Wednesday Bible Study

Review:

• Inerrancy: Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact nor does it contradict itself but is flawless and perfect.
• We have over 300 Hebrew and 5,800 Greek manuscripts of the Scriptures. In addition, we have more than 20,000 ancient manuscripts of the OT and NT in various languages outside their original – i.e. Aramaic, Latin, Greek (OT), etc. Finally, there are over 30,000 quotations from Scripture by the early church fathers from whose writing we could reconstruct the entire NT.
• The Holy Spirit inspired and used real men from a variety of backgrounds in a variety of settings with vastly differing tools available to them to write down and record a written, authoritative record of the Revelation of God.
• God’s Word is fully unified in content – metanarrative, doctrine, and ethics – though it was written by forty different authors in vastly differing times and circumstances over a period of 1600 years.

The Canon of Scripture:

• Canon – a rod, staff, or ruler used as a measuring rod. Theologically it means the authoritative teaches that determine “the rule of faith”.
• The Hebrew Canon
  • The Torah: Genesis – Exodus – Leviticus – Numbers – Deuteronomy
  • The Prophets:
    • The Former: Joshua – Judges – Samuel – Kings
    • The Latter: Isaiah – Jeremiah – Ezekiel – Book of the Twelve
  • The Writings:
    • Psalms – Proverbs – Job
    • The Scrolls: Song of Songs – Ruth – Lamentations – Ecclesiastes – Esther
    • Daniel – Ezra and Nehemiah (as one book Esdras) – Chronicles
  • Apocrypha – means hidden, originally referenced the spurious nature of authorship and authenticity.
  • The OT Apocrypha: These works are primarily written during the inter-testamental period
    • Wisdom of Solomon – Ecclesiasticus/Sirach – Tobit – Judith – 1/3 Esdras/ – 1 and 2 Maccabees – Baruch – Letter of Jeremiah – 2/4 Esdras – Additions to Esther (10:4-16:24) – Prayer of Azariah (Dan. 3:24-90) – Susanna (Dan. 13) – Bel and the Dragon (Dan. 14) – Prayer of Manasseh – *First Enoch
  • The NT Apocrypha:
    • Epistle of Pseudo-Barnaba – Epistle to the Corinthians – 2^nd Epistle of Clement – Shepherd of Hermas – Didache – Apocalypse of Peter – The Acts of Paul and Thelca – The Epistle to the Laodiceans – The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians – Seven Epistle of Ignatius
  • The NT Pseudepigrapha:
    • The Gospel of Thomas – The Gospel of Ebionites – The Gospel of Peter – Protoevangelium of James – The Gospel of the Hebrews – The Gospel of the Egyptians – The Gospel of the Nazarenes – The Gospel of Philip – The Book of Thomas the Athlete – The Gospel of Judas – The Epistle of an Apostle – The Gospel of Truth

The Stages of Canonization:

• The Oral Principle – OT Scriptures and Oral teachings of Christ and the Apostles
• The Scriptural Principle – The movement to write down the teachings of Christ and the Apostles
  • Polycarp, Ignatius, Irenaeus, and Clement of Alexandria are key figures
• The Canonical Principle – The movement to reject those writings which are not canon
  • Marcion is a key heretic with his own canon
  • Gnosticism is a key heresy writing many gospels
  • Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen are key figures
  • The Muratorian Fragment – late 2^nd Century A.D.
• The Closed Canon – The movement to recognize the closed canon
  • Eusebius is a key figure
• The Recognized Canon
  • Athanasius, Jerome and Augustine are key figures
  • Council of Laodicea – A.D. 363
  • Council of Athanasius – A.D. 367
  • Council of Hippo – A.D. 393
  • Council of Carthage A.D. 397

The Criteria of Canonicity

• Inspiration – Is it breathed out by God via the Holy Spirit?
• Apostolicity – Does it flows from the teaching of the apostles and Christ?
• Antiquity – Does it come from the time of the Apostles soon after the days of Christ?
• Catholicity – Does it speak directly to and impact all churches in all times?
• Publicity – Is it read in worship publicly and regularly as authoritative?
• Doctrinally sound – Does it line up with the teaching of the rest of Scripture?