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Week 12 Consuming the WordThe Making of the Canon of the NT - Part 2

Mike and Scott start this week discussing the proto canons that were vigorously debated in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The validity and universal appeal of many of the gospels and letters being circulated created a great deal of confusion within the Church. The gnostic heresy was a strong source of many of these false writings and lists of books, with Marcion, a quasi-gnostic being chief among them. Marcion was a big fan of St. Paul, he preferred only the Gospel of Luke, and he even edited that book to his liking. Marcion was a very wealthy layman in Rome, exerting a great deal of influence on the process of coming up with a final table of contents of the New Testament. He was not unlike a great many wealthy people today, trying to build their own legacy in one way or another. Scott pointed out that many times doctrines do not become clearly defined until they come under fierce attack. That is when Bishops need to step in and take the wheel to right the ship of faith. Scott mentions the Muratorian Fragment and I found a short intro to that document on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/qy92uTQw4VQ

You can see that this very early list of books came very close to the final canon, with some glaring diversions. This fragment gives us a window into the process going on for hundreds of years to come up with a valid list of books and letters that would be accepted by the entire Church for the liturgy. Finally, in the year of 367ad, St. Athanasius of Alexandria was commissioned by the Bishop of Rome to write a series of letters to all the churches, dealing with the proper date to celebrate Easter. Much like the list of books for the liturgy, the celebration of Easter varied from region to region in the Christian world up to that time adding to the confusion that already existed. Included in those festal letters, letters about the Easter festival, he included a list of gospels and letters to be used for Easter festival, and the rest of the Church calendar year. That list ended up being the

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final table of contents we have today for the Book of the New Testament. It would be another 15 years before the Synod of Rome and the following council

will put the final seal of approval on the list that Athanasius wrote in his letter. That is a staggering 350 years after the death and resurrection of Christ, which proves conclusively the Church was doing alright for three and a half centuries before the Book of the New Testament, or the Books of the Eucharist came into being. Thank God for the books, but let’s at least give credit to God the Holy Spirit for leading and empowering

the Church for all that time to carry out Jesus’ great commission to go unto all the world and preach the Gospel, baptize, and celebrate the sacraments. Never forget Catholics, this Church was founded on the living Word of Christ Jesus, and the written word that came much later.

So…what criteria did the bishops use to determine the correct list of books and letters? Orthodoxy was primary along with universality…meaning, books and letters that were in perfect harmony with the teaching of the Apostles and were recognized by almost all the churches that were out there…that is orthodoxy and universality. And each of them had to be connected to the Apostles, either as being written by one of the Apostles, or written by one who was in direct contact with one of original twelve. That is called apostolicity…connected to the Apostles, so there you have the three-legged structure that held up the final canon of the New Covenant, orthodoxy, universality, and apostolicity. Those are big words to describe the final books and letters of the Eucharist. I keep saying

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that to try and break our modern way of thinking about the books of the New Testament. In reality they didn’t even exist as a book in the very beginning, they were instead books and letters to be collected together. Few churches could afford having one book, binding all the books and letters together. And…the whole purpose of the books and letters were not for scholars working on their doctorates in high and mighty universities. They were for the liturgy of the Eucharist, the books of the New Testament existed for the liturgy of the New and Eternal Covenant.

Scott spent some time reminiscing about one of his professors who was a expert on the ancient blood covenants, not just Jewish covenants, but also ancient covenants from many different cultures. Without exception, when the documents of those blood covenants were finally written down, they were always kept in sacred places, mostly sacred temples. The scrolls of the Old Covenant were kept in the Temple in Jerusalem, and later copies were kept in synagogues through out the ancient world. 4th century churches began to be constructed with recesses built in, one for what today we call the tabernacle, containing the blessed hosts,

and the other for the books and letters of the New and Eternal Covenant. Scott points out during the terrible persecutions that came in waves in the early centuries of the Church, Roman authorities demanded to know where both the tabernacle was, along with the sacred books and letters. Even the enemies of

the Church knew what made those books and letters sacred, they knew they were used for liturgical worship. It is sad to think that the enemies of the Church knew more about the use and importance of those books and letters than we do in our modern times.

One of the worst crimes against the Church was to give up the blessed hosts, and the sacred books and letters to the Romans. The two were organically connected, the Eucharist and the sacred books. The holiness of the books came from the holiness of Eucharist…and the sacrament of the Eucharist came first, long before there were any sacred books and letters. If you disconnect the two, both are

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diminished. The liturgy leading up to the Eucharist is profound and sacred, and the Sacrament of the Eucharist gives full meaning to the liturgy that surrounds the sacred event. The New Testament was made for the Eucharist, take the Eucharist away, or even the understanding of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, you take away the heart of sacred scriptures. Even pagan Rome knew that. This verse in Revelation is a perfect example.

Revelation 1:3 (RSV2CE) 3 Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near.

Mass is the very heart of the Catholic faith…you are not required to attend this class, and you don’t have to have an hour of Eucharistic adoration. What are we obligated to do…attend Mass every week and observe days of obligation. I love having you in this class, and selfishly I wish everyone at St. Teresa had to be a part of this…but this class is not the heart of our faith, Mass is. I truly think this class strengthens and encourages your Catholic faith, and your ability to share the Catholic faith. And…the Bible is the only book required to be read at the Mass. That makes both the Mass and the Bible sacred and holy. Catholics do not diminish the importance of the Bible, it is an important part of the Mass, and it always will be. We are in reality “Consuming The Word” throughout the entire Mass, both in the reading of the Word, and the celebration of the todah sacrifice, the Eucharist.

This ties in so well with what we learned in Scott’s series, The Lamb’s Supper. Here is a flash back to some of that teaching.

Scott then takes us to a scroll or book that is mentioned chapter 5, Revelation 5:1–5 (RSV2CE) 1 And I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the

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back, sealed with seven seals; 2 and I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Weep not; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Here Scott relates this passage to the liturgy of Word during the first half of the Mass, as we read about the book that only the Lion of the tribe of Judah can open here in the first half of Revelation. He believes that all of this comes to a climax in chapter twelve with a dramatic depiction of the contents of the book, and I want us to listen to that chapter together and see if you don’t hear echoes of the story of our salvation. (play in the Living Bible)

The second half of Revelation, starting with chapter 13, begins to focus on several bowls Scott believes is better translated chalices from the original Greek, signaling the second half of the Mass and the liturgy of the Eucharist. Revelation 15:7 (RSV2CE) 7 And one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives for ever and ever;

Revelation 19:9 (RSV2CE) 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.”

Here we see seven chalices being described in chapter 15, and then culminating in chapter 19 with the “marriage upper of the Lamb”. Notice this supper is not just any supper, it is the marriage supper of the Lamb. A marriage is going to take place at this supper. We already know who the host of the supper is, and we know who the Lamb is…the host and the Lamb are one in the same, Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, the groom about to be united with His bride. But, who are “those” being invited to the marriage supper? Every Catholic ought to get this one…the priest proclaims it at every Mass.

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Who is the Bride of Christ, we are…the Church, and we are blessed, as the Priest proclaims at every Mass, to be called to the Supper of the Lamb. I can see where Scott is going with all of this, but at this point in his video he doubles down with a list of liturgical items and language in this last book of the Bible, that his is convinced strongly point to the Mass.

Holy, Holy, Holy Rev 4:8Lamb of God ThroughoutGloria Rev 15:3-4Amen ThroughoutAlleluia Rev 19:1, 3, 6Incense Rev 5:8Altars Rev 8:3Books Chapter 5Chalices Chapter 16Men in white robes Rev 4:4Angels/Saints praying for people Chapter 8

All of this is concentrated, with a laser focus, on the Lamb of God that John described, “as if slain…standing,” revealing the eternal sacrifice that is represented at every Mass.

Revelation 5:6–10 (RSV2CE) 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth; 7 and he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints; 9 and they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you

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were slain and by your blood you ransomed men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 and have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on earth.”

I love the challenge Scott makes to both protestants and Catholics, to the protestants he invites them to come to Mass and watch the Book of Revelations unfold before your very eyes. He also challenges Catholics to stop avoiding the book, and dive into the Church’s teaching tradition on this powerful book. Scott

makes it clear that there is a perfect match between the Apocalypse and the Mass. We will see if the following weeks of this class strengthens his premise, or simply muddies the water. I am on board with Scott’s understanding, as are many Catholics, including several of the Early Fathers who seem to agree.