1. BIBS 215
The Bible &
Religious
Education

2. 2
The New Testament Canon

3. •Why do we have
four gospels?
•There are other
gospels - What
are they like?
•Should we read
them?
•Why aren't they
in the NT?

4. •What happened to
Paul’s letter to
the Laodiceans
(Col 4.16)?
•Or the “previous”
letter he wrote to
the Corinthians
(1 Cor 5.9) ?
•What would happen
if they were found
today?

5. The New Covenant
commonly called
The New
Testament
of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ
New Revised Standard Version
❦

6. Overall composition
•a library
Documents
•same length?
•natural groupings?
Authorship
•one writer or several?
Purpose
•what occasions sparked their
creation?
•to whom are they addressed?

7. 27 different
documents:
4 Gospels
Acts
Revelation
Hebrews
20 letters

8. 27 different
documents:
=
“canon”
kanon (reed)

9. Other Christian writings:
•Gospel of Thomas
•Gospel of Mary
•Acts of Paul & Thelca
•Epistle of Barnabus
•Third Letter to the
Corinthians
•Shepherd of Hermas

10. Formation of the Canon
“Project Canon”:
“Some of you will be OUT -
Some of you will be IN.”

11. Formation of the Canon
(1) This did not happen overnight
(2)It was a complex process

12. Formation of the Canon
50-60CE 367CE
Paul writes letters . . . . “scripture”

13. Formation of the Canon
c30CE
Jesus’ ministry . . . . (proclamation)
kerygma
eyewitnesses
oral tradition
eschatological

14. Formation of the Canon
c50CE
Paul’s ministry . . . . 1 Thess
Galatians
1 & 2 Corinthians
Col 4.16
2 Peter 3.15f

15. Formation of the Canon
C50-100CE
Early church . . . Death of eyewitnesses
Gospel of Mark
Luke 1.1-2
Matthew
John

16. Formation of the Canon
C50-150CE
(1) Technology issues . . .
Scrolls
Codex

17. Formation of the Canon
C50-150CE
(2) Heretical forms of Christianity ...
gnostics

18. Formation of the Canon
144CE
Marcion . . .
No OT
10 of Paul’s letters
Luke’s gospel
(3.1a, 4.31ff)

19. Formation of the Canon
c150CE
Church Responds . . .
OT important
4 Gospels
Acts
13 letters

20. Formation of the Canon
c200CE
Muratorian Canon . . .
4 Gospels
Acts
13 of Paul’s letters
Jude and 1 & 2 John
John’s & Peter’s Apocalypse
Wisdom of Solomon
(Shepherd of Hermas)
BUT NOT:
Peter’s letters, 3 John
Hebrews & James

21. Formation of the Canon
3-4th
Centuries
Persecution . . .

22. Formation of the Canon
367CE
Athanasius . . .
“canon”
27 books
ALSO USED:
3 Corinthians
Shepherd of Hermas
1 Clement

23. Formation of the Canon
“Project Canon”:
“Some of you will be OUT -
Some of you will be IN.”
Criteria for Judging:
Apostolicity
Catholicity
Orthodoxy

24. Formation of the Canon
(1) Apostolicity
authorship
Hebrews?
Gospel of Peter?
Shepherd of Hermas

25. Formation of the Canon
(2)Catholicity
usage by the Church
(east and west)
Shepherd of Hermas
1 Clement
Hebrews

26. Formation of the Canon
(3) Orthodoxy
conformity
Revelation
Luther on James
gnostic gospels

27. Formation of the Canon
Key Point:
Authority
preceded
canonicity
project_runway.jpg

28. • What if we found a lost letter of Paul’s?
• Issue of “canon within canon”
• Tension or harmony between the books?