The Canon Flashcards
The origin of the Bible
The Christian teachings were first passed through the Apostles by speech.
St Paul’s Letters were then sent to churches and copied
The Gospels were written between 66 - 110 AD
What were the most important teachings?
The 4 Gospels and St Pauls Letters
What are the criteria’s for canonisation?
- Connection to the Apostles
- Connection with the Churches
- Doesn’t contradict any key Christian beliefs
When was the official canon decided?
4th Century
The Christian Canonisation took place at the same time as the Jewish Canonisation
Deutero-Canonical
Apocrypha = Not equal
Rejected by Protestants
Proto-Canonical
Accepted by Protestants in the Christian Old Testament as well as the Jewish Canon
Luther’s Views on Canonisation
Luther thought some of the books (Maccabees 12:46) were heresy as it denies justification by faith alone and suggests that purgatory does exist.
The Inspiration of the order of the Canon
- The order shows the progression of God’s revelation
- The order is down to accidents of history
- Only some parts are ordered
- Humans decided on the order
- The Holy Spirit influenced the order
- If the order was important then wouldn’t Matthew be first?
God’s Inspiration
The Bible says that God’s breath (Ru’ach) was breathed into the authors of the Bible - directly inspiring them
Inspire = God-Breathed
Dictation Theory
The Holy Spirit directly moved Biblical writers (e.g., God speaking through Moses - Exodus 3:1 - 15)
Literalism
The Bible is literally true
Ken Ham says that you can’t say that some parts of the Bible are true and others are false
Issues with Literalism
- Conflicts with science
- We don’t have the original manuscripts of the Bible
Plenary Verb Inspiration
‘Every word inspired’
Accepts and acknowledges the evidence of human influence on the Bible
Issues with Plenary Verb Inspiration
- Contradictions in the Bible - Bart Ehrman says it’s impossible to reconcile the difference in the birth narratives
- N Geisler says there is no contradiction we just don’t understand how they’re harmonised
Catholic View
Dei Verbum states that the Bible is written by humans but inspired by God
Issues with the Catholic View
- The paradox of plenary verb inspiration - how can the Bible be authored by God and humans?
God is omnipotent so it’s possible
Liberalism
Accepted scientific, historical and literary evidence of human influence on the Bible
John Hick thought that we should view the Bible as a record of how ancient humans interpreted events
Issues with Liberalism
How does the Bible have authority if it’s written by humans?
Perhaps God wanted people to have their own interpretation
Neo-Orthodox
The scientific, historical and textual criticism show that the Bible might not be God’s work
Calvin’s use of accommodation
God is beyond our understanding so language needs to be altered for us to understand e.g., a nurse speaking to an infant
