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