TWW-NT Canon

Notice that this fragment is a Pseudepigraphica

Pocket dictionary for the study of New Testament Greek — Writings written under a false name. There are Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and New Testament Pseudepigrapha.

The large collection of pseudonymous gospels, books of acts, epistles and apocalypses that were not recognized by the church and thus not included in the New Testament canon. Sometimes used synonymously with New Testament Apocrypha.

Open: This lesson causes us to have to think about our Bible. What makes the writings included in it “final?” Why not accept documents like the Infancy Gospel of Thomas?

John Higgins (Th.D and Missionary to India) writing in the volume Systematic Theology edited by Stanley Horton (renown AG theologian)

THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE

All religious literature, even the most helpful and widely read, is not considered Scripture. This not only is true today, but also was true in the days of the writing of the Old and New Testaments.

The Apocrypha, pseudepigrapha, and other religious writings were recognized as having varying degrees of value, but were not considered worthy to be called the Word of God. Only the sixty-six books contained in the Bible are referred to as the canon of Scripture.

The term “canon” comes from the Greek kanon, which denoted a carpenter’s rule or some similar measuring rod. In the Greek world, canon came to mean “a standard or norm by which all things are judged or evaluated.” Canons developed for architecture, sculpture, literature, philosophy, and so forth. Christians began to use the term theologically to designate those writings that had met the standard to be considered holy Scripture. These canonical books alone are regarded as the authoritative and infallible revelation from God.

It is understandable that the Jewish and Christian believers would want to have an established canon as other fields of learning had. Religious persecution, geographical expansion, and increasing circulation of a wide range of religious writings added to the impetus to gather such a canon.

Tradition suggests that Ezra was largely responsible for gathering the Jewish sacred writings into a recognized canon.

However, the recognition of a closed Old Testament canon is usually dated from a supposed Council of Jamnia about A.D. 90–100. The oldest surviving Christian list of the Old Testament canon comes from about A.D. 170, compiled by Melito, bishop of Sardis. In the early centuries of Christianity various canons of Scripture were proposed, from that of the heretic Marcion in 140 to the Muratorian Canon of 180 to the first complete New Testament Canon of Athanasius in 367.

The New Testament canon as we now have it was officially recognized at the Third Council of Carthage in 397 and by the Eastern Church by 500.

The establishment of the biblical canon was not the decision of the writers or religious leaders or a church council, however.

Rather, the process of these particular books’ being accepted as Scripture was the Holy Spirit’s providential influence on the people of God.

The canon was formed by consensus rather than decree.

The Church did not decide which books should be in the biblical canon, but simply acknowledged those already recognized by God’s people as His Word. Clearly, the Church was not the authority; it saw the authority in the inspired Word.

Various guiding principles, or criteria, for canonical writings, however, have been suggested. They include

apostolicity, universality, church use, survivability, authority, age, content, authorship, authenticity, and dynamic qualities.

Of primary concern was whether the writing was regarded as inspired. Only those writings breathed out by God fit the measure of the authoritative Word of God.

The biblical canon is closed. God’s infallible self-revelation has been recorded. Today He continues to speak in and through that Word. Just as God revealed himself and inspired writers to record that revelation, He preserved those inspired writings and guided His people in the selection of them to ensure His truth would be known.

Other writings are not to be added to, nor any writings taken from, the canonical Scriptures. The canon contains the historical roots of the Christian Church, and “the canon cannot be remade for the simple reason that history cannot be remade.”

Oldest Known Fragment of Apocryphal Book About Jesus' Childhood Deciphered The Wired Word for the Week of June 16, 2024

In the News

A papyrus fragment of an ancient manuscript, long thought to be an everyday document from antiquity -- such as a letter or shopping list -- was recently deciphered and shown to be a portion of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas (IGT), a work that purports to tell events from Jesus' childhood between the ages of 5 and 12.

The IGT, believed by Bible researchers to have been written in the second century A.D., is one of the "infancy gospels", a body of writings from the early centuries after Christ that are not regarded by Christian denominations as authentic accounts of Jesus, and thus are deemed apocryphal. While they are regarded as useful in helping us understand the historical and cultural context of earlier times, they do not contribute reliable information about Jesus.

Apocryphal works are related to biblical context, but are not part of the accepted canon of scripture. "Canon," when used in relation to literary works, refers to the established critical standard of those materials, defining the degree of merit and accuracy that must be judged to be present in a document before it can be included in a specified collection. In this case, the collection is the New Testament and the canon is both the list of included books and the assembled books themselves. The IGT did not make the cut of the New Testament canon.

Researchers have long had access to copies of the IGT, some of which are written in Greek and some in Syriac. Although the original is believed to have been composed in the second century after Christ, the oldest known copy of the IGT in Greek before this latest discovery is from the 11th-century. The existence of copies in the two languages has caused researchers to wonder in which language the IGT was originally written.

For decades, the recently deciphered fragment, containing text written in Greek, had been kept at Hamburg, Germany's Carl von Ossietzky State and University Library. But because the handwriting appeared to be clumsy, the scrap of text was thought to be part of an everyday document, and no one had looked at it in depth.

But recently two researchers, Lajos Berkes of the Institute for Christianity and Antiquity at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Gabriel Nocchi Macedo of the University of Liège, Belgium, spotted the word "Jesus" in the fragment, and then decoded the balance of the words, recognizing it as text from the IGT.

The fragment, which has been dated to the fourth or fifth century, is now the oldest copy of the IGT known to exist. While it appears to follow the original known text, it offers no new content. But being written in Greek, it does provide evidence, though not proof, that the original IGT was composed in that language, and offers researchers new insights into the transmission of the text.

Berkes and Macedo posit that this particular copy may have been created in a school or monastery as a writing exercise, which may account for the clumsy handwriting.

More on this story can be found at these links:

Experts Decipher Oldest Manuscript of Jesus Childhood Gospel. Newsweek Infancy Gospel of Thomas. Wikipedia How Is the Age of an Ancient Manuscript Determined? Blue Letter Bible The Infancy Gospel of Thomas, translated by Mark M. Mattison. gospels.net

Applying the News Story

The deciphering of the fragment of the IGT doesn't add anything to our biblical knowledge. In fact, it's easy to see why the IGT was not accepted by the early church as scripture. Among the stories of Jesus it tells, are tales of his killing two boys for childish offenses and causing the blindness of adults who complained about it. He later reverses these acts, resurrecting the two boys and healing the blind parents, but it's not hard to see why the church leaders nixed the IGT from the New Testament canon. In the fourth century, Eusebius, a historian of Christianity and bishop of the church, rejected the IGT as a heretical "fiction," and in the fifth century, Pope Gelasius I included it in his list of heretical books.

The use of the term "apocrypha" can be confusing:.

When capitalized, The Apocrypha usually refers to the "Deuterocanonical" (second canon) books and additions that are accepted as part of the Old Testament by Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, but not by Judaism and the rest of Christianity.  Some of these are whole books (e.g., 1 and 2 Maccabees, Baruch, Tobit, etc.), but this also includes some additions, such as Bel and the Dragon (chapter 14 of an enlarged book of Daniel). These books are often considered useful for reading, and were included either within or as separate sections of older translations, such as the Vulgate, Martin Luther's German Bible, and even the original King James Version.

Roman Catholicism in the 16th century declared these to be part of the biblical canon; they are not placed in a separate section.  There are other books and selections considered "Old Testament apocryphal," such as Psalm 151, which are accepted by some Christian groups.

There is no definitive "New Testament Apocrypha" as such, although there are many apocryphal (non-canonical) books. Many of these are also "pseudepigrapha," (writings falsely attributed to someone). The Infancy Gospel of Thomas is one of these. None of these are included as canonical by the vast majority of Christian groups.  

The term "apocryphal" in English in the past few centuries has come to mean something that is fictional or of doubtful authenticity.

The news of the decoding of the IGT fragments, however, does offer us an opportunity to learn about how the New Testament came to be. So that will be our topic today.

Interestingly, I came across a news story today that tells how the PCA at its annual meeting last week, voted to investigate the Christian appropriateness of the best-selling book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, who was part of the PCA and died in August last year at age 77:

Has anybody read any of it?

Your thoughts?

CT says: Pastors in the denomination are concerned that Young’s use of the voice of Jesus in the book undermines the concept of sola Scriptura and might amount to heresy.

Young herself said her devotions were meant to be read “with your Bible open.”

IX Marks:

Merits:

First, Jesus Calling reminds us that Jesus’ work on the cross is the foundation for being reconciled with God.

Second, Jesus Calling warns readers against succumbing to false beliefs and idols that inhibit trust in Jesus.

Third, Jesus Calling accurately describes the goal of the Christian’s life as being made fit by God for the life to come.

Mistakes:

The first troubling trait of Jesus Calling is Young’s decision to write “from the perspective of Jesus speaking.” Perhaps this perspective contributes to the book’s popularity. Unfortunately, it also places Young in a position of misleading her readers. By presenting her own words as those of our Lord’s, Young is attributing an unwarranted significance to them

Second, while Jesus Calling acknowledges the value of the Bible, it considers Scripture to be only one of many ways that God reveals Himself.

While it is true that God may use different means to guide us,  statements like this one are most unhelpful. Young makes no effort here, or elsewhere, to make a careful distinction between the authoritative and unerring Scriptures and fallible secondary means of guidance. She never makes clear that we can trust the Bible like nothing else.

Third, Jesus Calling promotes a simplistic and even misleading approach to having fellowship with God that doesn’t take trials seriously. It acknowledges their reality, to be sure, but it addresses them superficially. Young suggests that trusting Jesus instantly removes their full weight.

Fourth, Jesus Calling contains other unhelpfully ambiguous statements:

Let My light soak into your mind and heart, until you are aglow with My very being. This is the most effective way to receive my peace. (May 31)

Let my love seep into the inner recesses of your being. Let my brilliant Love-Light search out and destroy hidden fears. (July 28)

Breathe slowly and deeply. Relax in My Holy Presence while My face shines on you. (Oct. 13)

Emotional and physical healing are enhanced by your soaking in the Light of My Presence. (Dec. 13)

If people seek to orient themselves to Christianity by reading Jesus Calling, they might be forgiven for being confused by the language contained in the sayings above—unless, after hearing it, they conclude that the Christian faith is a kind of spiritual equivalent to suntanning, soaking in a spa, or standing in a hot shower!

Even more, Jesus Calling also has some outright misleading statements.

One such expression emerges from Young’s assumption that because the Lord will never leave or condemn his people, he will never be displeased with them. “I love you regardless of how well you are performing. . . . I love you with an everlasting love that flows out of eternity without limits or conditions…your accomplishment as a Christian has no bearing on my love for you.” (Apr. 19) Young captures a kernel of truth here.

Yet the real Jesus also says, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love” (Jn 15:10). How does this statement factor into Young’s thinking?

Young misguidedly suggests that the Lord does not have conditions upon which His people’s increasing joy and obedience may be realized. But Jude says, “Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life” (Jude 21). Notice the emphasis on keeping ourselves in God’s love. In other words, believers can stray from God’s love in such a way that their fellowship with Him is marred, …

While Jesus Calling may contain a few helpful thoughts about the centrality of the gospel, the danger of idolatry and the goal of sanctification, it also has too many erroneous statements to warrant any serious recommendation. For their times of quiet study, meditation and prayer, God’s people would be better off using … the Book through which the real Jesus calls us.

Along with being careful about Jesus Calling is a resource I have used on Sunday nights:

I Hear Your Whisper by the primary translator of the Passion Translation.

Books like these are an author’s thoughts about how Jesus or God might speak to us.

They can be encouraging, BUT they are still just one person’s thoughts.

How does this compare to the Gifts of the Spirit, especially 6 of them:

Prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues, wisdom, knowledge and discerning of spirits.

1 Thessalonians 5:19–22 (LSB) Do not quench the Spirit; 20 do not despise prophecies, 21 but examine all things; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil.

1 John 4:1 (LSB) Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

1 Corinthians 14:29 (LSB) And let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment.

Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Acts 2:14-17 (For context, read Acts 2:14-41.)

Acts 2:14–21 (LSB) But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. 15 “For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is the third hour of the day; 16 but this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 ‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says, ‘THAT I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; 18 EVEN ON MY MALE SLAVES AND FEMALE SLAVES, I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR OUT MY SPIRIT And they shall prophesy. 19 ‘AND I WILL PUT WONDERS IN THE SKY ABOVE AND SIGNS ON THE EARTH BELOW, BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOR OF SMOKE. 20 ‘THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE GREAT AND AWESOME DAY OF THE LORD COMES. 21 ‘AND IT WILL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’

Contains: Joel 2:28-32a

Acts 2:14-41 contains Peter's sermon to the crowd on the Day of Pentecost. It can rightfully be called the first Christian sermon. But note that for his text, Peter drew from the Old Testament book of Joel. In fact, there was no New Testament yet. But the early Christians saw a continuity between the Hebrew scripture and what God was doing in their day through Christ.

But hold on. The New Testament was coming …

Questions: Why didn't, for Christians, the New Testament simply replace the Old Testament?

What would have been lost in terms of faith resources if it had?

We are back to what we looked at last week in Galatians 2:24— the Law and other OT writings “school us” in the things of God so that we can fully appreciate what Jesus has done. We would be lost in so many ways without the OT.

2 Timothy 2:8-9; 3:14-17 (For context, read 2 Timothy 2:8-13; 3:14-17.)

2 Timothy 2:8–9 (LSB) Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, of the seed of David, according to my gospel, 9 for which I endure hardship even to chains as a criminal. But the word of God has not been chained.

2 Timothy 3:14–17 (LSB) But you, continue in the things you learned and became convinced of, knowing from whom you learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be equipped, having been thoroughly equipped for every good work.

When Paul wrote to Timothy from a Roman jail, he wanted to do all he could to bolster Timothy in the faith. Paul alluded to his own situation: that for preaching the Gospel, he had been "chained like a criminal." Then, in contrast to his prison chains, he added, "But the word of God is unchained."

When Paul here used the expression "the word of God," he was referring to the spoken Gospel. (I would suggest it would also include the MANY OT references that the Gospel writers and speakers referenced.)

In Paul's day, the New Testament did not yet exist. The early Christians were living the New Testament. But that spoken Gospel, spread by word of mouth from Christians to others, eventually came to be recorded in the New Testament as we now have it. Thus the written word of God today accurately refers to both the New Testament and the Old Testament.

Obviously some of what we have at least began their existence as writings (letters, written instructions, etc.)

Later in this same letter, when Paul wrote about the "sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus," and added, "All scripture is inspired by God," he was affirming the Hebrew scripture (what Christians call the Old Testament) to Timothy as well as commending him in the faith.

In line with how the New Testament came to be, we can see that the "word of God" really was unchained. Almost all the early Christians were Jews, and when they initially referred to scripture, they were thinking only of the Hebrew Bible. But through Jesus, they were hearing fresh words from God, and thus were gradually coming to see that it couldn't be limited to what the scriptures as they knew them provided.

Jesus took OT writings and expanded on them, which He, the Son of God was qualified to do:

Matthew 7:28–29 (LSB) Now it happened that when Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were astonished at His teaching; 29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

Example: Matthew 5:21–22 (LSB) “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever murders shall be guilty before the court.’ 22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ shall be guilty before the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

Questions: In what ways has God's word been unchained for you -- that is, when has the Bible as we have it helped you to hear new things from God?

It happens during times of prayer.

Through the preaching of others.

Through songs.

How do you use the existing scriptures to evaluate those new things?

It must not contradict other scriptures:

2 Peter 1:20–21 (LSB) Know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes by one’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever made by the will of man, but men being moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

The new treasury of scripture knowledge: … every statement in Scripture must be understood in the light of what the rest of Scripture teaches which bears upon the same theme. Of absolute importance to the correct interpretation of Scripture is to make a full and proper induction of all related passages, and develop from them an interpretation which accounts for and agrees with the whole.

Smith, J. H. (1992). The new treasury of scripture knowledge:

… the principles of the correct interpretation of Scripture is of supreme importance. Formally known as the science of biblical hermeneutics, the correct application of such principles is essential to arrive at the correct interpretation of Scripture. Most wrong interpretations of Scripture will be found to violate one or more of the following ten general rules of interpretation:

(1) Interpret the words and sentences of an author literally unless such an interpretation results in a contradiction, absurdity, or nonsense. Be very careful not to label as nonsense what might merely be strange or contrary to your own personal point of view or frame of reference. Sometimes the immediate context will indicate a non-literal interpretation must be understood (“trees clapped their hands,” Is 55:12). In such cases watch for the literal truth or meaning which is being figuratively expressed.

(2) Do not attribute a meaning to a text that would be foreign to the knowledge or understanding of the author or the original audience, or give a meaning which would be outside the purpose of the original author (Thus there are no trains or flying saucers in the Bible).

(3) Do not interpret one statement in the Bible in a way which makes it contradict another part. All the parts must agree without contradictions. Authors write to be understood, not to confuse their audience. Sometimes an author may write an intended ambiguity. Sometimes our own perception of the truth, or our knowledge of the cultural context which produced a document, is incomplete, and our own deficiency of knowledge may lead us to find ambiguity, paradox, and contradiction where there is none. An author, particularly when treating of philosophical and religious subjects, may intentionally introduce paradox (determinism versus free will).

(4) A correct interpretation takes account of all the material in the text, and all related material in other texts of the Bible. You cannot legitimately pick and choose separate statements and combine them arbitrarily (The Bible says, Judas went and hanged himself; go and do thou likewise; what thou doest, do quickly). You cannot leave out material which, if included, would require or necessitate a change in the interpretation. Whenever an interpretation involves the comparison of two or more subjects, the interpretation must take into account not only the similarities but also the differences which may exist.

(5) Read what comes before and after the verse you are interpreting. A correct interpretation always fits into the scope, meaning, and purpose of the surrounding passage or context. A text out of context is a pretext.

(6) An interpretation must be in harmony with the grammar of the sentences involved, and in harmony with the meanings of the words which make up the sentences.

(7) Always interpret obscure, difficult texts in the light of other passages on the same topic which are clear in meaning.

(8) A correct and authoritative interpretation must be based upon what the text itself says, not upon what someone else claims it says.

(9) All that is required to establish an interpretation as correct is evidence (which is in harmony with these rules) from the text sufficient to convince an adequately informed, neutral, unbiased person.

(10) When there are two differing interpretations of a passage, if the interpretations are contradictory, they cannot both be correct. One or the other interpretation must be wrong, or they may both be wrong, but they cannot both be right.

A correct interpretation must comply with the rules of interpretation; an incorrect interpretation will always be found not to comply with the rules.

Luke 1:1-4 Luke 1:1–4 (LSB) Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, handed them down to us, 3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in orderly sequence, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty about the things you have been taught.

John 20:30-31 John 20:30–31 (LSB) Therefore many other signs Jesus also did in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

Colossians 4:16 (For context, read Colossians 4:10-18.) Colossians 4:16 (LSB) And when this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea.

In the final chapter of Mark, the gospel writer tells of the resurrected Jesus commissioning his disciples to continue the work he had begun. Jesus told them to "Go into all the world and write down the good news for the whole creation."

Well, no, that is not exactly what Jesus said. What he told them was to "proclaim the good news to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15, italics added), and the difference between writing and proclaiming is significant. The good news was eventually written down -- that is how we got the New Testament -- but before that happened, a whole lot of proclaiming took place. Beginning at Pentecost, the followers of Jesus began telling the Gospel, often citing the Hebrew scriptures as pointing to Jesus. As Paul would later explain it to the Romans, "So faith comes from what is heard ..." (Romans 10:17, italics added).

Certainly some of the writings that eventually became the New Testament began to be circulated within the lifetimes of the first Christians, but the full collection of the 27 books of the Christian scriptures were not stamped as scripture until the fourth century. In fact, the church was birthed on the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it was verbally proclaimed by the first Christians. It was their faithful testimony that brought others in and caused the church to grow rapidly beyond its beginnings in Jerusalem.

To be sure, the New Testament eventually emerged from the labor of specific Christian authors, including Matthew, Luke, Paul and others, but at the time they wrote, they probably had no idea that their words would eventually be considered scripture. When Paul corresponded with Timothy saying "how from childhood you have known sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus " (2 Timothy 3:15), Paul was referring neither to his own writings nor to those of Peter, John, the unknown author of Hebrews, nor to any of the other writers whose works were eventually included in the New Testament. He was referring to the "law and the prophets," the Old Testament.

It's reasonably certain that the writers of the New Testament did not consciously set out to write Christian scriptures to provide a book for the church. While proclaiming the good news, however, they interpreted the events of Jesus' life as being intended outcomes from the Hebrew Bible's texts.

In time, of course, it became important for the church to gather documents about the Christian faith, but some of that probably happened without planning. As apostolic teachings and stories of Jesus were committed to writing, it was quite natural that these documents would be circulated and read in the churches. Both the Luke 1 and John 20 texts above are examples of writers explaining why they were writing about Jesus, but still, those writers likely had no idea that what they were writing would one day be considered for inclusion in the book of the church, the New Testament.

And as the Colossians 4 text above shows, Paul instructed that his letter to the church at Colossae be read not only by the original recipients but also be passed on to the church at Laodicea, and vice versa, though it is unlikely he was considering his work as "scripture."

One primary reason for the intentional gathering of the documents was the unrelenting march of time. The eyewitnesses to Jesus' life, death and resurrection were growing old and would soon be passing from the scene. What's more, as Christianity spread, the vast majority of new Christians never had the opportunity to meet the original witnesses. Other means had to be found to preserve the story of Jesus, summarize the church's beginnings, and link both of these things to the church's present and guarantee a continued witness into the future. Thus, collecting the written works about Jesus and the correspondence of the apostles became imperative.

Another factor in play was that some writings were being circulated in the name of the apostles that were not from their pens and did not contain true apostolic teachings. Thus, simply as a protection against misleading claims, false accounts and questionable doctrine, the church collected and sanctioned written material that reliably represented Christ and the church.

In the opening lines of his gospel, Luke, quoted above, alluded to the proliferation of accounts about Jesus that were in circulation and to the fact that the faith had been transmitted by eyewitnesses. Luke wrote without criticizing the other accounts, but his words convey that a large number of "gospels" existed. Thus, it eventually fell to the church to sift the wheat from the chaff, making the canon a needed thing.

Questions: How much of your knowledge about God and Christ came, either directly or indirectly, from the New Testament?

What other sources have contributed to your understanding of the Christian faith?

2 Peter 3:15-16 (For context read, 2 Peter 3:1-18.)

2 Peter 3:15–16 (LSB) and consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

The second letter of Peter is one of the last books of the New Testament to be written. Note that by then, the letters of Paul are compared with "other scriptures," which suggest that a New Testament canon, if only an informal one, was beginning to form.

Note also that Peter says that some "ignorant and unstable" individuals twist Paul's letters, along with other scriptures, for their own purposes. That indicates another reason for the move from only oral proclamation of the good news to proclaiming and writing it. When it is written, it is harder for opponents of the word to make it say something it doesn't say.

Questions: What problems of interpretation remain after God's word is written down? Why?

See handout on Hermeneutics

The Big Questions

1.What are the implications of a New Testament with a closed canon (i.e., no books can be either added to or subtracted from it)? Does your denomination consider the canon "closed" and, if so, where is the list given?

2. Which came first: the church or the New Testament? Why might the answer to that question matter?

3. If the canons of both the Old Testament and the New Testament are closed, how should we categorize new revelations God may give to us today?

They should be interpreted and understood in light of the Bible.

4. How does God help us with difficult decisions about matters that are not addressed in the Bible?

Through principles given in the Bible.

For instance:

There is no prohibition in the Bible against pornography, but:

Psalm 101:3 (LSB) I will set no vile thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.

Matthew 5:27–28 (LSB) “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Another example: Cyber bullying or online fraud and theft.

Just because they may be computer-based (an extraBiblical concept) doesn’t negate the in-person instructions and prohibitions.

5. If you had the power to eliminate one book from the Bible, what would it be -- and why? And if you could add to the canon, what would you include -- and why? If you wouldn't want to add or eliminate a book, what led you to that conclusion?

For Further Discussion

1. Respond to this, from the late Ellsworth Kalas, pastor and one of the noted preachers of recent times:

"You see, the Bible comes to us out of human experience, and thus it speaks to experience. It is not a systematic theological document; far from it. It is ... a magnificent hodge-podge of experiences, and responses to experiences. And all of these experiences, of course, have to do with the ultimate experience of our human relationship to Almighty God. It may be the story of a brother killing his brother or a woman seducing her father-in-law, but the stories will be to the same point, the human soul and its God. The lead character may be a king, a shepherd boy, a buffoon, a wise man, a harlot, a homemaker or a saint; but the point at issue for that lead character will always, eventually, be the matter of his or her relationship to the Lord of the universe. And in some strange and wonderful way, this potpourri all comes together in a remarkable unity."

2. The Bible is not an easy book to read. To again quote Ellsworth Kalas:

"The fact is, if I were going to write a Bible, I wouldn't put together the kind of book we have in these two testaments and their 66 highly varied books. I wouldn't include all those lists of hard-to-pronounce names. And I wouldn't give all the details of how to build a portable tabernacle, with measurements and specifics which would interest only an architect or a contractor. Nor would I have all those intricate health and ceremonial laws which you find in the books of Exodus and Leviticus.             "You see, our Bible is not what one would expect a book of religious instruction should be. If you and I were preparing a book to bless and guide people's lives, we wouldn't include large portions of Numbers, Chronicles or Ezekiel. And we'd organize it differently. We have to acknowledge that this book has a style and a purpose of its own; and we confess that in a sense, it has succeeded in spite of itself. On the surface, it isn't the sort of book which looks like a bestseller. It's long, and there are many dull and difficult portions. And while there is a plot, you have to pay attention if you're to find it."

Kalas went on to mention the literary and cultural value of the Bible, but then he said;

"The literary and cultural significance of the Bible is secondary. Indeed, it is almost incidental. The purpose of the Bible is not literary pleasure and cultural broadening, but food and insight for the journey of life. The ghetto woman who spells out the words as she reads is therefore closer to the lifestream of the Bible than the university professor who approaches the Book as simply part of our cultural heritage. The Bible comes out of human experience, and it is best understood there. It is God's reach to our human souls, and fulfills its ultimate purpose when the human and the divine meet in its reading."

3. Respond to this from TWW consultant James Gruetzner.

"This past Sunday in Bible Class, our pastor projected an image of the newly discovered fragment. He discussed the New Testament apocryphal writings and their possible uses to better understand the culture of the ancient world as well as some of the heresies that were cropping up. He mentioned that he would at times get questions about some of these from people wondering why one or more of these writings were not included in the Bible. He noted that some pastors discouraged people from reading them, but he would tell people to read them. It would quickly become apparent that these writings were different in kind from the actual scriptures."

            If you wish to read the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, a link to it is included in the links list above.

Responding to the News

Make an effort to read the Bible more regularly. Here is some guidance for doing so:

Use a modern translation. The old King James Version is beautiful but it is written in 16th-century English. The Bible is tough enough without making it harder. There are many good modern versions, including the New Revised Standard Version, the New International Version, The Good News Bible, The Message and others. All of these have developed as works of the church to make the scriptures more accessible and understandable.

Use a study Bible. (Fire Bible) These are special editions of the translations that have "Helps" such as introductions to the books, explanatory subheads above chapters, and footnotes about difficult passages. Some good ones are The New Interpreter's Study Bible, The Oxford Annotated Bible, and the NIV Study Bible.

Keep a list of things you do not understand from scripture. Later, you can ask other Bible readers, your pastor or look in commentaries that explain the passages.

Read the stuff you can grasp first. When you get bogged down, skip ahead. You will eventually fill in, and church study groups and biblical helps published by the church will assist you.

Attend worship and Sunday school. God often uses good leaders and teachers to guide you as you seek to understand the scripture.

Check your own interpretations against the church. From time to time, some Bible readers have reached dangerous and even distinctly unchristian conclusions from things they have misunderstood in the scriptures. Worse, some have acted upon them and wrought havoc on others. Much of this could have been avoided if those readers had checked their conclusions with church teachings and the wisdom of church leaders rather than assuming their own reading of the Bible was the last word of authority needed.

Most of all, don't give up. Bible reading is a lifetime adventure, and well worth the time you spend doing it.

Prayer

O God, thank you for your Word. Enable us to understand it and internalize it so that it becomes a lamp for our feet and a light for our paths. In Jesus' name. Amen.