How We Got The Bible/Canonization of the New Testament
Week 1 – The Need For A Canon
Turn to 2 Timothy 3:10-17
Welcome to the class on the canonization of the New Testament or “how we got the Bible”.
Canon = officially recognized by church
We all spend a large part of time studying the modern bible, specifically the N.T. On it we base or life on earth and our life after earth.
But a question we all must ask ourselves is “how well do we understand why the specific writings that make up the N.T. are in it and what process was taken to collect them?”
We need to ask ourselves “do I understand the contents of my Bible or am I simply familiar with it?”
I used to consider knowing the Bible as being able to identify the chapter and verse with a section of scripture; but I often could not explain the meaning of the scripture.
Also, at times I would use scripture to make my point instead of making sure my point was within context of the scripture. I feel that only recently have I started to truly learn the Bible rather than just reading it for quiet times.
Example - 2 Timothy 3:10-17
What are some past ways you have used this scripture?
Basically Paul is speaking to Timothy, the child of a mixed marriage; a Jewish believing mother
– Eunice (
Acts 16:1/2Tim 1:6 ) a Greek father thought to be pagan.
Timothy is thought to be about 30 years old at this time and in need of encouragement as a
Christian minister (Vs. 1: 5 to 2:1).
Paul reminds Timothy of the Holy Scriptures, Scriptures that Paul says Timothy had known since he was a young child; Scriptures that Paul says leads men to salvation by faith in Jesus.
(Known = Greek OIDA- fullness of knowledge rather than progress in knowledge)
Paul also tells Timothy that the Scriptures are “God breathed” (given by inspiration) and useful to equip men (and women) to serve God.
Often, we rightly use this scripture to validate the Bible with people we are studying the Bible with; teaching them that we must obey the whole bible because it is inspired - as if God is speaking personally to them through it.
But consider that 2 Timothy was written about 67 A.D. We can forget that many of the New
Testament writings, those we now call scripture, were newly written at this time and most were not widely circulated.
It is widely accepted that the scriptures Paul is referring to here in order to encourage Timothy’s
Christian faith, were the O.T. scriptures since Timothy had known them from infancy (approx.
5 years old) or approx. 40 – 45 A.D.
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2014, we have the complete modern Bible, a collection of O.T. and N.T. scriptures available to train our self and others to live by faith in Jesus.
But think of Christians like Timothy, he did not have portable written accounts of “Christian writings”, the gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, or pastoral letters to guide his spiritual life and to use as a minister to teach others about Jesus.
Timothy had the Old Testament Scriptures, a couple letters from Paul, and the word of mouth testimony about Jesus from older brothers like Paul.
For the most part, the way the first Christians received Christian instruction was through the O.T.
Scriptures and oral messages much like what we now call sermons.
They did not have a neatly bound collection of pages with page numbers, chapter numbers, or verse numbers that they could hand carry or put in their purses.
The format of the O.T. scriptures were not compact or mobile, they were typically scrolls that were in possession of a rabbi or synagogue attendant ( Luke 4:16-21 ). Most did not have a personal copies to carry around with you like Paul did as we see in ( 2 Timothy 4:13 ) probably because he was a former Pharisee.
Today, we can take the modern Bible for granted; we can simply buy one for $10.00 and carry it in our pocket.
Often we don’t understand the origin of its content, the history of how it was put together, the political influences, or religious pressure the impacts the Bible’s existence.
Not because we intend not be aware of those things; we just take it for granted because it is so conveniently accessible to us.
As a result, we can miss some great meaning in N.T. text such as here in 2 Timothy 3 or the significance of the tidbits like John 19:19-21 , the written charge placed on the cross above
Jesus’ head that read “Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews”, that was written in three languages; Aramaic, Greek, and Latin.
Why those three languages? What is the significance of that? Why did the early Christians often meet in Jewish synagogues? What is a Synagogue? What can be learned from tidbits of information like that? How can that affect my faith in 2014?
Consider another scripture we often use; Acts 17:11 , how do we often use this scripture?
I encourage you to further study this passage and consider what it took for the Bereans to actually achieve a daily study of the O.T. Scriptures, to confirm Paul to be correct and come to faith in Jesus. Paul’s 2 nd missionary journey approx. 51 A.D.
For the average person, to study scripture daily, you would need to go to a synagogue (v10) or to a wealthy person or group who had copies of scripture. Consider that; then consider how convenient it is for us to sit down today with a modern bible and a cup of coffee and have a quiet time.
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Maybe I am wound different, but things like this help me to appreciate and connect with the
Bible and to connect with its meaning. For much of my Christian life, I did not study my Bible, I simply read my Bible.
The purpose in this class will be to study the canonization process of the N.T. and how we got what we now call the modern Bible.
We will look at the writings that were considered, why those that were canonized were so, and why those that was not canonized was not.
In addition, we will look at historical events leading to and during the formation of the New
Testament such as the political, social, and Jewish influences that lead to the canonized New
Testament we have today.
The desired outcome for the class is to have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the
Bible, for those who made it possible and to stir us to a deeper personal study of the Bible.
The majority of information for this class is taken from the New Testament Survey , authored by
Merrill C. Tenney in 1953, and later revised by Walter M. Dunnett in 1961, commentaries by
F.F. Bruce, Douglas Jacoby’s audio series “How we got the Bible” and the NIV Study Bible commentaries.
So, what is meant when we refer the canonization of the N.T.? To begin, let’s start with what it means to canonize a religious writing.
The word canon is derived from the Greek kanon, which initially referred to a “reed”(the plant) and then to a rod or bar because it was used in the context of a measuring, and because of that it came to mean a standard (foot vs. meter).
To canonize a religious writing is to deem it to be a standard for that religious belief.
The Book of Acts reveal to us that many teachings, such as sorcery or idol worship, was circulating during the first century. Also, many letters from various Christian authors are said to have circulated during this time.
As a result, the early Church fathers had to determine which of these letters were valid and which were not. They needed a standard, a cannon, to determine which letters were valid – not just opinion, popularity or political influence.
With literary canons, it is considered that only the genuine works of an author can reveal the authors thought, therefore; writings that cannot be validated as the work of the author cannot be included in a credible list of writings that represent the principles of the author.
Example – a letter, said to be written by Paul, is canonized only if it is proven to be written by
Paul. Otherwise, critics could make the claim the contents of the letter does not truly communicate Paul’s beliefs and is therefore invalid.
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If a letter was found thought to be written by Paul but communicated ideas that were not consistent with other writings by Paul it would probably not be canonized.
In reference to the N.T., if a book of the N.T. was not established to be accurate, then its authority could be considered uncertain and its use as a standard for faith and life can be questioned. As a result, the faith could be questioned by critics of the faith.
Today, many Atheists believe their argument is actually strengthened by some Christians faith.
Christians, who cannot explain why they have faith, or why they trust in the Bible. They argue that a Christian simply saying “I have faith because I trust the Bible” and not being able to explain this, communicates that their faith is based ignorance and not sound proof.
So when someone asks you why you have confidence in the authority or authenticity of the N.T. as the standard (or canon) in your Christian life what is your answer? Is your answer “because I have faith it is from God”, that is an accurate answer, but what if you are pressed to explain why you believe that? What would be your answer?
I have been guilty of considering someone that I am sharing or studying with to be “critical” for asking such a question of me. Such a response to that question is not spiritually in line with 1
Peter 3: 13-16 . “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
Today, we should have the same understanding of why the N.T. is valid, why we can say it is the inspired word of God, as Paul did of the O.T. as we saw in 2 Timothy 3 .
Have you ever wondered why the two sections of the Bible are called Testaments, Old and New?
New Testament – from the Latin words Novum Testamentum – which is a translation of the
Greek word He Kaine Diatheke meaning a last will or testament. The meaning being “an arrangement made by one party that might be accepted or rejected by another party that could not alter it, but when accepted, bound both parties by it’s terms.”
The Revised Version of the Bible refers to the N.T. as the New Covenant meaning “to come together.” A covenant obligates both parties to the term of an agreement as in a contract.
This is also the meaning of covenant as used in Exodus 24: 1-8 when the people accepted the
Law given through Moses on Mount Sinai. In Exodus 24:8 , Moses refers to the laws given as the “Book of Covenant.”
The “New” Testement, then, is the record of the establishment of a new agreement (or covenant) of God and man through Christ rather than the Law.
In this covenant, God sets the terms; man can accept or reject the terms but cannot change the terms, but when man accepts the terms, both man and God are obligated to fulfill their promise of the agreement.
The usage of covenant is confirmed in the contrast between Jesus’ usage in Luke 22:20 referring to the new covenant confirmed of his blood and the old Covenant of Law given to Moses in
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Exodus 21:1 – 23:19 confirmed of blood from animal sacrifices. (Fun fact - NIV uses word covenant and KJV uses word Testament)
Therefore, the contents of the New Testament consist of the revelation of the new covenant in
Jesus through the recorded words of Jesus and his followers.
This is why the collection of N.T. writings needs to be canonized; to separate the authentic writings of Jesus and his followers from bogus non-authentic writings.
The modern canonized N.T. consists of 27 separate writings of Jesus and his followers by 9 different authors; 8 if you contribute Hebrews to Paul as author. All were written between A.D.
45 and 100A.D.
How We Got The Bible/Canonization of the New Testament
Week 2 – The Jewish State Prior to the New Testament Era
Intro - Read Acts 2:5 – 11
Last week we mentioned that the N.T. writings were written between 45 and 100 AD, while historical content of the N.T. covers the first century; Jewish and Roman cultural references reach back as far as 500 B.C.
The first Christians were challenged with having to determine what Christian teaching was sound and what letters were authentic.
Also, the early Christians faced social and communication challenges. They were now a diverse demographic group, Acts 2:5 – 11 lists 15 countries of origin and after the stoning of Stephen,
Acts 11:19, they were separation by long distances, Rome is 1,400 miles from Jerusalem.
In spite of these challenges, God used this precise time in history to offer his new covenant to man with the arrival of the Messiah – Jesus.
The modern Bible represents 3 biblical eras, the O.T. era which ended with the last prophet
Malachi in approx. 433 B.C., the Intertestamental era from 433B.C. to the birth of Christ in
5B.C. which was void of prophetic activity, and the N.T. era from the birth of Christ forward.
Question
– At the close of the O.T. era synagogues, rabbis, the Sanhedrin, Pharisees, Sadducees or Hanukkah do not exist, but the N.T. writers refer to them with full assumption that they are common knowledge to the audience. Have you ever wondered why?
For us to appreciate the Bible and how it was formed, we need to understand the Jewish culture of the time. Today, let’s look at what set the stage for the N.T. era.
1. The Jewish State at the End of Old Testament Era
The Northern Kingdom had already fallen to Assyria in 722 B.C.
So the Jewish state, as an independent nation, came to an end in 597 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar,
King of Babylon captured Jerusalem.
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Jehoiachin, King of Judah, along with his court was taken prisoner to Babylon. Also, all the ruling class, officials, and artisans were deported. Only the poor were left in the Jewish homeland.
Jehoiachin’s uncle Mattaniah, was renamed Zedekiah and placed as a token King of Judah.
Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, who in turn attacked and destroyed Jerusalem in 586
B.C. and exiled Zedekiah to Babylon. This is known as the time of the Babylonian exile.
In 539 B.C., Babylon then fell to Cyrus, King of the Persians.
(Fun fact – the Persians took Babylon by redirecting the flow of the Euphrates River that ran through Babylon by flowing under gates. The Persians then marched under the gates on the now dry riverbed.)
The Persian King Cyrus was sensitive to the Jews and allowed many to return to Jerusalem and have the Temple articles returned to them. However, most declined Cyrus’s offer, preferring to stay with their new homes and businesses. Remember, a generation had passed during exile.
This was the state of the Jews at the time of Malachi last prophet to the Jews approx 433 B.C.
The O.T. era is considered to end with Malachi.
2. Intertestamental Era – The Years between the O.T. and N.T. eras
From 433 B.C. until the birth of Jesus in 5B.C. not much is recorded of Jewish history. As a result, this period is also known as the silent years.
It is during this time that synagogue worship and Rabbinism developed because most Jews were separated from the Temple. They still had the Torah, so they gathered locally and focused on the law and personal piety rather than ceremonial sacrifice. Also, Aramaic, a more common version of Hebrew began to replace classic Hebrew.
Persian rule continued until 334 B.C, when Alexander the Great, defeated the Persians and began the Hellenistic period from 330 B.C. to 166 B.C. Hellenistic = introducing Greek culture into the
Jewish culture.
Alexander died in 322 B.C. leaving no heir and his empire was divided among his four generals.
One general, Ptolemy took Egypt and another general, Antigonus took Syria, both battled off and on for Palestine with Ptolemy eventually claiming it around 301 B.C.
The Jews occupying Palestine enjoyed privileges as a free community under Ptolemy and his successors (Ptolmies). The Jewish High Priest functioned as the governing officer who administered the law and the Temple was again the center of Jewish life.
The Jewish Feasts were observed and attended by Jewish pilgrims from over the world and open study of the law occurred. It was during this time that rabbinic interpretation of the Law was developed.
The Septuagint, the Greek version of the Torah/Hebrew Bible, was compiled during the time of
Ptolemy Philadephus. Tradition has it that copies of all known books were being collected for
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the great library of Alexandria in Egypt and Dementrius, the Alexandrian librarian, asked
Philadephus for a Greek translation for the hellenized Jewish population. It was translated in
Koine Greek because classical Greek was no longer common. We will discuss the Septuagint in more detail next week.
During the same time, Antigonus, who took Syria, was succeeded by Selecucus, his followers known as the Seleucidae rivaled the Ptolemies for Palestine and eventually overtook the
Ptolemies, bringing the Jews under Syrian rule in about 198 B.C. The Seleucidae were brutal toward the Jews.
In about 175 B.C. Seleucus was succeeded by Antiochus IV; known as “the madman”.
Antiochus was suspicious of his military leaders and after failing to invade Egypt, vented his anger on the Jews.
In anger, about 168 B.C., Antiochus sold Jews into slavery, destroyed the walls of Jerusalem, plundered the Temple, converted it into a shrine of Olympian Zeus, and then defiled the temple by sacrificing a pig in it.
Antiochus mandated observance of heathen festivals, made possessing or reading the Torah punishable by death, and tried to destroy all copies of it. In addition, observing the Sabbath or circumcision was forbidden.
The actions of Antiochus was so repulsive to the Orthodox Jews that when Mattathias, a Jewish priest in the small village of Modein, was approached by a royal agent of Antiochus to accept a bribe if he, as the most respected citizen of the village, would offer a heathen sacrifice; protested the bribe by rejecting the offer and killed any other Jew who approached the altar to offer a heathen sacrifice.
Mattathias also killed the royal agent and demolished the heathen alter. This triggered the
Maccabean Revolt, a 24 year war against the Seleuciade from 166 B.C. to 142 B.C.
Mattathias and his sons then took their families and fled to the wilderness where they were joined by other Jews and revolted against the Seleuciade. After his death in approximately 160
B.C., Mattathias was succeeded by his son Maccabus.
The Maccabeans, as they were known, were guerilla style fighters. They defeated the Seleuciade in 142 B.C. drove them from Jerusalem, cleansed the Temple, and erected a new altar.
Mattathias’ son Simon became High Priest establishing the Hasmonean Dynasty priesthood
The Maccabeans continued their conquest and captured the land east of the Jordan River and so took Palestine. As a result, a rededication service was held and a new Jewish feast was established to commemorate the victory. That feast is Hanukkah (the Feast of Lights) which is celebrated today.
Hanukkah commemorates the "miracle of the container of oil". At the re-dedication of the
Temple following the victory of the Maccabeans over the Seleuciade, there was only enough consecrated olive oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day. Miraculously, the oil
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burned for eight days, which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate fresh olive oil.
Their victory ceased the Seleuciade rule in Palestine and gave the Jewish State autonomy until the Roman rule which began about 63 B.C.
The effect of the Seleuciade atrocities was to forge the dispersed Jews into a group zealous for their nationality regardless of the nation in which they resided giving birth to the Orthodox
Judaism of Jesus’ day.
The free Jews, with Simon as High Priest and ruler, negotiated a treaty with Rome in 139 B.C. recognizing both the independence of the Jews and the Jews friendship of Rome’s subjects and allies. During this time the Jews prospered and Jewish religious life was restored.
The Syrians briefly retook Jerusalem but in 63 B.C., Pompey, a Roman General successfully attacked Jerusalem beginning the Roman rule of Palestine. Herod was named king of the Jews by the Romans. However, during Ptolemy’s siege of Jerusalem, many priests were massacred and the Most Holy Place was entered; this sacrilege triggered the Jews bitterness toward the
Romans.
Close
Herod was King, Roman rule was in effect, Synagogue worship and Rabbis were present, the
Septuagint was in common use, and Orthodox Judaism and Jewish bitterness toward roman rule was thriving at the time of Jesus’ birth in 5 B.C. and thus setting the stage at the beginning of the
N.T. era.
How We Got The Bible/Canonization of the New Testament
Week 3 – The Origins of the N.T. Era Religious Writings
Introduction Open to James 2
We have looked at the state of the Jewish nation prior to the N.T. era.
Synagogue
Last week we touched on the topic of synagogue worship and Rabbis taking the place of Temple
Worship and Priests.
In addition to being the meeting place for Jews of the Diaspora for study of the Torah and prayer, the synagogue served as the Jewish school. Jewish children were well schooled in the law and traditions of the Jews. The Rabbi developed from the need for a teacher of the Law and the school.
Read James 2:2, James was written approximately 50 AD, it is believed to address to the Jews of dispersion after the stoning of Stephen, many who would have been converted at a later date than
Jerusalem conversions.
Some commentaries point out the word meeting here has the same origin for the word synagogue and suggests the synagogue was the meeting place for the church until their convictions
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separated them. However, the early church patterned it’s meetings after the synagogue with study, prayer and singing as we continue today.
Religious Sects
In addition to the appearance of synagogues and rabbi during the intertestamental era, the appearance of the religious parties Pharisees, Saducees, Essenses, and Zealots took place.

Pharisees o Name derived from the meaning “to separate” o Emerged shortly after the Maccabees o Largest and most powerful sect of N.T. era o Were the puritans of Judiasm o Theology founded on O.T. law (Torah), Prophets, and Writings and the oral law o Were personally legalistic but flexible in interpreting the law with new questions o Believed in the angels, spirits and immortality of the soul o Was last sect to survive and was the foundation for modern Orthodox Judaism

Sadducees o Name derived from the “sons of Zadok”, high priest during David and Solomon o Politically powerful, governed Jewish civil life under Herods o Theology based on strict literal interpretation of O.T. law alone o Did not believe in angels, spirits or immortality of the soul o Ceased to exist after the destruction of Jerusalem and temple priesthood

Essenes o Meaning of name uncertain / connected to Grk hosios or “holy” o Monastic - Could only be joined by agreement to submit to rules of the group and initiation o Property was communal and community was self-supporting via manual labor o Theology was close to Pharisees o Believed the soul was intangible and immortal, at death the good passed to a place of sunshine and cool breezes and the wicked passed to a dark and gloomy place of torment o Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found is believed to be an Essenes community.

Zealots o Not a religious sect as Pharisees or Essenes, but a fanatical nationalist group resorting to violence as a means to get liberated from Rome o Creed was “God is the only Lord thus no tribute is to be paid to the Roman
Emperor o Modeled themselves after the Maccabeans o Simon the Zealot, one of the 12, possibly a member ( LK 6:15 )
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Origins of N.T. Writings
For the rest of today’s class we will look at the origins of N.T. Era writings (OT & writings of the Intertestamental Era).
Materials used for Religious Writings

Potsherds – Broken pieces of pottery. Referenced in Job 2:8 to scrape his body.

Clay – Tablets written on with a stylus while the clay is wet and then kiln or sun dried.
Hardened with time and/or heat. Used as early as 3,000 B.C. Example: Cyrus Cylinder written in 6 th
century B.C.

Papryus – Tall, reed-like plant that grows in swamps. Cut lengthwise in strips, the strips are laid crosswise and pressed together. Used commonly from 500 B.C. to 400 A.D.

Parchment - A thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin different from leather in that parchment is limed but not tanned, therefore it is subject to humidity and is not waterproof. Used as early as 600B.C. Rivalry between the Pergamene and
Alexandrian libraries had resulted in the suspension of papyrus exports from Egypt. In response the Pergamenes developed parchment from sheepskin; because of the much greater expense it was necessary to write on both sides of the page and could be scraped and reused.

Vellum – A higher quality version of parchment commonly used 400 to 1500 A.D.
Mammal skin prepared to produce single pages or scrolls. It is generally smooth and
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durable. Its manufacture involves cleaning, bleaching, stretching on a frame, and scraping with a knife. Higher quality versions are made from the skin of unborn animals .

Paper – Commonly used from 1500 A.D. forward with the invention of the printing press.
Binding of Religious Writings

Scrolls – Writing material kept in a roll often 3 to 12” wide and up to 30 feet long. Small books like Jude would be on a single sheet.

Parchment – single sheets, often written on both sides.

Codex – Book type form for binding sheets of parchment thus replacing scrolls.
Types of Religious Writings

Autograph – The original work of an author. No known autographs exist today from OT or NT era.

Manuscript – A copy of an autograph usually handwritten. Many in existence today are a copy of a copy.
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Religious Writings Available To First Century Christians
Canonized Old Testament (Beginning to 433 B.C.)

Canonized OT (or Hebrew Bible) was also called the Tanakh, structured in three parts called Tripartite, Torah (Law - 1 st
5 books), Nev’im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings).

Tanakh is an acronym for 1 st
letter of tripartite. Torah, Nev’im (Prophets), Ketuvim
(Writings)

Canonized O.T. consists of 39 books: 5 law, 12 history, 5 poetry, 5 major prophets, 12 minor prophets. Hebrew Bible combined Samuel, Kings, Chronicles and Ester-
Nehemiah.

97% of the OT was written in Hebrew. The remaining 3% which included a few chapters of Daniel (2:4-7:28) and Ezra (4:8-6:18 and 7:12-26) were written in Aramaic.

Translated into Greek (Septuagint in the third century B.C.), there were other Greek versions and later translated into Aramaic, Syriac, and Latin (Vulgate by Jerome in 405
A.D.).
According to the Talmud, Ptolemy Philadelphus gathered 72 Jewish Elders and placed them in
72 separate rooms without revealing to them why they were summoned. He then entered each
Elders’ room and said: “Write for me the Torah of Moses, your teacher” and each one identically translated the Torah from Hebrew to Greek.
Oral Law and Traditions (through 2 nd century A.D.)
Talmud
 Meaning “ to teach ” is a collection of Jewish Rabbinical writings that are more of an extension of the Torah rather than a basis of Christian writings.

There are two Talmuds in existence that record the oral law and traditions. The Palestinian
Talmud written in Western Aramaic in the 4 th
century & the more extensive Babylonian
Talmud written in Eastern Aramaic in the 5 th
century.

Each Talmud consists of Mishna (oral tradition) and Gemara (interpretations)
Mishna – Record of Oral Law

A result of mosaic law not covering all the needs of Jewish society as it was developing, therefore the deficiencies were covered by oral Rabbinical decisions up to end of 2 nd
century.
The Mishna was written down for preservation purposes after the Jewish defeats of the Great
Revolt in 66A.D. and the Bar-Kokhba Rebellion in 132 A.D. resulted in the loss of more than a million Jews including thousands of Rabbinical scholars and students.

The loss of knowledgeable Jews led the Rabbi to record the Oral Law around 200 A.D.
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
The Rabbi previously resisted recording the Oral Law because the rabbis knew that teaching the law orally compelled students to maintain close relationships with teachers, and they considered teachers, not books, to be the best conveyors of the Jewish tradition. But with the deaths of so many teachers in the failed revolts, Rabbi Judah apparently feared that the Oral
Law would be forgotten unless it was written down.

Unlike the Torah the Mishna is systematically codified by topic. o The Mishna has six parts by topic called orders:
1.
Seeds
2.
Feasts
3.
Women & marriage
4.
Civil & criminal law
5.
Sacrifices
6.
Clean & unclean things & their purification

Each order is organized by part(s) called tractate. There are a total of 63 tractates in the
Mishna.
Gemara – Rabbinical Interpretations

As a result of recording the Oral Law there became a desire for commentary or interpretations on them.

Gemara is the commentary on the Mishna which was produced from the 3 rd
to 5th centuries
AD.

The Gemara interpretations are of 2 kinds o Halakah- dealt with code of law. o Haggadah - dealt with everything else.

The Pharisees embraced the oral law as equally binding as the written law and the Saducees rejected them.

The Rabbis became experts in manipulating the oral law to cover all possible cases brought to them. Their case “reasonings” are recorded and is called HALAKOTH.

Today the Talmud is the standard for Orthodox Judaism and since it is interpretation of the law and is often referenced by the Jews more than the OT itself.
The Apocrypha (200BC-100BC)

1 Esdras

2 Esdras

Tobit

Judith

Additions to
Esther

Wisdom of
Solomon

Ecclesiasticus

Baruch

Letter of Jeremiah

Prayer of Azariah

Song of the Three
Children

Story of Susanna

Bel and the
Dragon

Prayer of
Manasseh

1 Maccabees

2 Maccabees
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
Jewish writings that are the Word of Man; not inspired. But like many books, can be helpful if used properly and in context.

Some books are apocalyptic in nature due to being written in a time when the Jews were in need of encouragement and hope. No prophet had spoken for centuries and deliverance from their oppressors had not taken place

Some books claimed pseudiphigral authorship meaning they claimed to be written by a person who didn’t write them. The purpose of using another authors name was in hope to legitimize their work. o Pseudiphigral examples include: Additions to Esther, Wisdom of Solomon, Letter of
Jeremiah

Most Apocrypha books became part of the Septuagint around 100BC and thus a part of
Jewish study.

Was used by some early Christians to show Jesus was the Christ, thus the Jews removed them from their Bibles.

Many false teachings can be found in the Apocrypha o Alms giving to remove sin o Sex for procreation only o Prayers for the Dead o Stick to the advice of your own heart o Purgatory o Extreme Prejudice against Gentiles
Apostolic Writings
Autographs of the Apostles.
Patristic Writings
The Patristics is the most prominent writings of the pastors and theologians of the Church from the end of the apostolic period until the beginning of the medieval period.
The time span of the Patristic period is considered to be about AD 100 (after the death of John, the last living apostle) until about AD 604 when the bishop of Rome, Gregory the Great, died after locking into place the ecclesiastical power of the church of Rome and the bishop of Rome, who would later be known as the Pope.
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How We Got The Bible/Canonization of the New Testament
Week 4 – The Process of Canonization
Introduction
During this class we will discuss the process in which the canon was formed to compile what we now refer to as the modern English Bible.
As discussed in a previous class, the early church accepted and referred to the Old Testament as the “word of God”, or scripture, because it was recognized as inspired and as the authoritative written record of the word of God.
With the birth of the Christian faith, a new standard, in addition to the Old Testament appeared; the teachings of Jesus Christ. Together, with the Old Testament, the teachings of Jesus were regarded as authoritative teaching for the early church.
Jesus, however, left no written account of his teachings, instead Jesus chose to teach men by word and by example. Therefore, any written account of the teachings of Jesus is a product of those who were witness to his teaching. The apostolic connection, or the first-hand recipients’ and witnesses, of his teaching provided testimony in written form.
The church received the apostolic testimony as authoritative. As we can see by reading 2 Peter
3:16-17
, the authority of Paul’s writings were also received by the church and the other Apostles as being equally as authoritative as the other Apostles writings and other scripture .
In reality, this is the idea of a canon; a recognized source considered inspired and therefore an authoritative standard of teaching for faith and doctrine.
The acceptance by the Apostles of each others writings is considered by some to be the first form of a canon. The church’s acceptance and use of the Apostles teachings can be considered validation of this informal canon.
Merrill points out, in the New Testament Survey, that the distinction between canonical and noncanonical writings was a result of a growing spiritual consciousness. Therefore, the church did not determine the canon; it simply recognized it.
Also, if inspiration is the base criteria for a writing to be considered canon, the church or any church council can not create a canon, because the church can not instill inspiration into an existing writing, but, can only recognize by witness whether or not the writing is inspired. This is consistent with 2 Peter 1:12-21.
Therefore, the process of canonization was not a process where any one person or church council picked a book and made a determination whether that a book was inspired. It was a process of recognizing what God had inspired by use of the criteria of inspiration, apostolic connection, patristic use and church acceptance as we discussed last week.
The canon we have today was formed in stages over a course of about 350 years with some books being accepted quickly and others taking centuries to gain acceptance. There were several
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canons over this time before the canon being considered closed toward the end of the 4 th
century.
The canonical process was more a process of witness.
Canonical Witness
Canonical witness is seen in two forms; informal and formal, with informal witness being the use of a writing by the early church fathers such as with patristic writings; and formal witness being lists purposely compiled by an individual, individual church, or council to differentiate between writings considered canonical and those considered non-canonical.
Again, individuals or councils cannot cause a writing to be inspired. However, if a particular writing was never or seldom used by the church fathers or accepted by the church; it would not be included in a group of writings to be considered by a council as canon.
Examples of informal witness
Clement of Rome
– A.D. 95 - Tradition holds that Clement was selected as 2 nd
or 3 rd
Bishop of
Rome after the Apostle Peter. Clement alluded to Hebrews, I Corinthians, Romans, and
Matthew in this letter to the Corinthian church in A.D. 95. This letter is known as 1 Clement, part of the New Testament Apocrypha.
Ignatius of Syrian Antioch – A.D. 116 – Tradition holds that Ignatius was the 3 rd
Bishop of
Antioch, was a disciple of the Apostle John; is credited with advancing Catholic theology, and was martyred in the coliseum by being eaten by lions. Ignatius knew all of the Pauline epistles, quoted Matthew, and alluded to John.
Polycarp of Smyrna - A.D. 150 – Tradition holds that Polycarp was a Bishop of Smyrna, was also a disciple of John, and was martyred by being stabbed after a failed attempt to burn him at the stake for refusing to offer incense to the Roman Emperor. He was also familiar with the
Pauline epistles and Matthew, and quoted 1 Peter and 1 John.
Note: Clement, Ignatius and Polycarp are commonly referred to as the three chief Apostolic
Fathers.
Justin Martyr – A.D. 165 – Tradition holds that Justin was a philosopher turned Christian teacher/apologist (defender of church teaching) and was martyred in Rome by being flogged then beheaded.
Justin wrote several works in defense of the Gospel and the church and often referred to each
Gospel, Acts, and many of the Pauline Epistles. He stated that the Gospel is read every Sunday in the worship of the church along with the Old Testament.
By this point in time many New Testament apocryphal writings had emerged along with the growth of Gnosticism.
Gnosticism - derived from the Greek gnosis, meaning “knowledge”, was a system that promised salvation by knowledge. According to Gnostics God is too great and too holy to have created the material world with all its baseness and corruption.
The Gnostics held that from the supreme Deity there proceeded a series of successive emanations
(that which all things derive), each one a little inferior to the one from which it sprang, until
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finally the last of these emanations, created the world of Matter which was thus equated with evil.
If man wished to obtain salvation, he could do so by renouncing the material world and seeking the invisible world.
In addition to Justin Martyr, apologists Irenaeus Bishop of Lyon (170) and Tertullian of Carthage
(200) also defended the Gospel. In order to have an authoritative basis of argument they all turned to the Apostolic writings. In example;
Irenaeus quoted all four Gospels, Acts, the Pauline epistles, the general epistles, and Revelation.
Tertullian quoted from all the New Testament except for Philemon, James, 2 nd and 3 rd John.
Tertullian emphasized there is an Old Testament and New Testament.
In addition Origen of Alexandria (250), divided the New Testament into two categories:
 the homologoumena – the writings considered genuine and accepted by all the churches which included the Gospels, Acts, the Pauline Epistles, 1 Peter, 1 John, and Revelation and;
 the antilegomena – the writings that were disputed and not accepted by all the churches which included Hebrews, 2 nd
Peter, 2 nd
and 3 rd
John, James and Jude.
By the time of Eusebius , A.D. 265-340, the Apostolic Writings (New Testament) was considered authoritative due to their use of church fathers and their acceptance by the church.
Like Origen, Eusebius categorized the Gospels, Acts, the Pauline Epistles, 1 Peter, 1 John, and
Revelation as canonical (including Hebrews) and rejected all other writings as apocryphal.
While these men did not identically agree on which books were canonical, it is clear a canon
(standard) was being formed.
Formal Witness
One form of formal witness is seen through formal lists of writings produced by individual churches or church leaders. Examples include: the Canon of Marcion (140) included Luke, Romans – 1Thessolonians, and Philemon; the Muratorian Canon (170) included all books less Hebrews, James, and 1 st
and 2 nd
Peter; the Cheltenham Canon (360) included all books less Hebrews, James, Jude, and doubted 2 nd
Peter and 2 nd
and 3 rd
John and; the Athanasius Canon (367) which included all 27 books recognized today.
While these lists are unofficial (and controversial) they communicate what writings were considered authoritative toward the end of the 4 th
century.
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Councils
Regional Councils
Regional councils were meetings of church delegates from a given region that met in order to discuss church issues. Examples of Regional councils through the 4 th
century include:
Council of Laodicea (A.D. 363)
Decreed that only canonical books of the New Testament should be read in church services and submitted a list of 26 books; Revelation was not included.
Council of Carthage (397)
Also decreed that only canonical books of the New Testament should be read in church services and submitted a list identical to the 27 books considered canonical today.
Council of Hippo (393)
Also decreed that only canonical books of the New Testament should be read in church services and also submitted a list identical to the 27 books considered canonical today.
Ecumenical Councils
An ecumenical council is a conference of the bishops of the whole Christian Church convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice. It is considered that there has been 21 ecumenical councils. The Catholic Church continues to hold ecumenical councils with all bishops in full communion with the Pope. Examples of ecumenical councils through the 4 th century include:
First Council of Nicaea (325) called by the Roman Emperor Constantine to address the false teachings that were circulating. Constantine at this time was pagan, but favored the church. The council repudiated Arianism and adopted the original Nicene Creed. Eusebius was a member of the council and supported a canon which included the Gospels, Acts, Pauline epistles, 1 st
Peter,
1 st
John and Revelation.
First Council of Constantinople (381) repudiated Arianism and Macedonianism, revised the
Nicene Creed in regard to the Holy Spirit.
By the end of the 4 th
century the New Testament canon, as it is recognized today, was set in place. For the past 1600 years this canon has not changed and continues to meet the base criteria of inspiration.
How We Got The Bible/Canonization of the New Testament
Week 5 - The Structure of the New Testament Canon
1. Categorical references of the 27 writings of the New Testament Canon
Gospels (4)
Good news or good tidings. In reference to the New Testament; the four books (Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John) in which the story of Jesus life and teaching is found.
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
Synoptic Gospels
The three Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) that is noticeably similar in style and content.
They are extensively similar in language, material included, order of events and the sayings of Jesus.

Synoptic Problem
Because the Synoptic Gospels are similar, there is question as to the origin of the Synoptic
Gospels; such as did the authors rely on a common source or were they interdependent?
Some answers that have been considered include:

They used an earlier Gospel, that is now lost, as their source;

Matthew and Luke drew from each other as sources;

Mark and another hypothetical document, known as “Q” (German Quelle, meaning source), were used by Matthew and Luke as their source. Comparison shows that
91% of Mark is contained in Matthew and 53% of Mark is contained in Luke.
Epistles (21)
An Epistle is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually a very formal or elegant letter. The letters in the New Testament from Apostles to Christians are usually referred to as epistles. Those traditionally attributed to Paul are known as Pauline epistles (13) and the others as general or 'catholic' epistles (8).

Pauline Epistles
The thirteen New Testament books considered to be authored by the Apostle Paul. They are usually placed between the Book of Acts and the general epistles. Following are the thirteen
Pauline Epistles listed in order of their appearance in the New Testament:


 Epistle to the Romans
 First and second Epistles to the Corinthians
Epistle to the Galatians
Epistle to the Ephesians
 Epistle to the Philippians


Epistle to the Colossians
 First and second Epistles to the Thessalonians
First and second Epistles to Timothy
 Epistle to Titus
 Epistle to Philemon
 Pauline Pastoral Epistles
The three Pauline epistles; 1Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus that are generally referred to as a group. They are given the title pastoral not because they are uniquely caring or addressing personal needs, but because they are distinctive in being addressed to an individual person rather than a whole church or group of churches.
 Pauline Prison Epistles
The four Pauline epistles; Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon that were written during the time of Paul’s imprisonment; 56 – 61.
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 General Epistles
The eight general or “catholic” epistles are books in the New Testament termed "general" because for the most part their intended audience appears to be Christians in general rather than an individual person or congregation as is the case with the Pauline epistles. The eight general epistles are listed in order of their appearance in the New Testament:
 Epistle to the Hebrews
 Epistle of James
 First Epistle of Peter


Second Epistle of Peter
 First Epistle of John
Second Epistle of John
 Third Epistle of John
 Epistle of Jude
Historical (1)
The book of Acts is considered the second of two volumes of the work of Luke with the first volume being the Gospel of Luke (Acts 1:1). The book of acts serves as an eyewitness (Luke) historical account of the church through the imprisonment and defense of Paul.
Apocalyptic (1)
The book of Revelation or the Apocalypse usually referred to simply as Revelation, is the last book of the New Testament. Apocalypse is a Greek word meaning "revelation", "an unveiling or unfolding of things not previously known and which could not be known apart from the unveiling.
2. Chronological Order of the 27 writings of the New Testament Canon

James (1/2 brother of Jesus 45 - 63) **

Galatians (Paul 48 - 57)
Written around 48 - 57 depending on your view of the recipients:

North Galatian theory – 53 - 57 and;

South Galatian theory – 48 - 53.

1Thessalonians (Paul 50 - 53)

2 Thessalonians (Paul 50 - 54)

1 Corinthians (Paul 56)

2 Corinthians (Paul 57)

Romans (Paul 58)

Mark (John Mark 50 – 70)

Ephesians (Paul 62)
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
Philemon (Paul 60 – 62)

Colossians (Paul 60 – 62)

Luke (Luke 60 – 61)

Acts (Luke 61 – 62)

Philippians (Paul 62)

1 Timothy (Paul 62)

Titus (Paul 62)

2 Timothy (Paul 63)

1 Peter (Peter 63)

2 Peter (Peter 63 - 64) **

Matthew (Matthew 64 – 70)

Hebrews (Paul? 64 – 66) **

Jude (1/2 brother of Jesus 65 – 66) **

John (John 85 – 90)

1 John (John 85 – 90)

2 John (John 85 – 90) **

3 John (John 85 – 90) **

Revelation (John 96) **
** These books were not widely accepted and considered canon until the late 4 th
century. All others were widely accepted by the middle of the second century.
How We Got The Bible/Canonization of the New Testament
Week 6 – Early Reproduction and Circulation of NT Canon
Matthew 5:17-21 / 1 Timothy 4:13
Intro
As Jesus taught in Matthew 5 the Law (Pentateuch or Torah) did not disappear; rather, it is fulfilled through Jesus. This law is the scriptures that Paul implores the young Christian minister
Timothy to be devoted to public reading.
As we saw in our week 3 class there was many OT and NT writings circulating in the 1 st century, out of which the NT canon, the 27 books we find in our modern English version of the
Bible, was recognized by the end of the 4 th
century. This canon, or standard we also consider to
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be scripture, established by meeting the criteria of inspiration of God through the Holy Spirit, apostolic connection, patristic use and church acceptance; continues, along with the OT scripture, to be our standard of Christian faith today.
Since the 4 th
century this canon has been reproduced multiple times and scholars often debate the accuracy of the content of the modern bible with that of the autographs of the original writers.
After the edict of Milan of Constantine in 313, copying of manuscripts improved as a result of the advent of persecution.
During this time, manuscripts were being prepared for public use – uncials vs minsutles. Cons of reproduction =month’s wages.
Constantine ordered that 50 copies be made and distributed to the larger churches in the Roman
Empire. These are often referred to as the “Authorized Edition”.
Beginning with the 4 th
century, the new testament was “published” in portions ie: gospels,
Pauline epistles, or in complete volumes called Pondects.
Papyrus was being readily replaced by vellum. The accuracy of copyists increased as copyists painstakenly reproduced the manuscript they were copying from (archetype) without error to enhance their reputation.
Some scribes would add corrections to their copy if their archetype contained obvious errors.
As a result, the productions had a high degree of accuracy (Jacoby 99+)
It is said that the New Testament is the most trustworthy writing that survived for antiquity.
Some early manuscripts that are used for resources for copyists are the Rylands Fragment of 1
½” square of John. Thought to have been written approx 150 AD. Chester Beatty Papyri, 250
AD and contains gospels, Acts, Pauline epistles and Revelations and the Bodmar papyrus of
John, approx late 2 nd
or early 3 rd
century.
Originals (autographs) probably written on papyrus; some on vellum. Inscribed by hand and sent by messenger to recipients. Thus all were manuscripts.
Original manuscripts were hand copied one at a time by private individuals and by professional scribes. Scribes were often monks of a monastery.
A demand increased, slaves were trained and used as copyists. Often several in a room writing as the manuscript was dictated. This process, with many copies being produced, allowed errors to happen. These errors, called variants, multiplied as the copies multiplied.
However, with the number of copies made by different scribes, the variants do not change the inspired message, mainly, grammar errors.
During the 2 nd and 3 rd centuries, as a result of Roman government persecution of the church, many manuscripts were confiscated and destroyed. Many that survived were damaged, making undestroyed surviving manuscripts valuable.
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It is believed by some that codex Washingtonians is a compilation of several fragments of earlier damaged manuscripts. During this time of persecution, some copyists possessed little writing skills.
Most notable, manuscripts are Codex Sinaiticus located in British museum and Codex Vaticanus located in the Vatican library. Both written in 4 th century and may have been among the copies ordered by Constantine.
Throughout the 14 th
century, the New Testament was kept and reproduced in manuscript form.
Most owned by the church or wealthy individuals.
In 437, the printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg in Mains Germany. The 1 st
book issued by Gutenberg was the Gutenberg Latin Bible in 1456.
Mechanical reproduction did 2 things: 1) guaranteed that exact copies of the text 2) reduced printing cost to a level that many ordinary people could now afford a New Testament.
The result was an increased interest in personal Bible Study. More Bible study resulted in the promotion of the Protestant reformation movement during the 16 th
century.
How We Got The Bible/Canonization of the New Testament
Week 7 – Persecution of the Middle Ages Era New Testament Revisionists
As we discussed last week, through the 14 th century, the New Testament was hand copied manuscripts that were mainly in possession of the church, political leaders or wealthy individuals due to the cost of reproduction.
Also, due to the process of hand copying, many variants appeared in the text of these reproduced manuscripts. Professional scribes made a good income and increased their reputation by correcting the variants and producing an archetype in which they used as a “master copy” that reproductions were made from.
The printing press was invented in 1437 by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz Germany and Gutenberg printed the Gutenberg Latin Bible in 1456. The mechanical printing press affected reproduction by guarantying an exact copy of the text, and by reducing printing cost which enabled many ordinary people to afford a New Testament.
As a result, there was an increased interest in personal Bible Study which impacted the protestant reformation movement that occurred during the 16 th century.
Protestant Reformation
The reformation movement is thought to have been started by men such as Martin Luther and John Calvin and developed when Luther published The Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. Luther criticized many doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church.
Luther also published a German translation of the New Testament in 1522 for the purpose of it being more accessible to the German people which enlightened common man to the practices of the Roman
Catholic Church in contrast to the scriptures .
As a result of growing criticism, the Pope condemned the reformation movement and many of its participants were persecuted at the hands of England’s Queen
Mary I.
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Note: King Henry VIII had earlier severed the Church of England’s ties with the church in Rome after the Pope refused to annul Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. After the death of Henry, the Church of England was returned to Papal authority by Mary, a Roman Catholic, in 1555. After Mary’s death,
Queen Elizabeth 1, in 1558, again refused the Pope’s authority and declared the Church of England both
Catholic and Reformed.
Under Mary’s rule from 1553 – 1558, over 280 Protestants were executed for heresy, most by burning at the stake, giving her the nickname Bloody Mary.
Persecution of opponents of the Catholic Church did not begin with the reformists or New Testament revisionists of the 16 th century. Following are examples of men who were persecuted for their desire was to make the bible available to the common man.
Revisionist Persecution
John Wycliffe
1384 - The Wycliffe Bible
Wycliffe trained a group of Bible teachers, and under his direction they translated the entire Latin Vulgate into English between the years 1380 and 1384. The Latin, and not the original Greek, was translated because at that time almost no one knew Greek, and Greek manuscripts were simply not available in
England. This was before the invention of printing, so Wycliffe's version circulated in hand-copied portions. It was intended for use in public gatherings so common people heard the Bible.
Wycliffe’s followers were named Lollards. And because of their criticism of the Church, Lollardy was denounced as heresy. Wycliffe was so hated by the Pope that, years after his death, his bones were excavated, crushed, burned and thrown in the river.
William Tyndale
1526 - Tyndale's New Testament
After the Reformation had begun in Germany, Martin Luther published a German translation of the Greek
New Testament. Tyndale imitated Luther by making a fresh English translation of the New Testament from the same Greek text, using Luther's German translation and the Vulgate as guides for interpretation in hard places. It was published in 1526, and was the first printed English New Testament.
After he had published his New Testament Tyndale began to translate the Old Testament. He finished the
Pentateuch, but shortly after that he was arrested. At his execution, Tyndale was tied to the stake, choked to death and his dead burned for "heresy" by Roman Catholics, and so he was prevented from finishing his version of the whole Bible.
1535 - Coverdale's Bible
Soon after the death of Tyndale, King Henry denied the Roman Catholic Church, confiscated its property in England, and established the Protestant Church of England. After these actions, he was more inclined to allow English versions to be published in his realm; when his Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas
Cranmer, proposed that an official translation be prepared, Henry told him to do it. But Cranmer was too busy to do it himself, and was hampered by lack of help from his bishops. These bishops were really
Roman Catholics at heart, and were not willing to have Scripture read in English in the churches. While they dragged their feet an English churchman named Miles Coverdale produced an edition of the whole
Bible by himself, combining Tyndale's work with his own to create the first printed English Bible.
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John Rogers
1537 - "Matthew's" Bible
Soon after the publication of Coverdale's version another one appeared under the name of Thomas
Matthew. This was a pseudonym used by John Rogers, who had been a close associate of Tyndale. While in prison, Tyndale had managed to continue translating up through First Chronicles, and gave his manuscript to Rogers before his execution. Rogers then completed the work by supplying the remainder of the Old Testament from Coverdale's version, but published it under a false name, in order to avoid the fate of Tyndale.
Rogers was sentenced to death by burning at the stake for heretically denying the Christian character of the Church of Rome and the physical presence of the body of Christ in the sacrament of communion. He was the first martyr of Queen Mary 1.
Thomas Cranmer
1539 - Cranmer's "Great Bible"
Archbishop Cranmer finally gave up on his bishops, and convinced Henry to commission an official version from Coverdale who presented a revision of Rogers' version. The book was first published in
1539, but was quickly followed by a revised edition in 1540. This second edition bore a preface by
Cranmer, and at the foot of the title page appeared the words, "This is the Bible appointed to the use of the churches." This was the first officially approved English Bible, called "Cranmer's Bible" after the name of its sponsor, and sometimes called the "Great Bible" because of its large size. It became the first
English Bible authorized for public use, as it was distributed to every church, chained to the pulpit, and a reader was even provided so that the illiterate could hear the Word of God in plain English.
When Mary became queen, she tried Cranmer for treason and heresy. Under pressure, Cranmer recanted his protestant views while in prison. However, on his day of execution by burning at the stake, Cranmer withdrew his forced recantation, and proclaimed Protestant faith.
1560 - The Geneva Bible
In 1560 a new translation of the Bible was published by English Puritans who had fled to Geneva under persecution during the reign of Mary, the Roman Catholic daughter of Henry VIII. These men knew
Hebrew and Greek, and they had the advantage of being in a seat of Protestant learning. Their version was very accurate, and even used italic type to alert the reader to words which were supplied to complete the interpretation into English, but which were not actually to be found in the Hebrew or Greek texts.
1568 - The Bishops' Bible
The great popularity of the Geneva Bible in England moved the new English bishops, who were not entirely in agreement with the exiled radical Puritans, to cooperate in the production of a new official version, which they hoped would rival the Geneva Bible in popularity. Cranmer was now dead, having been removed from his office and burned at the stake during the reign of Mary, and so the project was supervised by Elizabeth's new Archbishop, Matthew Parker. Parker assigned portions of the Bible to various bishops, and so the version has been called the "Bishops' Bible."
1611 - The King James Version
The failure of the Bishops' Bible to replace the Geneva Bible in popular use left the authorities of the
Church of England in an embarrassing position for many years, because everyone knew that the version authorized for use in church services was not as accurate as the Geneva Bible, and this undermined the people's confidence in the established church as an institution. When this was pointed out to King James
I, who succeeded Elizabeth, he commissioned a new version for use in the churches. This is our King
James Version, published in 1611. It was generally superior to the Geneva Bible in literal exactness.
Verses were numbered, each one being made a separate paragraph now for ease of reference. Editions of
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the King James Version we buy in the bookstore today are not actually the very thing as published in
1611, because the spelling has been updated and a few other minor changes made.
Note: Information taken from bible-reacher.com.
How We Got The Bible/Canonization of the New Testament
Week 8 – The Significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Background
In 1947, a young Bedouin shepherd, searching for a stray goat in the Judean Desert, entered a cave and found jars filled with scrolls. Thinking that his goat may have fallen into the cave, he threw rocks into the opening. Instead of hearing a startled goat, he heard the shattering of clay pottery. Lowering himself into the cave, he discovered several sealed jars. He opened them hoping to find treasure. To his disappointment, he found them to contain leather scrolls. He collected seven of the best scrolls and left the other fragments scattered on the ground.
This cave is near Qumran ruins previously inhabited by a group of Essenes. The Qumran area is 13 miles east of Jerusalem and is 1300 feet below sea level along the northwest shore of the
Dead Sea. Therefore, the scrolls are referred to as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The collection of Dead Sea Scrolls was discovered in eleven different caves between 1947 and 1956.
The scroll manuscripts are numbered according to the cave they were found in and are considered the greatest manuscript discovery of modern times.
Only Caves 1 and 11 produced intact manuscripts, cave 4 produced the largest find of approximately
15,000 fragments from more than 500 manuscripts.
The scrolls appear to be the library of the Essenes, written during the period 200 B.C. to 68 A.D, and hidden in the caves around the outbreak of the First Jewish Revolt (A.D. 66-70) as the Roman army advanced against the rebel Jews.
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Scrolls
The manuscript collection represents fragments from approximately 850 separate scrolls.
The scroll collection is the oldest group of Old Testament manuscripts ever found. The oldest known piece of biblical Hebrew is a fragment from the book of Samuel discovered in
Cave 4, and is dated from the third century B.C.
Every book of the Old Testament was discovered except for the book of Esther.
The Isaiah Scroll is 1000 years older than any previously known copy of Isaiah.
The Copper Scroll (made of copper vs. papyrus or vellum), found in cave 3, records a list of
64 underground hiding places throughout Israel. The deposits are said to contain certain amounts of gold, silver, aromatics, and manuscripts and are believed to be treasures from the
Temple at Jerusalem that were hidden away for safekeeping.
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The Temple Scroll, found in Cave 11, is the longest scroll. Its present length is 26.7 feet and its original length is thought to have been over 28 feet. It is the largest and describes a future
Temple in Jerusalem that will be built at the end of the age.
The War Scroll found in Caves 1 and 4 is an eschatological text vividly describing in detail a forty-year war between the Sons of Light and the evil Sons of Darkness. A war to end all wars (Armageddon).
The scrolls contain previously unknown stories, such as the story of Abraham, which includes an explanation of why God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac.
Some of the Dead Sea Scrolls actually appeared for sale on June 1, 1954 in the Wall Street Journal .
The advertisement read — "The Four Dead Sea Scrolls: Biblical manuscripts dating back to at least
200 BC are for sale. This would be an ideal gift to an educational or religious institution by an individual or group. Box F206."
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Biblical Significance
The Old Testament that we use today is translated from what is called the Masoretic Text. The
Masoretes were Jewish scholars who between A.D. 500 and 950 gave the Old Testament the form that we use today. Until the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947, the oldest Hebrew text of the Old Testament was the Masoretic Aleppo Codex which dates to A.D. 935.
With the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, we now had manuscripts that predated the Masoretic
Text by about one thousand years. Scholars were anxious to see how the Dead Sea documents would match up with the Masoretic Text. If a significant amount of differences were found, we could conclude that our Old Testament Text had not been well preserved. Critics, along with religious groups such as Muslims and Mormons, often make the claim that the present day Old
Testament has been corrupted and is not well preserved. According to these religious groups, this would explain the contradictions between the Old Testament and their religious teachings.
After years of careful study, it has been concluded that the Dead Sea Scrolls give substantial confirmation that our Old Testament has been accurately preserved. The scrolls were found to be almost identical with the Masoretic text. Hebrew Scholar Millar Burrows writes, "It is a matter of wonder that through something like one thousand years the text underwent so little alteration. As
I said in my first article on the scroll, ‘Herein lies its chief importance, supporting the fidelity of the Masoretic tradition.'"
A significant comparison study was conducted with the Isaiah Scroll written around 100 B.C. that was found among the Dead Sea documents and the book of Isaiah found in the Masoretic text. After much research, scholars found that the two texts were practically identical. Most variants were minor spelling differences, and none affected the meaning of the text.
Above biblicsl significance information quoted from Probe Ministries. Information taken from
Merrill C. Tenney New Testament Times and Douglas Jacoby audio series How We Got The
Bible .
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