Church History 3 The Canon Mark Hagen February 22, 2004

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Church History 3The CanonMark HagenFebruary
22, 2004
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Church History IIIThe Canon
Timeline
0
400 A.D.
100 A.D.
200 A.D.
300 A.D.
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Church History IIIThe Canon
The Apocrypha Tobit 1 2 Esdras Judith Pr
ayer of Manassas Baruch Wisdom Sirach
(Ecclesiasticus) 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees Additions
to Daniel and Esther
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Church History IIIThe Canon
These books Apocrypha were never accepted by
the Jews as Scripture, but throughout the early
history of the church there was a divided opinion
on whether they should be part of Scripture or
not. In fact, the earliest Christian evidence is
decidedly against viewing the Apocrypha as
Scripture, but the use of the Apocrypha gradually
increased in some parts of the church until the
time of the Reformation. The fact that these
books were included by Jerome in his Latin
Vulgate translation of the Bible (completed in
A.D. 404) gave support to their inclusion, even
though Jerome himself said they were not books
of the canon but merely books of the church
that were helpful and useful for believers. . . .
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Church History IIIThe Canon
. . . The wide use of the Latin Vulgate in
subsequent centuries guaranteed their continued
accessibility, but the fact that they had no
Hebrew original behind them, and their exclusion
from the Jewish canon, as well as the lack of
their citation in the New Testament, led many to
view them with suspicion or to reject their
authority. Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology
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Church History IIIThe Canon
It was not until 1546, at the Council of
Trent, that the Roman Catholic Church officially
declared the Apocrypha to be part of the canon
(with the exception of 1 and 2 Esdras and the
Prayer of Manasseh). It is significant that the
Council of Trent was the response of the Roman
Catholic Church to the teachings of Martin Luther
and the rapidly spreading Protestant Reformation,
and the books of the Apocrypha contain support
for the Catholic teaching of prayers for the dead
and justification by faith plus works, not by
faith alone. Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology
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Church History IIIThe Canon
Timeline
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400 A.D.
100 A.D.
200 A.D.
300 A.D.
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Church History IIIThe Canon
The formation of the NT Canon must, therefore,
be regarded as a process rather than an event,
and a historical rather than a biblical
matter. J. R. McRay, Evangelical Dict. of
Theology, p.141
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Church History IIIThe Canon
Timeline
0
400 A.D.
100 A.D.
200 A.D.
300 A.D.
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St. John the Evangelist on Patmosby Hans
Burgkmair, German painter (1508)
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Marcion The Canon Muratori Eusebius Athanasius (
c. 140) (c. 200) (c. 325) (367) Matthew
Matthew Matthew Mark Mark Mark Luke Lu
ke Luke Luke John John John Acts A
cts Acts Romans Romans Romans Romans 12
Corinthians 12 Corinthians 12 Corinthians 12
Corinthians Galatians Galatians Galatians Gal
atians Ephesians Ephesians Ephesians Ephesians P
hilippians Philippians Philippians Philippians C
olossians Colossians Colossians Colossians 12
Thess. 12 Thess. 12 Thess. 12 Thess. 12
Timothy 12 Timothy 12 Timothy Titus Titus
Titus Philemon Philemon Hebrews
James 1 Peter 12 Peter 12
John 1 John 1, 2 3 John Jude Jude
Revelation of John Revelation of
John Revelation of John Wisdom of
Solomon Revelation of Peter
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Church History IIIThe Canon
Timeline
0
400 A.D.
100 A.D.
200 A.D.
300 A.D.
13
St. John the Evangelist on Patmosby Hans
Burgkmair, German painter (1508)
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