was a coincidence.)

(5) The book of Esther has brought both comfort and conviction to the people of God, and has been accepted as a divinely inspired book.

e. The bottom line is, however, that the cautiousness of the early church Fathers, actually confirmed that these men included no book that God wanted excluded from canon, and included only those which they were sure were authoritative.

2. Prophetic

a. The next question for the standard for canon was, “Was it written by a man of God?”

c. This explains the many instances in the Old Testament where the phrase is used, “and the word of the Lord came to....” There were only certain men chosen by God to whom His actual word came to.

(1) Deu 18:19 'It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.

f. This same principle was recurrent in the New Testament with the apostles. They were to be the spokesmen of God’s infallible Word. They, like the prophets, had God’s exclusive truth. Bearing this in mind, what a powerful statement it was for Peter to make about Paul’s writings.

(1) 2Pe 3:16 as also in all his [Paul’s] letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

3. Authentic

a. The next standard of canon is authenticity. The question that the Early Church Fathers asked was, “Does this book tell the truth about God, Christ, man, salvation etc?” If the book did not completely agree with other revealed truths from God’s Word, it was rejected.

b. This close scrutiny was passed on from the apostles themselves, who were always defending the truth. John gives clear instructions to “test the spirits” in light of their present day false prophets.

(1) 1Jo 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

c. This discernment for God’s revealed truth was naturally handed down to the early church. A clear example of this is with the Bereans who respectfully “examined” Paul’s teaching to ensure that he was an apostle with God’s truth

(1) Act 17:11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

4. Dynamic

a. Yet another standard was applied to ascertaining canon from non-canon writings. This standard was a question of dynamics. The question that could have been asked was, “Does this book come with the power of God?” In other words, God’s Word is dynamic; it is “living and active”.

b. That means God changes lives through His Word by the power of His Spirit. If that could not happen, then a book was rejected. This was recognized by Paul when he wrote to Timothy:

(1) 2 Timothy 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

(a) An interesting note is that the Greek word for “able” here in this passage is dunamai which means ability or power. We get our English word “dynamite” from this word.

(b) The Scriptures have dynamic power because they are inspired by God and it is the instrument used by the Holy Spirit (Eph 6:17; Ps 19:7) to change the lives of believers. And as Paul shares with Timothy, the Scriptures enable man to know God’s plan for salvation.

d. But only heaven will reveal the untold number of martyrs and of troubled believers that have been comforted, solaced, and encouraged through the Scriptures. Geisler and Nix state it well:

(1) A message of God would certainly be backed by the might of God.

5. Received

a. The capstone of all these standards would be in the reality of whether or not a book has been received by the people of God. The question that could have been asked was, “Has this book been accepted generally by the people of God?”

c. Secondly, all non-canonical books were more or less rejected by this standard. If a book did not stand the test of time and acceptance, it was eventually rejected. Initially, the books were accepted by the recipients, such as in the case of the Thessalonians.

(1) And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

d. As these books were cherished and collected, they were also copied and passed on to succeeding generations. Over a period of time, some of these books, were universally accepted.

(2) …some [early church] Fathers and canons recognized almost all of the books before the end of the second century, and the church universal was in agreement before the end of the fourth century.(Geisler & Nix, General Intro to the Bible; pg. 291).

(3) Irenaeus (c. A.D. 170), [was] the first early [church] Father who himself quoted almost every book of the New Testament. (ibid. pg. 292).

(4) Clement of Alexandria (c. A.D. 200) has almost an identical list, with the exception of his omission of 2 Timothy and 2 John. (ibid. pg. 292).

e. Some books were so unanimously accepted that when men like Marcion opposed them, they were met with fierce and instantaneous opposition.

(1) In like manner, too, he dismembered the Epistles of Paul...and also those passages from the prophetical writings which the apostle quotes... (Iraneus, Early Church Fathers, Vol 1, p 726)

f. These standards then, were the earmarks for the early church with which to recognize the books God had inspired and those which He had not. When discovered, they were added as the authoritative, prophetic, dynamic, authentic and accepted canon, namely the Word of God.

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