Episode 1: The Right Books
The Christians in the first three centuries after Jesus’ death came to a quick agreement regarding what books did or didn’t have a direct connection with Jesus. First-century Judaism connected its understanding of scripture with God’s promises of deliverance and redemption. We see within the New Testament that, at that time, they were “looking for the Messiah” (John 1:41), waiting for “the redemption of Jerusalem,” and the “restoration of the Kingdom” (Luke 2:25, 38). In other words, the Jews within Jesus’ day did not view scripture as being complete. Rather, the story of Hebrew scripture (the Old Testament) was read within their day as a story in search of a conclusion. This set the stage for the writing of the New Testament books being that conclusion. Jesus established the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31), and the natural question for the Jews of his day would have been “Here is the fulfillment of the promises of deliverance and redemption, so, where are the books?”
The Gospels and the Epistles of Paul positioned themselves at the nucleus of the New Testament scriptures. Christians did not pick or vote on which writings had the authority to grant them scriptural/canonical status but recognized the authority these documents already possessed. There was a conscious recognition that, when Jesus breathed on his disciples (John 20:22) and they received the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ authority was given to the Apostles. Therefore, only the books associated with having a direct relationship with this immediate Jesus group could even begin to be considered as holding scriptural status. The 27 books we call the New Testament are those books that were recognized as possessing this unique and inspired position.
Key Definitions
Canon – derived from the ancient Greek word kanōn (κανών) and the Semitic kánna (קָנֶה), was a word that originally referred to a reed stick. These sticks were used as measuring rods, and eventually the word became synonymous with the idea of a “standard” by which something was measured. Within early Christianity the idea of a “standard” by which someone discerned the proper books considered scripture was talked about under the category of what was or wasn’t “canonical.” The final canonical list that we use today finds its shape and order from Athanasius' Festal Letter (367 AD). Athanasius’ writing however, wasn’t a pronouncement of the canon, but merely a list of the books that had already been established and recognized as scripture for the centuries leading up to it.
Apocryphal – originating from the Greek word apocryphos (ἀπόκρυφος) meaning “strange,” “hidden,” or “secret.” The term became synonymous with non-canonical writings. It became customary within early Christianity to use the description of “apocryphal” for books that were being touted or considered scripture but did not have authentic connections for the criteria of canonicity.
Gnosticism – a modern term that included a group of mystic religious philosophies popular in the second and third centuries AD. Although there were many competing ideas within the umbrella of what we today consider “ancient Gnosticism” the common theme between all of them focused on an original perfect divinity and lesser divine beings (known as Aeons) that radiate out from the one pure divinity. Essential to Gnosticism is the idea that the physical world is evil and the spiritual world is pure. Gnostics believed that this world was created by an evil god (known as the Demi-Urge) who trapped spiritual beings within evil physical realities. To escape from this physical world one must realize, through secret knowledge (γνῶσις - gnosis in Greek, of where we get the group’s namesake) that they too are divine, and by this realization (knowledge revealed to humanity by Aeons) people can break free and release their divine spirit. Gnostic belief often appropriated already existing religious figures into the pantheon of the Aeons. Within “Christian Gnosticism” Jesus is portrayed as an Aeon who communicates this secret knowledge to his followers. Gnostic literature, such as the Gospel of Thomas, commandeered the names of key biblical characters in an attempt to popularize and legitimize these ideas.
Examples of Famous Gnostic Gospels:
The Gospel of Judas - Discovered in El Minya, Egypt in the 1970s;
The Gospel of Mary - Discovered in Cairo, Egypt in 1896;
The Gospel of Thomas - Discovered at Oxyrhynchus, Egypt in the 1890s,
- Discovered in the Nag Hammadi Dessert, Egypt in 1945;
Gospel of Philip - Discovered in the Nag Hammadi Dessert, Egypt in 1945;
Gospel of Peter - Discovered at Akhmim, Egypt in 1886.
Going Deeper: The main criteria of New Testament canonicity for the early Christians had to do with a writing’s connection to Jesus – either someone who knew Jesus directly, or someone who knew someone who knew him personally. Given this standard, what would be the books that had obvious connections to Jesus that were included within our Bible? What canonical books might have had an indirect association. (For example, Luke was not an apostle, why would his Gospel have been considered scripture?) Take a look at Philemon 1:24
Further Reading:
Greg Lanier, How We Got the Bible?
John Meade, Scribes and Scripture
William Mounce, Why Should I Trust the Bible?
F.F. Bruce, The Canon of Scripture
Michael J. Kruger, The Heresy of Orthodoxy
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