"CAN WE TRUST THE BIBLE?" Regarding Its Canonicity? (New Testament) by Mark Copeland

 

"CAN WE TRUST THE BIBLE?"

Regarding Its Canonicity? (New Testament)

INTRODUCTION

1. We are examining the canonicity of the Bible...
1. The word "canon" means a rule or standard for anything
2. For early Christians, it meant the rule of faith, what is accepted as authoritative Scripture
2. Our previous study considered the canonicity of the Old Testament...
1. Why Christians accept the Hebrew canon as Scripture
2. Why the Old Testament Apocrypha is not accepted as Scripture
3. The canon of the New Testament is more universally accepted...
1. Its 27 books are viewed as Scripture by both Catholics and Protestants
2. Though other books (over 300) have been proposed by some as Scripture
4. This naturally raises some questions...
1. Did the early church acknowledge its own canon (Scriptures)?
2. If so, upon what basis were some writings accepted and others not?

[To answer such questions, let's first consider...]

1. THE RECOGNITION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT CANON
1. THE EARLY CHURCH ADOPTED APOSTOLIC WRITINGS AS CANONICAL...
1. They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine - Ac 2:42; cf. 2Pe 3:2; Jude 17
2. They received their words as the Word of God - 1Th 2:13; cf. 1Co 14:37
3. Paul quoted the gospel of Luke as Scripture - 1Ti 5:18; cf. Lk 10:7
4. Paul's letters were designed to be circulated among the churches - Col 4:16
5. Peter equated Paul's letters with "Scripture" - 2Pe 3:15-16
-- The church accepted the apostles' writings because to accept their teaching was to accept Jesus Himself - cf. Jn 13:20
2. THE CRITERIA FOR ACCEPTING A BOOK AS CANONICAL...
1. Written by an apostle (e.g., Matthew, John, Paul, Peter)
2. Written by a close associate of an apostle (Mark, Luke, James, Jude)
-- Thus the writing had to be "apostolic" in addition to showing evidence of inspiration
3. WHEN AN APOSTOLIC WRITING WAS CONSIDERED AS SCRIPTURE...
1. It was read publicly - e.g., 1Th 5:27
2. It was circulated widely - e.g., Col 4:16; Re 1:11
3. Copies of it were collected - e.g., 2Pe 3:15-16
4. It was often quoted in other writings - e.g., 1Ti 5:18
4. BOOKS ACCEPTED AS CANONICAL BY ALL CHRISTIANS...
1. Include the 27 books of our New Testament
2. Most books were acknowledged from the very beginning
3. Seven books (Hebrews, James, 2nd Peter, 2nd & 3rd John, Jude, Revelation) were disputed by some at first, but eventually accepted as authentic and apostolic

[Thus all professing Christians accept the 27 books of the New Testament as canonical. But what about other books supposedly written by or about the apostles? Why are they not accepted? It may therefore be of interest to note...]

2. THE PSEUDEPIGRAPHA
1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION...
1. Otherwise called "false writings"
2. There are over 280 of these writings
3. More than 50 are accounts of Christ
4. The more well-known of these are:
1. The Gospel of Thomas
2. The Gospel of Peter
3. The Gospel of Hebrews
4. The Protevangelium of James
5. Their value is limited, but they do illustrate:
1. Some of the ascetic and Gnostic attitudes opposed by the apostles
2. The popular desire at that time for information beyond the Scriptures
3. The tendency to glorify Christianity by fraudulent means
2. REASONS FOR REJECTION...
1. They were never considered canonical by respectable leaders
2. Mainly produced by heretical groups
3. Containing exaggerated and mythical religious folklore
4. Most known only through citation or quotation by another author
5. Thus their historical connection to the apostles is suspect

[Similar to the Pseudepigrapha is...]

3. THE NEW TESTAMENT APOCRYPHA
1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION...
1. Not to be confused with the OT Apocrypha
2. These were books written after the time of Christ
1. Which were accepted at first by some in the church
2. Which appeared at times in collections and translations of Scripture
3. They had acceptance in some areas for a temporary period of time
4. They never enjoyed acceptance by the Church in general
3. The NT Apocrypha include:
1. The Epistle of Pseudo-Barnabas (70-79 A.D.)
2. The Epistle to the Corinthians (96 A.D.)
3. The Ancient Homily, also known as the Second Epistle of Clement of Rome to the Corinthians (120-140 A.D.)
4. The Shepherd of Hermas (115-140 A.D.)
5. The Didache, also known as the Teaching of the Twelve (100-120 A.D.)
6. The Apocalypse of Peter (150 A.D.)
7. The Acts of Paul and Thecla (170 A.D.)
8. The Gospel According to the Hebrews (65-100 A.D.)
9. The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians (108 A.D.)
10. The Seven Epistles of Ignatius (110 A.D.)
4. These are more valuable than the Pseudepigrapha
1. They provide early documentation of the existence of NT books
2. They fill in the gap between the teaching of the apostles and the writings of the early church of the third and fourth centuries
3. They provide clues to the practices, policies and future teachings of the church
2. REASONS FOR REJECTION...
1. They never enjoyed more than a temporary and local recognition
2. Those that advocated their acceptance considered them at best to be "semi-canonical"
3. No major church council or New Testament collection included them as inspired books
4. The reason they had some acceptance was because they wrongly attached themselves to references in canonical books (cf. Co 4:16) or alleged apostolic authorship (e.g. the Acts of Paul)

CONCLUSION

1. Christians believe that God has spoken...
1. First, through prophets in OT times - cf. He 1:1
2. Then, through His Son Jesus Christ - cf. He 1:2
3. Now, through the apostles and inspired writers of the NT - e.g., 1Co 14:37
-- The record of God's revelation is now contained in the Bible, both the OT and NT
2. Of course, this belief often raises related questions...
1. How do we know the Bible is inspired of God?
2. Can one even understand the Bible as we have it?
3. Is the Bible an all-sufficient guide?

We shall examine these questions as we continue this series, "Can We Trust The Bible?"...

Please note: Much of this material was gleaned from the following sources...

How the Canonicity of the Bible was Established, By Wilbert R. Gawrisch Theology Survey: The Bible (Canonicity), Valley Bible Church

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2022