1/23 Class Flashcards
What is the primary difference between the Christian Bible and the Jewish Bible?
The Christian Bible includes the New Testament, while the Jewish Bible does not.
What does the term ‘Canon’ originally refer to?
‘Canon’ is a Greek word meaning ‘reed,’ which came to refer to any rule or standard by which things could be compared or judged.
How was the term ‘canon’ used by Alexandrian grammarians?
They used ‘canon’ to refer to a list of standard or classic authors worthy of attention and imitation.
What is the modern connotation of ‘canon’ in reference to the Bible?
It marks a closed, unchangeable set of texts of central religious significance.
What does the rabbinic comment on Ecclesiastes 12:12 suggest about the Bible?
It suggests that the Bible, with its interpretation, is the single sufficient text for the religious community.
What is the standard number of books in the Hebrew Bible?
Twenty-four books.
How does the canonization process of the Hebrew Bible differ from that of the New Testament?
The canonization of the Hebrew Bible is obscure and not well-documented, unlike the New Testament, which was established at councils.
What theory was posited about the canonization of the Hebrew Bible?
Many scholars believed it was canonized at a rabbinic council at Jabneh around 90 CE.
Why is the term ‘canon’ sometimes avoided in reference to the Hebrew Bible?
Some scholars prefer to discuss how the Hebrew Bible became the Hebrew Bible, rather than using the term ‘canon’ derived from New Testament studies.
What did most scholars agree about the Torah’s role in Jewish scripture?
The Torah or Pentateuch functioned as the earliest Jewish ‘Bible.’
What period is associated with the recognition of the Torah as central to the Jewish community?
The Persian period (sixth to fourth centuries BCE).
What assertion about Ezra and the Pentateuch has been reconsidered by scholars?
The assertion that Ezra was solely responsible for the Pentateuch goes beyond the evidence.
What are the three parts of the tripartite canon according to rabbinic tradition?
The three parts are Torah, Nevi’im (prophets), and Ketuvim (writings).
How many books does the traditional Jewish canon contain?
The traditional Jewish canon contains twenty-four books (five in the Torah, eight in Nevi’im, and eleven in Ketuvim).
What is the acronym used for the Hebrew Bible?
The acronym is Tanak(h), which stands for Torah, Nevi’im, and Ketuvim.
What are the two categories of Nevi’im?
Nevi’im is divided into ‘the former prophets’ and ‘the latter prophets’.
Which books are considered ‘the former prophets’?
The former prophets include Joshua, Judges, Samuel (as one book), and Kings (as one book).
Which books are considered ‘the latter prophets’?
The latter prophets consist of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve minor prophets (Hosea through Malachi, seen as one book).
What is the significance of the number twenty-two in relation to the Hebrew alphabet?
The number twenty-two corresponds to the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet.
What is the Alexandrian canon?
The Alexandrian canon refers to the four-part, twenty-two-book arrangement of the Bible.
What is the Palestinian canon?
The Palestinian canon is a tripartite, twenty-four-book arrangement of the Bible.
What is the status of the book of Esther in the Dead Sea Scrolls?
No copy of Esther has survived among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
What does the term ‘bipartite structure’ refer to?
The bipartite structure refers to a possible earlier arrangement of the Torah and other works.
What is the significance of Mt 7.12 in relation to the canon?
Mt 7.12 refers to ‘the law and the prophets’, suggesting a two-part structure.
What does Lk 24.44 refer to?
Lk 24.44 refers to ‘the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms’, indicating a tripartite canon.
When were different Jewish groups likely to have different ‘Bibles’?
Different Jewish groups likely had different ‘Bibles’ through the early first millennium CE.
What does the term ‘Masoretic Text’ (MT) refer to?
The Masoretic Text (MT) is the later ‘official’ Hebrew Bible text.
What did Josephus refer to in relation to biblical books?
Josephus referred to twenty-two biblical books, but it is unclear if he had a smaller canon or different order.
What are some sources of textual differences in biblical manuscripts?
Differences arise from manuscripts from Qumran, translations in the Septuagint, and early rabbinic citations.
What is the Jewish Canon?
The Jewish Canon consists of three main parts: Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketubim (Writings).
What books are included in the Torah?
The Torah includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
What are the Former Prophets in the Jewish Canon?
The Former Prophets include Joshua, Judges, Samuel (1 & 2), and Kings (1 & 2).
What are the Latter Prophets in the Jewish Canon?
The Latter Prophets include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and The Twelve (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi).
What books are included in the Ketubim?
The Ketubim includes Psalms, Proverbs, Job, and the Five Scrolls (Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther), along with Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles (1 & 2).
Does the Hebrew Bible include the Apocrypha?
No, the Hebrew Bible has no Apocrypha.
What is the Protestant Canon?
The Protestant Canon includes the Pentateuch, Histories, Poetical/Wisdom Books, and Prophets.
What books are included in the Pentateuch of the Protestant Canon?
The Pentateuch includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
What are the Histories in the Protestant Canon?
The Histories include Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.
What are the Poetical/Wisdom Books in the Protestant Canon?
The Poetical/Wisdom Books include Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.
What are the Prophets in the Protestant Canon?
The Prophets include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the Twelve (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi).
What is the Apocrypha?
The Apocrypha includes books such as 1 & 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, and others.
What is the Roman Catholic/Orthodox Canon?
The Roman Catholic/Orthodox Canon includes the Pentateuch, Histories, Poetical/Wisdom Books, and Prophets, along with additional books.
What additional books are included in the Roman Catholic/Orthodox Canon?
Additional books include Tobit, Judith, 1 & 2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, and Sirach.
What are some Orthodox Canons that are generally included?
Orthodox Canons generally include 1 & 2 Esdras, Prayer of Manasseh, Psalm 151, 3 Maccabees, and 4 Maccabees (as an Appendix).
What is canonization in the context of the Bible?
Canonization is fundamentally a process of selection, determining which texts are considered authoritative and sacred.
What factors influenced the canonization of biblical texts?
Factors include the community’s views on centrality, authority, sacredness, and inspiration.
What role did the destruction of the Second Temple play in Jewish identity?
The destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE played an important role in Jews becoming the people of the Book.
How was the process of canonization likely conducted?
Canonization was likely not purely top-down; it was more a recognition of texts already held as central by a significant community segment.
What is the Septuagint?
The Septuagint is a Greek translation and expansion of the Hebrew Bible produced for Greek-speaking Jews in the Diaspora.
What does the term ‘Septuagint’ mean?
The term ‘Septuagint’ means ‘seventy’, referring to the seventy-two translators who worked on it.
What additional works did the Septuagint include?
The Septuagint included historical books, wisdom writings, novellas, an apocalypse, and philosophical works.
What is an example of a work excluded from the Hebrew Bible?
Examples of excluded works include The Book of the Wars of the Lord and the Book of Jashar.
What are pseudepigrapha?
Pseudepigrapha are writings falsely attributed to major biblical figures.
How did the Song of Solomon’s interpretation evolve?
Originally an erotic love poem, it was later interpreted allegorically as a love poem between God and Israel.
What does the canonization process reflect about ancient Israel?
The canonization process reflects a typical ancient Near Eastern approach, incorporating diverse viewpoints and traditions.
What are some expansions found in the Septuagint?
Expansions include the Letter of Jeremiah, additions to Esther, Daniel (the Prayer of Azarlah and the Song of the Three Jews), Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, and Psalms (Prayer of Manasseh and Psalm 151).
What authority did the Greek Bible hold for Greek-speaking Jews in the Diaspora?
The Greek Bible was granted authority equivalent to that of the Hebrew texts.
What legend was familiar to Alexandrian Jews regarding the Septuagint?
The legend that God had directly inspired its seventy translators.
What types of manuscripts were discovered at Qumran?
Manuscripts include Greek texts as well as a Hebrew text closer to the Septuagint than to the Masoretic Text.
What revisions occurred to the Septuagint toward the end of the first century CE?
Some books were revised in Palestine to bring them closer to the known Hebrew text.
What was the purpose of Jewish revisions in the second century CE?
To bring the Greek text closer to the Hebrew and to replace terms seized upon by Christians in disputes.
What is the Theodotion version?
The Theodotion version of the second century CE forms the text of most surviving manuscripts.
How did early Christians view the Greek Bible compared to the Hebrew Bible?
Some early Christians were aware that the Greek Bible was more extensive than the Hebrew Bible, but its authority remained intact.
What did Origen recommend to beginning Bible readers?
Origen recommended Judith, Tobit, and Wisdom before the Gospels and Epistles.
What was Jerome’s position regarding the Greek Bible?
Jerome cited the Greek Bible but argued for the superiority of the Hebrew text and canon.
What was the outcome of the history of the Septuagint for the Christian church?
The Christian church ended up with a set of writings for its Old Testament that differed from the Hebrew Bible.
What was the impact of the Protestant Reformation on the study of the Bible?
There was a heightened effort to study the original languages of the Bible, reopening the issue of the status of Old Testament books not accepted by Jews.
How did Martin Luther treat the additional works in his translation?
Luther assigned a separate section for the additional works, not regarding them as scripture.
What was the Calvinist reformers’ stance on additional works?
Calvinist reformers excluded all additional works from the Bible entirely.
What was the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation’s position on additional works?
The Catholic church declared these works definitively a part of the Bible.
Which additional works does the Catholic church maintain as canonical?
The Catholic church maintains the canonical status of Tobit, Judith, the longer version of Esther, 1 and 2 Maccabees, the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch, and the Letter of Jeremiah.
What additional books do the Orthodox churches regard as canonical?
The Orthodox churches regard 1 Esdras, the Prayer of Manasseh, Psalm 151, 3 Maccabees, 2 Esdras, and (in an appendix) 4 Maccabees as canonical.
What writings did the early Christian community produce?
The early Christian community produced writings dealing with its own history, beliefs, and traditions.
What types of writings circulated among regional Christian communities by the end of the first century?
Various gospels, narratives, letters, didactic discourses, and apocalyptic writings circulated.
What initiated the process of attributing authority to Christian writings?
The practice of reading from these works in Christian worship initiated the process.
What was accepted by the second century CE regarding Christian writings?
The authority of smaller collections, the four Gospels and a ten-letter compilation of Pauline letters, was accepted.
Which writings were not as widely attested in the early period?
Acts, Hebrews, Revelation, 2 and 3 John, Jude, and 2 Peter were not as widely attested.
When did official lists of Christian canon appear?
Official lists appeared only in the fourth century CE as a consequence of theological debates.
What was the Muratorian canon?
The Muratorian canon includes Wisdom of Solomon in the New Testament, with disputed date and provenance.
What challenges did second-century CE disputes bring?
Arguments over apostolic authorship emerged as a consequence of challenges to general Christian practice.
What did Gnostics claim about the Jewish God?
Gnostics claimed that the Jewish God was ignorant of the highest divine realms.
What did Marcion propose regarding the Old Testament?
Marcion established a church that excluded the Old Testament, claiming its God was not the father of Jesus.
What did Irenaeus argue against Gnostics and Marcionites?
Irenaeus argued that the Spirit enabled the Church to write scripture and affirmed the unity of the Old and New Testaments.
What format did early Christians use for their texts?
Early Christians used the codex format, a bound volume of pages, rather than scrolls.
What advantages did the codex have over scrolls?
The codex could accommodate much more text and allowed for smaller groupings of writings.
How did the Gospels come to enjoy equal authority with the Torah?
Use of readings from the Gospels along with the prophets in Christian worship indicated their equal authority by the mid-second century.
What materials were scrolls made from?
Scrolls were made of papyrus or leather pieces glued or sewn together.
What was the average length of scrolls?
The average length of scrolls is about 20-26 ft (6-8 m).
What was produced from the fourth century CE on?
Codices containing the Old Testament and later the entire Christian scripture were produced.
Was there a uniform number of books in the earliest codices?
There was not a uniform number of books or a uniform order of presentation in the earliest codices.
What difficulties did Christians face regarding official texts?
It would have been difficult to distinguish official texts from other early Christian writings also found in codices.
What was the state of textual criticism in 303 CE?
Confusion over unofficial and authorized writings in Christian worship persisted into the mid-fourth century CE.
What did Canon 59 of the Synod of Laodicea (360 CE) decree?
Private psalms should not be read in church, neither uncanonized books, but only the canonical ones of the new and old covenant.
Which books did Didymus of Alexandria omit?
Didymus of Alexandria omits 2 and 3 John but cites the apostolic fathers as authoritative.
What was Origen’s advice for reading scripture?
Origen suggests an order of reading: Esther, Judith, Tobit, or Wisdom first; then the Gospels, epistles, and Psalms; finally, difficult books like Leviticus or Numbers.
(Homilies on Numbers 271)
What was the criteria for determining scriptural status by the end of the fourth century?
The criteria included apostolic authority and consistency with the teachings of major ecclesiastical authorities.
What did Codex Sinaiticus include?
Codex Sinaiticus includes Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, 1 and 4 Maccabees.
What writings did Athanasius’s Festal Letter 39 address?
Athanasius’s Festal Letter 39 omits the deuterocanonical writings from the Old Testament but accepts them for private reading.
What was the outcome of the textual criticism by the end of the fourth century?
By the end of the fourth century, there was widespread agreement about which books had scriptural status.
What is “canon”?
Kaneh (Heb)/kanōn (Grk)=“reed” used as a ruler for measuring things, including faith
“As for all who follow this kanōn – peace be upon them, and mercy” (Galatians 6:16)
A normative list of authoritative material.
What is [Harry Potter] “canon”?
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (UK Edition)
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone (US Edition)
- Harry Potter A L’Ecole des Sorciers (French Translation)
- Harry Potter and Sorcerer’s Stone (Film)
- Harry Potter Fan Fiction
What is [Harry Potter] “canon”? (Part 2)
Quotes from “Canon,” Harry Potter Wiki:
“The Wiki believes that J.K. Rowling’s word is law. Any material she has written or was involved in or has stated in canon is the highest level of canon.”
Criteria #1: Authorship
What is [Harry Potter] “canon”? (Part 3)
Quotes from “Canon,” Harry Potter Wiki:
“The Wiki also considers the texts written in their original language, J.K. Rowling’s British English…[to be] the most valuable.”
Criteria #2: Original Language
What is [Harry Potter] “canon”? (Part 4)
Quotes from “Canon,” Harry Potter Wiki:
“When J.K. Rowling contradicts herself, the newest source is to be taken as the ‘most’ canon.”
Criteria #3: Consistency (defer to recent explanations)
What is [biblical] “canon”?
- When people really care about a collection of books or media, they often seek to establish a canon to clarify what has authority.
- There can be multiple canons for a single collection of books.
- There are usually agreed upon criteria for a given canon, and communities may disagree on which canon is most authoritative.
Marcion (2nd century)
dismisses texts that connect Jesus with the God of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible.
What writings preserved the apostles’ message?
New Gospels that are falsely attributed to apostles advance beliefs about Jesus that some find questionable (e.g., The Gospel of Thomas).
TaNaK
Torah (Instruction), Nevi_im (Former and Latter Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings)
“Hebrew Bible” (non-confessional)/”Old Testament” (confessional) =
Common Overlap
Septuagint
(LXX)
- Pentateuch (Torah), Historical Books, Poetry/Wisdom, Prophets
- Includes additional books and texts (see AB, pp. 2238-39).
New Testament
(NT)
4 Gospels, Acts, Epistles, Revelation
Jewish Canon:
TaNaK –> Mishnah & Talmud
Catholic/Orthodox Canon:
OT (LXX Arrangement) –> Deutero-canonical
(LXX) –> NT
Note the difference: Apocryphal and Deuterocanonical
Protestant Canon:
OT (LXX Arrangement) –> NT
Criteria for NT Canon:
- Apostolicity
- Rule of Faith
- Widespread Use
Observation #1:
There were winners and losers in the canonization process
Observation #2:
Sometimes Different Groups Affirm Different Canons.
Observation #3:
The formation of canon was a collaborative process, not a single moment.
The Muratorian Canon
the oldest known canon list (200 CE?), but it does not correspond to the NT canon as we have it today.
Eusebius (ca 325 CE) gives four “tiers” of canonicity:
- Recognized – four Gospels, Acts, Epistles of Paul (pl), John (sg), and Peter (sg), Revelation
- Disputed – James, Jude, 2nd Peter, 2 and 3 John
- Spurious – Didache, Revelation, etc.
- Heretical – Gospel of Thomas, etc.
Canon of Athanasius (367 CE)
the earliest known canon list that corresponds to the NT canon as we have it today.
