Walking in Faith

(information is gathered from the bible.org theology program)

Canon: Lit. “rule” or “measuring rod”.  Refers to the accepted books of the Old and New Testaments.

Canon is a descriptive word to describe what the accepted books are in the Bible.  There is no closing implied in Scripture.  The canon is simply the books that we need to be equipped in the age that we are in.

Is the canon closed?  Could God add to the canon?  God can do whatever He wants.  Scripture states that no one should take away or add to this word but it is talking about the closing of that book, not of the Bible as a whole.  Otherwise, we would have to stop the Bible at Deuteronomy and Proverbs.

Facts Concerning the Canon

1. Prophetic nature and Apostolicity comprises canonicity.
2. The body of Christ recognizes the canon.
3. God alone determines canonicity.

Old Testament Canon
Christ never mentioned anything about the canonicity of the Old Testament.  If there was truly debate on the topic, Jesus would have cleared up confusion.

Five Tests for Canonicty of OT
1.  Does the New Testament attest to its authority?
    Luke 24:44
    Matthew 7:12
2.  Do extra biblical Jewish writers affirm them?
    Josephus
    Babylonian Talmud
    Philo (Jewish writer from Alexandria (or Egypt)) attests to a closed threefold division of the OT (Law, Psalms and Prophets)
      Council of Jammia (AD 90)
3.  Is the book consistent with other revelation?
    Does it contain any inconsistencies?
    Does it contain any contradictions?
4.  Was it written by a prophet or someone of divine authority?

5.  Did Christ attest to its authority?
    “Since Jesus is the Messiah, God in human flesh, He is the final matter on all matters.  He had the divine authority to endorse all Scripture or only some of it.  He universally affirmed all Scripture, in every part, as the divine Word of God” — Don Stewart, The Ten Wonders of the Bible (Orange, CA; Dart Press, 1990), pg 123

The Apocrypha
Apocrypha: Lit. “Hidden writings.”  This describes the group of writings, mostly written in Greek during the intertestamental period (400–100 B.C.) that are contained in the Christian Septuagint and Latin Vulgate and accepted by Roman Catholics and some Eastern Orthodox as Scripture, but rejected by Jews and evangelical Protestants.

Protocanonical: Lit. “first canon.” In contrast to the deuterocanonical books, refers to the books of the Old Testament that have always been accepted by all as Scripture.  The books we have in the OT are protocanonical.

Pseudepigrapha: Refers to rejected books that are falsely attributed to an author (e.g., The Apocalypse of Peter, Gospel of Thomas).

Arguments for its inclusion:

1. These works were included in the LXX (BC 300-150) from which the NT writers often quoted.  Paul quoted from the LXX many times. 
2. Several apocryphyal works were found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
3. Early Christians reflect some knowledge of the books.
4. Certain early Church farthers used them authoritateively (quoting as Scripture)
5. Many official Church counsels included them as part of the Scripture (Rome 382, Carthage 393, Hippo 397).
6. Martin Luther deleted it from the canon in the 16th century because it contained elements of theology he didn’t agree with.

Response to the argument for its inclusion:

1. It is disputed where the books were included in the LLX for many reasons: earliest copies were not copied until 4th century; three existing copies of LLX do not agree; Philo did not mention th Apocrypha but quotes from LLX (he lived in Alexandria).
2. Many works were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls which are not canonical.
3. Knowledge of a work does not make it authoritative.
4. Quoted does not mean the work was inspired and accepted as Scripture.
5. Hippo, Rome, and Carthage were all North African or Roman local church councils that did not have the authority to declare the canon.  St. Augustine accepted much of the Apocrypha.  He had huge influence on these locations.  This explains their acceptance.
6. Martin Luther rejected the Apocrypha just like many others.  He did not introduce this.  There was no official “infallible” declaration on the canon by Rome (at the Council of Trent) until after Martin Luther rejected them.

Arguments for their exclusion:

1. NT never directly quotes from any apocryphal books as Scripture.
2. Palestinian Jews (those who lived in Israel) never accepted the deuterocanonical books.  Christ did not recognize them.
3. Significant theological and historical inaccuracies.
4. Apocrypha itself assets to the absense of the prophets in its own time.
5. Books were in dispute for so long and held to secondary status that it would be problematic to say that they contain the voice of God since most people did not recognize them to be His voice.