Development of the Biblical Canon adapted from http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/a/canon.html

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Development of the Biblical Canonadapted from
http//www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/a/canon.html

• Canon
• (a closed collection of community-forming
  writings)
• Not this
• (different spelling)

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Development of the Tanak

• 1000-50 BCE The books of the Tanak (Christian
  Old Testament) are written.

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• ca. 200 BCE Rabbis translate the Jewish Bible
  from Hebrew to Greek, a translation called the
  "Septuagint" (abbreviation "LXX"). The LXX
  ultimately includes 46 books.
• 30-100 CE Christians use the LXX as their
  scriptures (because most cannot read Hebrew).

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90-400 CE Rabbis begin to discuss the extent of
the canon and, over time, include in their canon
only 39 books, since only these can be found in
Hebrew (scholars are no longer sure when or how a
final decision was reached).
The Torah Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers
Deuteronomy The Prophets The Former
Prophets Joshua Judges Samuel Kings
The Latter Prophets Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel
The Twelve (Minor Prophets) Hosea Joel Amos
Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk
Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi
The Writings Psalms Proverbs Job Song of
Solomon Ruth Lamentations Ecclesiastes Esther
Daniel Ezra-Nehemiah Chronicles
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• ca. 400 Jerome translates the Bible from Hebrew
  and Greek into Latin (called the "Vulgate").
• He knows that the Jews have only 39 books, and he
  wants to limit the Old Testament to these.
• The 7 he would leave out (Tobit, Judith, 1
  Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach
  or "Ecclesiasticus", and Baruch) he calls
  "apocrypha," that is, "hidden books."
• But Pope Damasus wants all 46 traditionally-used
  books included in the Old Testament, so the
  Vulgate has 46.

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• 1536 Martin Luther translates the Bible from
  Hebrew and Greek to German.
• He assumes that, since Jews wrote the Old
  Testament, theirs is the correct canon.
• He puts the extra 7 books in an appendix that he
  calls the "Apocrypha."
• This is the Old Testament that most Protestants
  use (Anglicans also use the Apocrypha
  devotionally).

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1546 The Roman Catholic Council of Trent
reaffirms the canonicity of all 46 books.
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Development of the New Testament Canon

• Where NOT to look for a reliable account

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• ca. 51-125 CE The books of todays New Testament
  are written.
• But during this same period other early Christian
  writings are produced
• The Didache (ca. 70)
• 1 Clement (ca. 96)
• The Epistle of Barnabas (ca. 100)
• 7 Letters of Ignatius of Antioch (ca. 110)
• The Shepherd of Hermas (ca. 100)
• If you want to read them www.earlychristianwritin
  gs.com/

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• ca. 140 Marcion, a businessman in Rome, teaches
  that there were two Gods
• Yahweh, the cruel God of the Old Testament
• Abba, the kind father of the New Testament
• So Marcion eliminates the Old Testament as
  scripture and, since he is anti-Semitic, includes
  in the New Testament only 10 letters of Paul and
  2/3 of Luke's gospel (he deletes references to
  Jesus' Jewishness).

Marcions Canon Gospel according to Luke Romans
I Corinthians II Corinthians Galatians
Ephesians (Laodiceans) Colossians
Thessalonians I Thessalonians II Philemon
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Marcion's "New Testament"the first to be
compiledforces other Christian leaders, like
Irenaeus, to decide on a core canon the four
gospels, letters of Paul, other letters, but not
Philemon, Hebrews, 2 Peter, 2 3 John or Jude
it also includes the Shepherd of
Hermas. Irenaeus Canon ca. 180 CE
Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Romans I
Corinthians II Corinthians Galatians Ephesians
Philippians
Thessalonians I Thessalonians II I Timothy II
Timothy Titus James (?) 1 Peter 1 John
Revelation of John Shepherd of Hermas
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• But the periphery of the canon is not yet
  determined.
• According to one list, compiled at Rome around
  200 (the Muratorian Canon), the NT consists of
• The 4 Gospels (though first 2 are missing)
• Acts
• 13 letters of Paul
• 1-2 John
• Jude
• The Apocalypse of Peter.
• But not Hebrews, James, 3 John, 1 2 Peter, or
  Revelation

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In the early 300s, Eusebius of Caesarea
classified books of the New Testament into
recognized, disputed, spurious and
heretical categories.

• Recognized The four Gospels, Acts, Pauls
  letters, 1 John, 1Peter and if it really seems
  right, Revelation
• Disputed James, Jude, 2 Peter and 2 3 John
• Spurious Acts of Paul, Shepherd of Hermas,
  Apocalypse of Peter, Letter of Barnabas, the
  Didache, the Gospel of the Hebrews and, if it
  seems right, Revelation
• Heretical Gospels of Peter, Thomas, Matthias,
  etc., Acts of Andrew, John or other apostles

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367 The earliest extant list of the books of New
Testament, in exactly the number and order in
which we presently have them, is written by
Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, in his Easter
letter.
397 The North African Council of Carthage
reproduces the same list and declares apart
from the canonical Scriptures nothing is to be
read in church under the name of the divine
Scriptures Let the church across the sea be
consulted for the confirmation of this canon.
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1442 At the Council of Florence, the entire
western Church recognizes the 27 books, though
does not declare them unalterable.
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1536 In his translation of the Bible from Greek
into German, Luther removes 4 NT books (Hebrews,
James, Jude, and Revelation) from their normal
order and places them at the end, stating that
they are less than canonical. Most other
Protestants do not agree with him.
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1546 At the Council of Trent, the Roman Catholic
Church reaffirms once and for all the full list
of 27 books as traditionally accepted. This
is the only universal church council to make a
formal claim about the extent of the Christian
canon (Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, Coptic and
other Christians do not consider this council
universal) over 1500 years after the Christian
movement began!