[3] Bible:
Canon, Origin and Divisions
9. How was the canon of
the Bible formed?
a. Principles for determining which books are in the canon:
-
authoritative -- speak with
authority as if "God spoke" (Mk 1:22)
-
prophetic -- written by man
of God (such as the apostles) (2Pe 1:20-21; Gal 1:1)
-
authentic or truthful -- historical
accuracies and moral congruities
-
dynamic -- transforming force
for edification (2Ti 3:16) and evangelization (1Pe 1:23)
-
accepted or received by the
people of God, confirmed by church councils -- subjective testimony of
the Holy Spirit
b. OT (39 books): widely accepted
by the Jews who followed Ezra in exposition of the Law (Neh 9-10) and formed
an assembly responsible for recognition and preservation of OT canon, Great
Synagogue in 5th to 3rd century BC.
c. NT (27 books): accepted by Church
Fathers (whole NT quoted except 11 verses), confirmed by church councils
at Laodicea (AD 363), and at Carthage (AD 397).
d. Apocrypha (15 books):
-
meaning "hidden", hard to understand
-
contained in the Alexandrian Canon
(Gr) as opposed to the Palestinian Canon (Heb)
-
written mostly between 200 BC and AD
100
-
rejected by the early church and Protestants
because of:
-
some unbiblical teachings, e.g. prayers
for the dead, salvation by works
-
fanciful stories, morality based on
expediency
-
historical and chronological errors
-
of historical value and some devotional
value
-
accepted by the Roman Catholic Church
as part of the Bible
10.
Why is it not possible to add more books to the Bible?
a. Bible verses that infer the
closure of the canon:
-
Jude 3: "the faith which was
once
for all entrusted to the saints"; this verse written after all NT books
except Revelation
-
Rev 22:18-19: John warned against adding
to or taking from "the prophecy of this book"
b. Decision by the universal Church:
-
Council of Carthage (AD 397): Both
OT and NT were prescribed as the limit of the canon and the church’s final
authority. No other writings, synods, councils, or bishops could assert
another or new authority.
-
There are no more prophetic or apostolic
spokesmen for God recognized by the universal Church.
11.
Not even a single original manuscript is available; what then is the origin
of our present Bible?
a. Old Testament
-
Masoretic text: copies of the original
OT books with vowel points added and text standardized by Masoretes (Jewish
scribes) during 5th to 10th century AD.
-
7 manuscripts (hand-written copies)
left, the only complete OT is Leningrad Codex (AD 1008). Jews destroyed
all pages even with one single error and thus only a few were left but
all with very high accuracy.
-
Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947-56
dated from 2nd century BC to 1st century AD. They provide an overwhelming
confirmation of accuracy of the Masoretic text.
b. New Testament
-
There are over 5000 manuscripts from
2nd to 15th century containing different parts of the NT. Standard text
is derived from the comparison of manuscripts.
-
Textus Receptus (1624) -- used in translating
KJV, but not based on the best manuscripts
-
Critical text (1881) -- more accurate
(edited by Westcott and Hort)
c. Chapters and verses were not
in the original Bible. They were added in 1551 & 1555. The first complete
Bible using them was the Geneva Bible in 1560.
d. Why didn’t God preserve the original
autographs?
-
one possible reason: to prevent man’s
tendency to worship religious relics (see example of Israelites worshipping
the brazen serpent made by Moses in 2Ki 18:4).
12.
What are the main divisions of the Bible?
a. Hebrew Bible: 3 divisions, 22
books (Lk 24:44)
-
Law (Torah) -- Genesis to Deuteronomy
(5 books)
-
Prophets -- Joshua, Judges (+Ruth),
Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah (+Lamentations), Ezekiel, the Twelve (minor
prophets) (8 books)
-
Writings -- Psalms, Proverbs, Job,
Song of Songs, Esther, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, Chronicles
(9 books)
b. Traditional Christian divisions:
(1) OT: theme: the Hebrew nation through
whom God was to bless all nations (Gen 12:1-3)
-
Law [Genesis to Deuteronomy]: moral
life of Israel (Gen-God chose, Ex-God redeemed, Lev-God sanctified, Nu-God
guided, Dt-God instructed)
-
History [Joshua to Esther]: national
life of Israel
-
Poetry [Job to Song of Songs]: spiritual
life of Israel
-
Prophets [Isaiah to Malachi]: prophetic
or Messianic life of Israel
(2) NT: theme: salvation available
for all nations through the church
-
Gospels [Matthew to John]: historical
manifestation of Christ
-
Acts [Acts]: propagation of faith in
Christ
-
Epistles [Romans to Jude]: interpretation
of Christ’s person and work
-
Revelation [Revelation]: all things
summed up in Christ
c. Based on the central theme
of the Bible: Jesus Christ (Lk 24:44):
(1) OT: 4 divisions:
| Law |
Foundation
for Christ |
Downward
look (5 books) |
| History |
Preparation
for Christ |
Outward
look (12 books) |
| Poetry |
Aspiration
for Christ |
Upward look
(5 books) |
| Prophecy |
Expectation
of Christ |
Forward
look (5+12 books) |
(2) NT: 4 divisions:
| Gospels |
Manifestation
of Christ |
Downward
look (4 books) |
| Acts |
Propagation
of Christ |
Outward
look (1 book) |
| Epistles |
Interpretation
and Application of Christ |
Upward look
(21 books) |
| Revelation |
Consummation
in Christ |
Forward
look (1 book) |
d. Complementarity of the two
parts:
The New is in the Old contained and
the Old is in the New explained.
OT revealed in NT; NT veiled in OT.