Reliability of New Testament Canon
Michael GoheenVancouver, B.C.
Canada
Starting with two textsOJohn 5.31-47: “These very Scriptures testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”
OJohn 10.22-42: “My sheep hear my voice.” v.27
New Origins of Christianity
OMany documents about Jesus, some recently come to light, that gives us real Jesus
OFour documents later and were canonised to give power to church
OJesus merely a religious teacherOOrthodox Christianity a mistake;
time to give it upOMyth of neutrality, fairness,
broadminded scholarship
Jesus and the Old TestamentOOld Testament is a story
waiting for an endingOLuke 24: Jesus interprets story
with him—his life, death, resurrection—as key
OChrist-event fullest revelation of God and his purpose for world
OFirst choice: Belief or unbelief in Christ
It’s about faith in Christ . . .
OFaith in Jesus means:OEmbrace Old Testament story and canon
OAdhere to redemptive-historical setting for emergence of New Testament canon
God’s RevelationOGod has chosen to reveal himself most fully in person and historical events (Heb 1.1ff.)
OEyewitness is only way historical events can be transmitted to those later
OBelieve or not—only choices
God’s provisionOChrist himself established authoritative eyewitness structure to transmit gospel to future generations—apostolate
ORole unique and unrepeatable
OMark 3.14: Be with him
ApostolateOChosen by Jesus to give
authoritative testimony (Acts 10.41)
OCommissioned by Jesus for task (Jn 13.20)OShaliach: Power of attorney in
Jewish legal systemOEmpowered by Spirit to carry out
task (Jn 14.26; 15.26-27; 16.13, 15)
OEvents and communication bound together in Jesus’ ministry
Apostolic TraditionOOral and written (2 Thess
2.13)OJewish notion of traditionOAuthoritative because of
office (teachers of law)OAuthoritative because of
content (God’s word)OLanguage: Pass on, receive,
hold firmly, retain (e.g., 1 Cor 15.1ff)
Nature of apostolic traditionOKerygma: Proclamation of events with call for response (herald)
OMarturia: Witness to events and true interpretation (law court)
ODidache: Teaching about significance of those events for missional life of church (Rabbis)
Apostolic tradition takes written form
OSo it could be accurately preserved and transmitted
ONew Testament indicates this (1 Cor 15.1-3; Lk 1.1-4)
OCarries divine authority as word of God (1 Thess 2.13)
God’s authority as canon is not limited to His great deeds in Jesus Christ but extends to their communication in the words and writings of those He specially chose and equipped to be the bearers and instruments of divine revelation, and the written tradition they established, in analogy with the writings of the Old Testament, thereby became the foundation and standard of the coming church. (Herman Ridderbos)
DistinctionOTheology and history of canon
OHow to understand authority of New Testament and corporate reception
Initial ReceptionOApostolic tradition has always
been very life of the churchOMajority of books recognised
immediately early and widely used
ONot conscious of questions of canon; recognised voice of Christ in these books (faith)
Astonishingly early, the great central core of the present New Testament was already being treated as the main authoritative source for Christians.
- John Barton
Witness of Holy SpiritWe can know the canonical books because of ‘the witness of the Holy Spirit given corporately to God’s people and made manifest by a nearly unanimous acceptance of the NT canon in the Christian churches.’ (Roger Nicole)
‘The Bible constitutes itself the Canon. It is the Canon because it imposed itself upon the Church.’
- Karl Barth
Historical ProcessOWe can expect the process to
take some timeOWe can expect disagreement,
diversity, difference of opinion
OWe can expect normal historical processes—decisions of key leaders, church deliberations, heretical challenge, various events
Four categoriesORecognised books: 4 Gospels,
13 Pauline letters, Acts, 1 Peter, 1 John, [Hebrews, Revelation]
ODisputed books: James, Jude, 2 Peter, 2, 3 John
ORejected books: e.g., Shepherd of Hermas
OHeretical books: e.g., Gospel of Thomas
ConsensusOUltimate consensus around 27 books
OHow did this happen?OEcumenical ties between world church
OPowerful influence of undisputed, recognised books
Some historical factors prompting closing canon
OMontanists: Addition of prophetic books
OMarcion: Reduced canon to Luke and 10 of Paul’s letters
OGnostics: Heretical “forgeries”
Gnostic gospelsOBooks discovered at Nag Hammadi, Egypt 70 years ago
ODan Brown’s Da Vinci Code (Gospel of Thomas)
ODiscovery of Gospel of JudasOWork of radical scholars like Bart Ehrman, Elaine Pagels, etc.
Gnostic GospelsODemonstrably lateODemonstrably derived from canon
ODemonstrably different from Jewish worldview and apostolic tradition
Gnostic BeliefOWorld is a wicked, dark placeOCreated by evil and
capricious godOSalvation is to escape the
evil worldOSalvation comes by special
revelation of secret knowledge from ‘revealer’
Apostolic TraditionOWorld is good: Creation is very
good, incarnation, bodily resurrection,
OSalvation is restoration of good creation: Bodily resurrection on restored earth
OGospels: Narratives of events and teaching
OJesus: Fulfilment of OT story
Conclusions OJesus is the fullest revelation of God and his salvific purpose for world
OAccomplished in life, death, and resurrection of Jesus
OApostles appointed to testify authoritatively to these events
ConclusionsOChurch lived out of written apostolic testimony as it received life from Jesus
O‘Self-attestation’ of books and ‘testimony of Spirit’ enabled church to hear voice of Shepherd
ConclusionsOEarly consensus around most of books
OResolution came by ecumenical dialogue and power of gospel in recognised books
OTaste and see