Understanding the BibleThe Formation of the Canon

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The Bible has an amazing composition.

! Written over 1600 years ! Written by over 40 authors ! Written on 3 continents: Asia, Africa,

Europe ! And it all fits together coherently!

Fast Facts on the Bible

* The Bible was written from about 1450 BC to 100 AD

* The Bible contains many literary genres - poetry, myth, wisdom literature, prophecy, letters, narratives

* The Bible was the first book to be printed, in 1454

* The Bible has been translated into over 2,000 languages

!!

Old Testament:

Stone

Clay

Leather

!! 39 books!! Written approximately ! 1500-400 BC

Old Testament:

Old Testament Manuscripts♦Texts were copied by the Massoretes ♦Copying was very detailed ♦The copy was considered as good as

the original

The Old Testament was written mainly in Hebrew, with some Aramaic.

The letter “aleph”!in Hebrew script.

A sample of!Aramaic letters.

According to Jewish tradition, Ezra, a priest and scribe, collects and arranges some of the books of the Hebrew Bible, around 450 BC.

450 BC Ezra

Josephus Old Testament Canon

Josephus was a historian who lived from 37 A.D. to about 100 A.D.

• Josephus considered the Old Testament Canon as fixed from the days of Artaxerxes, time of Ezra. Here are his words: "We have but 22 books, containing the history of all time, books that are believed to be divine. Of these, 5 belong to Moses, containing his laws and the traditions of the origin of mankind down to the time of his death.

Who Was Josephus?

• Josephus was born A.D. 37 in Jerusalem, of priestly aristocracy. He received an extensive education in Jewish and Greek culture. He was governor of Galilee and military commander in the wars with Rome, and was present at the destruction of Jerusalem.

• These words of Josephus are unquestionable testimony to the belief of the Jewish nation of Jesus' day as to what books comprised the Hebrew Scriptures, and that that collection of books had been completed and fixed for 400 years preceding his time.

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).

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.

New Testament

New Testament

No spaces or punctuation Written in all capital letters

Greek Language

INTHEBEGINNINGWASTHEWORDANDTHEWORDWASWITHGODANDTHEWORDWASGOD

New Testament ManuscriptsAbout 5500 Greek texts in existence Fragments are dated to within 50 years Complete books to within 100 years Significance: Biblical passages, especially the Gospels, were written when eyewitnesses were available to refute them “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” 2 Peter 1:16

Conservative Original Dates♦Paul's letters: A.D. 50-66 ♦Matthew: A.D. 70-80 ♦Mark: A.D. 50-60 ♦Luke: early 60's ♦ John: A.D. 80-100

New Testament Manuscripts!

The entire NT could be reproduced by quotes of the early church fathers 36,289 total quotes before 325 A.D. The church canon was well accepted far before the Council of Nicea.

Early Manuscripts

! This is papyrus p52, the oldest known fragment of any gospel.

! The front is John 18:31-33 (shown), the back is John 18:37-38.

! It is dated about AD 125, only 35 years after this Gospel was written.

Early Manuscripts

! This is papyrus p66, a manuscript of John in which nearly all of the Gospel has survived.

! It is dated about AD 200.

! This picture shows the first page, with the other pages behind it.

Early Manuscripts! This is one page of

papyrus p45, which contains all four canonical Gospels and the book of Acts.

! It is dated from the 3rd century, so before AD 300 and before Constantine.

Chapter and Verse

! The chapter divisions commonly used today were developed by Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury. Langton put the modern chapter divisions into place in around A.D. 1227.

! The Hebrew Old Testament was divided into verses by a Jewish rabbi by the name of Nathan in A.D. 1448.

! Robert Estienne, who was also known as Stephanus, was the first to divide the New Testament into standard numbered verses, in 1555. Since that time, beginning with the Geneva Bible, the chapter and verse divisions employed by Stephanus have been accepted into nearly all the Bible versions.

The Development of the Canon

The Testimony of Luke! The author of the third Gospel,

Luke, a physician and associate of Paul, tells us a little on the status of writings about Jesus at the time he wrote (probably in the late 50s of the first century).

! This is found in the first four verses of the Gospel of Luke.

The Testimony of Luke“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” – Luke 1:1-4

Evidence from Early Christian Leaders

! Besides the evidence from manuscripts, we have the testimony of early Christian leaders regarding what gospels were in use in their churches.

! This was, in fact, one of the criteria used to verify the authentic Gospels.

Apostolic Fathers

! Several Christian leaders between AD 95-130 wrote letters and other writings that have survived.

! Three of these explicitly quote NT passages as ‘Scripture,’ and one such passage quoted is from the Gospel of Matthew.

! All of them make allusions to NT passages, including all four of the canonical Gospels and no others.

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Criterion of the Canon" Tests of canonicity had to be employed. " Secondary tests were required; one of the

most important was apostolicity—was it written by an apostle or one close to the apostles?

" Thus, Luke’s gospel was accepted because of his close relationship with Paul; Mark’s because of his close association with Peter and Paul.

" Matthew and John were apostles.

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Criterion of the Canon" Then there was the test of internal appeal. " Did a book contain moral or doctrinal

elements that measured up to the standards set by the apostles in their acknowledged writings?

" As these and other tests were applied in various ways over the centuries, the canon gradually developed.

" Archaeological evidence quite effectively confirms the conservative claim that all the NT books were written by about the end of the 1st c.

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Criterion of the Canon" Almost from the time of their writing, the

4 Gospels and Acts were accepted as divinely inspired accounts of the life of Christ and the development of the early church.

" Various churches to which Paul addressed his epistles accepted his word to them as coming from the mouth of God.

" Gradually nearby churches came to feel that letters sent to sister churches were of value for them also and made copies.

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Criterion of the Canon" In this way the Pauline epistles began to

circulate individually and by the end of the 2nd c. as a collection.

" Testimony to the existence and value of various NT books is extensive, beginning with Clement of Rome in the 90s.

" Then there are other pieces of evidence; ca. the middle of the 2nd c. Tatian composed the first harmony of the gospels.

" This wove together elements of the 4 Gospels in such a way as to present a continuous narrative.

Canon Timeline

Canon Timeline

• The Oral Tradition

• The Eyewitnesses

• Paul: The Letters

• 100--140 AD—New Testament Written Down

• 140-220—Gnostic Opposition

• 220—400—Final Canon

Canon Timeline

! AD 110 -- Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis, refers to the Gospels of Mark & Matthew

! AD 140 -- Heretic Marcion compiles 10 NT books out of the 27 we have today.

! AD 160 -- Tatian compiles a "harmony" of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), called the "Diatessaron”

Irenaeus (~180)

First Christian writer to use, as Scripture, almost all the books that are in our New Testament today.

! "read with earnest care that Gospel which has been given to us by the apostles, and read with earnest care the prophets, and you will find that the whole conduct, and all the doctrine and all the sufferings of our Lord, were predicted through them."

! AD 200 -- Tertullian confessed "The Rule of Faith is...to believe... his Son, Jesus Christ." Muraturi Canon affirms 21 NT books out of the 27 we have today.

! AD 325 -- Eusebius confirms 19 NT books out of the 27 we have today. Codex Vaticanus was compiled having the New Testament canon we have.

! 325—Council of Nicea

Canon Timeline

In the course of Christian history, few events loom larger than the Council of Nicea in 325. When the newly converted Roman Emperor Constantine called bishops from around the world to present-day Turkey, the church had reached a theological crossroads.is but one Lord, Jesus Christ."

The Council of Nicea

Early Christians overwhelmingly worshipped Jesus Christ as their risen Savior and Lord. Before the church adopted comprehensive doctrinal creeds, early Christian leaders developed a set of instructional summaries of belief, termed the "Rule" or "Canon" of Faith.

The Council of Nicea

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.”

Canon Timeline

!! AD 397 -- Council of Carthage affirms

modern day canon. ! AD 400-405 -- Jerome translated the

Bible to Latin Vulgate using the same list of Athanasius (27 NT books)

! AD 451 -- Council of Chalcedon (Fourth Ecumenical Council) The Council also affirmed the 27 NT books we have today.

Some Detractors

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The Jesus Seminar• Robert Funk said this about Jesus:

• We should give Jesus a demotion. It is no longer credible to think of Jesus as divine. Jesus’ divinity goes together with the old theistic way of thinking about God.

• The plot early Christians invented for a divine redeemer figure is as archaic as the mythology in which it is framed. A Jesus who drops down out of heaven, performs some magical act that frees human beings from the power of sin, rises from the dead, and returns to heaven is simply no longer credible. ✤ Robert Funk died in 2005, but notable surviving

fellows of the Jesus Seminar include Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, Stephen L. Harris, Robert M. Price and Burton Mack.

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1998 - Exec producer David Fanning, to present ''the real story of the rise of Christianity, challenging and upsetting conventional ideas.'' According to what Frontline terms ''new and exciting discoveries'' that have sparked an ''intellectual revolution'' in biblical scholarship, it will come as possibly disturbing news to some viewers that Jesus thought of himself as a Jew, not as a Christian and that Christianity as a movement, an alternative to Judaism, took shape only after his death."the real story of the rise of Christianity… challenging and upsetting conventional ideas."

One of the scholars in the series is the Jesus Seminar co-founder John Dominic Crossan.

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When Marilyn Mellowes came to me and said, "Let's do a film about the historical Jesus," I said, "Not possible. Don't do it. Let's talk about how early Christianity developed, and along the way, we'll discover that that's the story of Jesus in another way."

"The Historical Jesus"

A lecture by L. Michael White

(May 2006) National Geographic Society announced that a lost 3rd-century religious text had been found, the Gospel of Judas Iscariot. The shocker: Judas didn't betray Jesus.

Instead, Jesus asked Judas, his most trusted and beloved disciple, to hand him over to be killed. Judas' reward? Ascent to heaven and exaltation above the other disciples.

It was a great story. - National Geographic's translation supported the provocative interpretation of Judas as a hero, but a more careful reading makes clear that Judas is not only no hero, he is a demon.

Gospel of Judas

Gospel of Judas! The Gospel of Judas did not circulate until about 150

years after Jesus died.

! Until the release of the Gospel of Judas and other Gnostic texts discovered decades ago near Nag Hammadi in Egypt, we learned about Gnosticism mostly through the polemics of Christian apologists.

! Gospel of Judas verifies two major Gnostic teachings: Jesus either did not actually appear in the flesh, or he at least wanted to shed his skin as soon as possible. Jesus longed to return to the spirit world. Judas helped make that happen.

Irenaeus Against Heresies Among those he attacked was a

group who revered Judas, “the traitor, and had produced a “fictitious history, which they style the Gospel of Judas.”

Gospel of Judas

Gnostic gospels’ credibility

! Written 100’s of years later than Gospels in the Bible ! Gospel of Philip – 3rd Century ! Gospel of Mary Magdalene – 2nd

Century ! Gospel of Judas

! Not an eye-witness account

Early Church responds to Gnosticism

! Led the Church to write creeds ! Led to a canon of Scripture ! Apostolic succession ! Caused the Church to speak in everyday

language ! Led to an emphasis on liturgy ! Led to monasticism and asceticism

Book 2003 Movie 2006

The Da Vinci Code claims that Jesus was not perceived as being divine until the 4th century, that his divinity was an "invention" by the Council of Nicea in 325, done for purely political reasons—and passing by only "a close vote." In fact, the vote was lopsided, probably 218-2. Nor was it a "declaration." It was an "affirmation" of a truth for which Christians had been willing to die for 300 years.

The Council of Nicea

Brown’s Revision of Christianity• Bible collated/modified by Constantine in 4th century.

p.231

✤ Bible had already been put together centuries before Constantine

• The Gnostic writing from the 3rd century are the true, unadulterated gospels. p. 247

• Jesus’ Divinity a result of a vote at the Council of Nicea “until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet.” p. 233

✤ Divinity of Christ was decided before Constantine- Per New Testament, Early Church Fathers ✤ Council of Nicea affirmed earliest beliefs of the

Church

Referring to the Council of Nicea, Brown claims that "until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet … a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless."

The Council of Nicea

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“This is not a story based on historical fact. It is a narrative designed to show how Jesus could have been born in Bethlehem—whence the Messiah was to come—when everyone knew in fact that he came from Nazareth.” 2012

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“Is it possible that Jesus could have, in defiance of everything that Judaism has ever said about God and man and the nature of the relationship between creation and creator, that he himself thought he was a God-man? Yes, it’s possible. “Is it likely? No.” !‘Zealot’ - Reza Aslan 2013

Dead Sea Scrolls

Dead Sea Scrolls♦Discovered in 1947 by a shepherd boy near

Jericho ♦Contain parts of every book except Ester ♦Dated to about 100 B.C. ♦The book of Isaiah is 95% agreeable to texts

1100 years older ♦The other 5% is spelling mistakes and

grammar

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Dead Sea Scrolls! From Essene ascetic community near

Qumran (near Dead Sea) 20BC - 70AD ! Discovered in 1947 and following ! Not Christian, but Jewish ! There are NO gospels in Dead Sea Scrolls,

whether Gnostic or Orthodox

Dead Sea Scrolls

" Copies of Old Testament texts (all the books except Esther) dating from more than a century before the birth of Christ

" Before the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest Hebrew manuscripts from the OT were from 900 A.D, creating a 1,300 year gap.

" In the Dead Sea Scrolls, there is a complete manuscript of Isaiah from 125 B.C., 1,000 years earlier than before.

Dead Sea Scrolls

" Accuracy of Dead Sea Scrolls " The manuscripts were identical to the modern

Hebrew Bible in 95% of the text. " The 5% of variation consists of obvious slips of the

pen and variations in spelling. " In Isaiah 53, only 17 letters are in question.

" 10 are only a matter of spelling " 4 more are minor stylistic changes " 3 letters are the word “light” which are added to v.

11, and does not change the meaning greatly.

Dead Sea Scrolls

" The Dead Sea Scrolls shorten the time interval between the originals and the earliest extant copies.

" They also provide more manuscripts of the books of the OT than previously were known.

Prophesy♦There are over 300 prophesies of Jesus in

the Old Testament ♦The Dead Sea Scrolls confirm that these

were written prior to Christ's birth ♦The book of Isaiah contains 30 specific

prophesies and this book is completely preserved prior to Christ

The Authenticity of the Bible

Research done at the British Museum documents 89,000 quotations from the New Testament in early church writings.

If you destroyed all the Bibles and biblical manuscripts, one could reconstruct all but eleven verses of the entire New Testament from quotations found in other materials written within 150 to 200 years after the time of Jesus Christ!

The Authenticity of the Bible! The New Testament accounts of the life and

teachings of Jesus were recorded by men who either had been eyewitnesses themselves or who were recounting the descriptions of eyewitnesses. For instance:

! Luke wrote to Theophilus, "It seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order" (Luke 1:1-3).

! * Peter wrote, "We were eyewitnesses" (2 Peter 1:16).

! * Wrote John, "What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you. . ." (1 John 1:3) and "his witness is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth . . "(John 19:35).

The Authenticity of the Bible

! F. F. Bruce makes the fo l lowing observation:

! The evidence for our New Testament writings is ever so much greater than the evidence for many writings of classical authors, the authenticity of which no one dreams of questioning.

! And if the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt.

The Authenticity of the Bible! The late historian Will Durant, trained in the discipline of

historical investigation,. who spent his life analyzing records of antiquity, writes:

! Despite the prejudices and theological preconceptions of the evangelists, they record many incidents that mere inventors would have concealed-the competition of the apostles for high places in the Kingdom, their flight after Jesus' arrest, Peter's denial, the failure of Christ to work miracles in Galilee, the references of some authors to His possible insanity, His despairing cry on the cross; no one reading these scenes can doubt the reality of the figure behind them. That a few simple men should in one generation have invented so powerful and appealing a personality, so lofty an ethic, and so inspiring a vision of human brotherhood, would be a miracle far more incredible than any recorded in the Gospels. After two centuries of Higher Criticism, the outlines of the life, character, and teachings of Christ remain reasonably clear, and constitute the most fascinating feature in the history of Western man.

Next WeekUnderstanding the Bible

The Story of Jesus

How to Study the Bible October 27