Canonization of Scripture (How the Bible Was Compiled)

I chose this topic because it is one of the hardest things for me to accept concerning â€Å"religion† in general. The mere fact that the individual writings are written by human men â€Å"under the inspiration of God† just bothers me to no end. Knowing the imperfections of man, and how things always get twisted, embellished, misinterpreted, and/or generally made more grandiose than originally told has always made me wonder: What were God’s original thoughts and meanings on any particular subject? What has been lost in translation? What has been twisted to suit a particular situation? Why has God allowed his words to be so misconstrued for so many years? The Hebrew canon, known to us as the Old Testament, is a collection of 24 â€Å"books† accepted by†¦show more content†¦By the year 200, the four gospels, thirteen Pauline epistles, the Acts of the Apostles, the first epistle of Peter and the first epistle of John were almost universally accepted; and by the end of the fourth century, all twenty-seven books that form today’s New Testament canon were generally recognized. The official list of twenty-seven books was ultimately determined on the basis of the collective experience of the church.† 1 (pg. 271) There were several reasons why the Church would have put together such a list of accepted books. As time passed after Jesus’ death, and the gospel was spreading throughout the middle east and northern Africa, there were some who â€Å"edited† the writings to suit themselves. Variations in the teachings began to multiply and since the writings were hand-copied in those early times, not all congregations had the same group of texts, or even similar texts of the same book. Probably the â€Å"three ‘major’ reasons for the official recognition of the biblical canon were: 1. The spread of false doctrine - The very existence of the church was seriously threatened by gnosticism. 2. The development of false writings - A major motivation for the canon was pseudepigrapha, false writings. These came out of a desire to know more about the childhood of Jesus and to have more information about New Testament personalities. 3. Persecution - In A.D. 303, the Edict of Diocletian declaredShow MoreRelatedHistory of the Bible Essay1727 Words   |  7 Pages9 December 2009 The History of the Canonization of the Bible The process by which the English Bible, as it is known to the English culture today, was compiled is an extraordinary thing to see. The Bible consists of two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The process by which both Testaments were written and then canonized into one book transpired over a period of many years. Once the canonization of the Bible officially came to an end, it was translated into English. Since then, manyRead MoreThe Word Of God And The Sacred Scriptures Essay1204 Words   |  5 PagesThe word of God or human word? Given that the ancient canonization of the sacred Scriptures was compiled by human beings (editors) and not without human elements and limitations, would that imply then, that one needs scientific, literary and critical methods to determine what these ancient authors meant when they expressed for example, that the word of God came to them? In this context, this study will explore the literary/narrative/rhetorical meanings of the expression ‘the word of God came to meRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of The Word Of The Lord Came From Me ! Essay1435 Words   |  6 PagesStudy the literary/narrative/rhetorical function of the expression The word of the Lord came to me! Introduction: The word of God or human word? Given that the ancient canonization of the sacred Scriptures was compiled by human beings (editors) and of course, not without human elements and limitations, would that imply then, that one needs scientific, literary and critical methods to determine what these ancient authors meant when they expressed for example, that the word of God came to them? InRead MoreTextual Criticism and Canon of Scripture Essay5748 Words   |  23 PagesLiberty University Textual Criticism and the Canon of Scripture: Dealing with Inspiration and Preservation in the light of human error A Paper submitted to Dr. Tomlin In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For History of Christianity I – CHHI 520 By: James Mead December 14, 2007 Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Developing the Need for a Canon 5 Gnostics 5 Cerinthians Gnostics 6 Doketist Gnostics 6 Marcion 7 The PresentationRead MoreThe Worldview And Its Impact On My Worldview1608 Words   |  7 Pagesestablished 3 main tenants of my worldview, God is, the universe was and morality will be. These are the foundations for the way I live, move and express my being in this world. My worldview is informed by way of epistemology. Epistemology suggest the source of all knowledge is God. Knowledge can be acquired through reading and studying the bible. Scripture is authoritative and is an inspired source of knowledge from God. The degree to which scripture is trustworthy is called inerrancy (Brown et al., 2008Read MoreBackground to the Quran Essays1134 Words   |  5 Pageshave been illiterate, the book’s great literary excellence is considered a miracle and one of the greatest proofs of revelation. Contrary to what some people believe, that the Quran is to Islam what the Bible is to Christians, the Quran is regarded with far higher reverence. Generally the Bible is read, studied, and appreciated as a record of God’s revelation. Biblical hermeneutics requires the study of the context and investigating what the first addressees of the text could have understood inRead MoreEssay on The Historical Critical Method2026 Words   |  9 PagesThe New Testament is now well over 1900 years old and for nearly the same period of time people have struggled for the right interpretation of that what was written in these 27 books and letters. How should one handle a book that is Gods Word? Before looking at the pro and contra of historical-critical exegesis it is necessary to define this method. One of the many textbooks teaching the historical-critical method Methodenlehre zum Neuen Testament by Wilhelm Egger method gives us this definitionRead MoreThe Foundations Of The Canons1702 Words   |  7 PagesOld Testament scripture (), this was what the Church was looking for in forming a canon that related to the teaching of Christ; a type of written text that would be foundational therefore no one would want to take away or add to it. The early church was using the four Gospels and the letters of many of the Apostles in their church teachings. 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