Canonical Books in the Bibles

One fact that must remain in consideration by any student of textual criticism is that there were many other religious and philosophical writings produced simultaneously with the Scriptures of the New Testament era. Robert J. Sargent states, “As the Bible was being written down, numerous other religious

Unlike Mythology, narratives of the Bible are actual events that took place dating back to the beginning of time. The conception of The Holy Bible’s compilation started thousands of years ago in the land of Egypt. Initially, the Old Testament Scriptures were written in the Hebrew language, however, they were later translated to the Greek. At the onset of the New Testament writings, they were originally recorded in the Greek language. Forty men transcribed the voice of God, which resulted in sixty-six books of the Holy Bible. The Holy Scriptures explained the creations, formation of the world, God, God’s chosen people, sin, and the plan of salvation as well.

The process by which Scripture has been preserved and compiled is one whose history is worth noting. The early church had many opportunities to share the Good News of Christ via word of mouth, but from the time of Christ’s resurrection until the mid-second century, there had not been a single culmination of writings considered to be essential for the purposes of

Bruce offers a solid explanation of the formation of the canon chronologically starting with the Hebrew scriptures (p. 21) until the 4th century where church councils started to present the first spoken finished canon (p. 97). Bruce shows the importance of the Old Testament scriptures, but writes most about the New Testament. He not only shows how the New Testament came to be a canon but offers a deep analysis of non-canonical scripture called the Apocrypha (pp. 48, 90-93).

Sacred texts and writings are very beneficial for Christian people since they are the word of God and can be deliberated as supportive indication of understanding the principle beliefs of Christianity which include the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the nature of god and the nature of trinity, revelation and salvation. This essay aim’s at assessing the significant role of the sacred text in providing authentic information in regards to sacred texts.

But it really conceals an attitude for which there is a technical theological term: Gnosticism. Gnosticism was one of the early Church's chief rivals. Unlike biblical creationism and the more optimistic views of nature found in some pagan philosophers, Gnostics saw the world as the product of an evil or, at best, indifferent, god; the true God was to be found only beyond material things. Evil was built in the foundations of this world.

“Of the many influences that have shaped the United States into a distinctive nation and people, none may be said to be more fundamental and enduring than the Bible (Reagan).” These are words spoken by the 40th President of the United States of America, Ronald Reagan. The fundamentals of the Bible are vast, a few include God as creator of all, sin and its consequences, God’s redemption of mankind through Jesus, the work of the Holy Spirit, and Heaven and hell. The Christian Bible is comprised of the 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. A man by the name of Marcion is believed to have rendered the first canon of the Bible. Though he grew up in a Christian home, and is perhaps one of the most influential and impactful men to walk the earth, Marcion is also considered one of the most reviled heretics. So much so, he was excommunicated from the church because his teachings departed from traditional Christianity. His teachings were radical, and caused many to follow him, thus starting a movement that came to be known as Marcionism.

The history of how the Bible came into existence has been explored for centuries and is an active area of study today. There are many facets to the Bible and each has its own set of unique characteristics and teachings. The Old Testament is considered a contemporary guide for daily living, even though it was composed hundreds of years ago. Where did the Old Testament come from? What are some of the influences that shaped the Old Testament? What are the significant events of the Old Testament? In order to gain a better understanding of the Old Testament and its message to Christians, special consideration is given to its historical and cultural context, and to the major milestones in its development. Personal application of the teachings offered in this section of the Bible should be the aspiration of all Christians today.

There were at least 3 views of how the Old Testament was composed which include the critical view, the compositional view, and the common view. Each view was somewhat similar and different in the aspects that gave it it's own characteristics. The main point of this discussion is to focus on the similarities and differences of each view which are but not limited to how the bible was created, the process, and design.

A canonical approach to biblical theology must emphasize the unity of the Christian Bible composed of two

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, many versions of the modern Bible have been made. Since the individual books of the Bible became scattered as they were written, people set forth to preserve God’s Word by compiling them into one

Polycarp contributed to Christianity by his confrontation of the Gnostic Marcion and his witnessing to other Gnostics, his writing to the church at Philippi, and his faith in the moments leading up to his death. Polycarp confronted Marcion who developed one of the first heresies that affected the Church. According to Marcionism, there was a God of the Old Testament but a different God of the New Testament. Therefore, he rejected all of the Old Testament writings in favor of the New Testament. In addition, he rejected the incarnation of Christ, asserting that he was simply God appearing to be a man. Marcion’s teachings had a very dangerous influence on the Church, as they were

There are many scholars in the past that have oppose gnostic views because they see it as an obstacle in preaching the gospel. One of the early scholars that oppose gnostic ideas is Ireanus. He believes that despite the writings of the early Church Fathers, most of whom were fanatics with an axe to grind theology see gnostic belief as an enemy of the true gospel. Ireanus used the term ‘herectic ’ which was not universally used by early church fathers. This is because gnostics themselves were comprised of diverse groups which did not have a uniform set of beliefs because of their diversity. Because of their diversity and lack of having a define theory on some of their views, one is posed with the difficult task of identifying the main aim of the movement.

Perhaps the greatest achievement to come from early church history is the establishment of a universal New Testament Canon. While we may not put much thought into it today, which books should be included or excluded from the New Testament was once the center of much controversy. It took the church many years to settle upon the current collection of books as being the proper Canon, making it more of a process than an event. Ironically enough, the need for a universal Canon was only realized after many disputes over the version suggest by the Christian heretic Marcion. Marcion’s collection of books were revised by Athanasius and later endorsed by the church through councils. Once the New Testament Canon was established, all other suggested books became part of a collection known as the Apocrypha and their use dismissed by the church.

Around 144 AD Marcion expressed his beliefs to everyone and not just to the church. Most people at that time thought that his beliefs were outrageous and they were frowned upon in that society. Marcion still believed what he thought was right and created his own church. Even though he knew that giving his opinion on religion was not a good idea during that time period he still did and got followers that believed in what he was creating. Everyone that followed his lead and believed the same thing that he did were called “Marcionites.” (Head) According to David Williams not much information on Marcion’s gospel is found. Most of the information is gathered up from references and quotes found in other literatures. (Williams) Marcion’s gospel that they have pieced together are said to look exactly like Luke’s gospel. If Marcion was asked the question himself, he would say that he was more like Paul rather than Luke. Marcion’s belief was in some ways similar to Gnostic Christian theology.