The
Canon
of
Scripture...
Who
Fired
The
Decisive
Shot?
I have
read many Protestant articles regarding the origins of the Canons of both
the Old and New Testaments. They all fell short of the truth of what really
happened. Most only told half of the story, the part which seemed at first
glance to enhance their position, and even that much was laced with inaccuracies.
As I have pointed out in another page on this website,
called,
'Is Half of the
Story Sufficient',
"HALF of the TRUTH is NO TRUTH at
all."
As
you probably know, Catholic Bibles have 73 books, 46 in the Old Testament,
and 27 in the New Testament. Protestant Bibles have 66 books with only
39 in the Old Testament. The books missing from Protestant Bibles are:
Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Wisdom, Sirach, 1 and 2 Maccabees, and parts of
Esther and Daniel. They are called the 'Deuterocanonicals' by Catholics
and 'Apocrypha' by Protestants. Martin Luther, without any authority whatsoever,
removed those seven books and placed them in an appendix during the reformation.
They remained in the appendix of Protestant Bibles until about 1826, and
then they were removed altogether.
Please see, "The Origin of Sola Scriptura",
found elsewhere on this website for the details of Martin Luther's actions
in doing this.
Please be mindful of the fact that those seven books had been in Bibles
used by all Christians from the very foundation of Christianity.
A short history lesson...
Hellenistic Greek was the language of the day during the time of Christ.
This was due to the fact that Alexander the Great had conquered the region
several hundred years before. The Hebrew language was on its way out, and
there was a critical need for a translation of the Hebrew Old Testament
for dispersed Greek speaking Jews. This translation, called the Septuagint,
or LXX, was completed by Jewish scholars in about 148 B.C. and it had all
of the books, including the seven removed by Martin Luther over 1650 years
later. The New Testament has about 350 references to Old Testament verses.
By careful examination, scholars have determined that 300 of these are
from the Septuagint and the rest are from the Hebrew Old Testament*.
They have shown that Jesus Christ Himself, quoted from the Septuagint.
Early Christians used the Septuagint to support Christian teachings. The
Jews were upset that these new Christians were using their translation
for Christian advantage.
*Dictionary
of the Bible, John L. McKenzie, pg 787.
About 90-95 A.D., or several decades after the
beginning of Christianity, the Jews decided to call a council to deal with
the matter. In this council, called the "Council of Jamnia*",
they decided to remove books that were helpful to Christians. They removed
the seven books, using various reasons as their "authorization"
to do so. Keep in mind, that the Greek speaking Jews had been using the
Septuagint for well over two centuries by this time. Some non-Catholics
charge that the seven books were not added to the Septuagint until the
fourth century. If that were true, how could the Council of Jamnia have
removed them in the first century if they were not there? Please see, "The
Deuters", elsewhere on this website for
more details regarding the actions of this council.
Christians continued using the Septuagint with all of the books**,
and they ignored the decision of the Jewish Council. About 1450 years later,
Martin Luther, on his own recognizance and without any authority, removed
those seven books, claiming the decision of that Jewish Council was his
"authority" to do so. At this point, I am forced to ask, "If
the Jews called a council next month with the expressed desire to remove
Isaiah because it supports the virgin birth in Isaiah 7:14, and Jeremiah,
for various reasons which support Christian beliefs, and they did it, would
the Protestants in turn support the decision of this new Jewish Council
and remove the same books from their King James Bible?" If not, what
are their reasons for not doing so? After all, they have already set a
precedent. What is the difference between almost 1450 years and almost
2000?
*Jamnia
is a town in western Israel, which is also spelled Jamniah, Javneh, Jabneel,
or Yibna.
**The
Septuagint including
the Deuterocanonicals can be found here .
For the first 300
years of Christianity, there was no Bible as we know it today. Christians
had the Old Testament Septuagint, and literally hundreds of other books
from which to choose. The Catholic Church realized early on that she had
to decide which of these books were inspired and which ones weren't. The
debates raged between theologians, Bishops, and Church Fathers, for several
centuries as to which books were inspired and which ones weren't. In the
meantime, several Church Councils or Synods, were convened to deal with
the matter, notably, Rome in 382, Hippo in 393, and Carthage in 397 and
419. The debates sometimes became bitter on both sides. One of the most
famous was between St. Jerome, who felt the seven books were not canonical,
and St. Augustine who said they were. Protestants who write about this
will invariably mention St. Jerome and his opposition, and conveniently
omit the support of St. Augustine. I must point out here that Church Father's
writings are not infallible statements, and their arguments are merely
reflections of their own private opinions. When some say St. Jerome was
against the inclusion of the seven books, they are merely showing his personal
opinion of them. Everyone is entitled to his own opinion. However, A PERSONS
PRIVATE OPINION DOES NOT CHANGE THE TRUTH AT ALL. There are always three
sides to every story, this side, that side, and the side of truth. Whether
Jerome's position, or Augustine's position was the correct position, had
to be settled by a third party, and that third party was the Catholic Church.
Now the story had a dramatic change, as the Pope
stepped in to settle the matter. In concurrence with the opinion of St.
Augustine, and being prompted by the Holy Spirit, Pope St. Damasus I, at
the Council of Rome in 382, issued a decree appropriately called, "The
Decree of Damasus", in which he listed the canonical books of both
the Old and New Testaments. He then asked St. Jerome to use this canon
and to write a new Bible translation which included an Old Testament of
46 books, which were all in the Septuagint, and a New Testament of 27 books.
ROME HAD SPOKEN, THE ISSUE WAS SETTLED.
"THE CHURCH RECOGNIZED ITS IMAGE IN THE INSPIRED BOOKS OF THE BIBLE.
THAT IS HOW IT DETERMINED THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE." Fr. Ken Baker
The
decisive
shot
had
been
fired.
St. Jerome acquiesced under obedience
(Hebrews 13:17) and began the translation, and completed it in 404 A.D..
In 405, his new Latin Vulgate*
was published for the first time.
*The
word "vulgate" means, "The common language of the people,
or the vernacular".
The Decree of Pope St. Damasus I, Council of Rome.
382 A.D....
ST. DAMASUS 1, POPE, THE DECREE OF DAMASUS:
It is likewise decreed: Now, indeed, we must treat of the divine Scriptures:
what the universal Catholic Church accepts and what she must shun.
The list of the Old Testament begins: Genesis, one book; Exodus, one book:
Leviticus, one book; Numbers, one book; Deuteronomy, one book; Jesus Nave,
one book; of Judges, one book; Ruth, one book; of Kings, four books; Paralipomenon,
two books; One Hundred and Fifty Psalms, one book; of Solomon, three books:
Proverbs, one book; Ecclesiastes, one book; Canticle of Canticles, one
book; likewise, Wisdom,
one book; Ecclesiasticus
(Sirach), one
book; Likewise, the list of the Prophets: Isaiah, one book; Jeremias, one
book; along with Cinoth, that is, his Lamentations; Ezechiel, one book;
Daniel, one book; Osee, one book; Amos, one book; Micheas, one book; Joel,
one book; Abdias, one book; Jonas, one book; Nahum, one book; Habacuc,
one book; Sophonias, one book; Aggeus, one book; Zacharias, one book; Malachias,
one book. Likewise, the list of histories: Job, one book; Tobias,
one book; Esdras, two books; Esther, one book; Judith,
one book; of Maccabees,
two books.
Likewise, the list of the Scriptures of the New and Eternal Testament,
which the holy and Catholic Church receives: of the Gospels, one book according
to Matthew, one book according to Mark, one book according to Luke, one
book according to John. The Epistles of the Apostle Paul, fourteen in number:
one to the Romans, two to the Corinthians, one to the Ephesians, two to
the Thessalonians, one to the Galatians, one to the Philippians, one to
the Colossians, two to Timothy, one to Titus one to Philemon, one to the
Hebrews. Likewise, one book of the Apocalypse of John. And the Acts of
the Apostles, one book. Likewise, the canonical Epistles, seven in number:
of the Apostle Peter, two Epistles; of the Apostle James, one Epistle;
of the Apostle John, one Epistle; of the other John, a Presbyter, two Epistles;
of the Apostle Jude the Zealot, one Epistle. Thus concludes the canon of
the New Testament.
Likewise it is decreed: After the announcement of all of these prophetic
and evangelic or as well as apostolic writings which we have listed above
as Scriptures, on which, by the grace of God, the Catholic Church is founded,
we have considered that it ought to be announced that although all the
Catholic Churches spread abroad through the world comprise but one bridal
chamber of Christ, nevertheless, the holy Roman Church has been placed
at the forefront not by the conciliar decisions of other Churches, but
has received the primacy by the evangelic voice of our Lord and Savior,
who says: "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church,
and the gates of hell will not prevail against it; and I will give to you
the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you shall have bound on
earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall have loosed on earth
shall be loosed in heaven."
This list of 46 Old Testament and 27 New Testament
books was reconfirmed in the Council of Carthage in 397 A.D.. St. Jerome's
translation, "The Latin Vulgate"*,
is to this day, the official Bible of the Catholic Church. The Bibles which
Catholics use today, have the same 46 books in the Old Testament as they
have had since before the beginning of Christianity.
*The
Latin Vulgate
can be found here.
I have not seen a
Protestant writing giving recognition to Pope St. Damasus I, or of even
the barest mention of his decree, or of the Council of Rome. This is more
than half of the truth which is "conveniently" left out of Protestant
arguments. See? Half of the truth really is
no truth at all.
The Council of Hippo in 393 reaffirmed the canon put forth by Pope Damasus
I...
AD 393:
Council of Hippo. "It has been decided that besides the canonical
Scriptures nothing be read in church under the name of divine Scripture.
But the canonical Scriptures are as follows: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua the Son of Nun, Judges, Ruth, the Kings, four
books, the Chronicles, two books, Job, the Psalter, the five books of Solomon
(included Wisdom and Ecclesiastes (Sirach)),
the twelve books of the Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Tobit,
Judith, Esther,
Ezra, two books, Maccabees, two books."
(canon 36 A.D. 393). At about this time St. Jerome started using the Hebrew
text as a source for his translation of the Old Testament into the Latin
Vulgate.
The Third Council of Carthage reaffirmed anew,
the Canon put forth by Pope Damasus I...
AD 397:
Council of Carthage III. "It has been decided that nothing except
the canonical Scriptures should be read in the Church under the name of
the divine Scriptures. But the canonical Scriptures are: Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, four books of Kings,
Paralipomenon, two books, Job, the Psalter of David, five books of Solomon
(Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom,
Sirach), twelve
books of the Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Tobit,
Judith, Esther,
two books of Esdras, two books of the Maccabees."
(canon 47 A.D. 397).
It is to be noted that the book of Baruch
was considered by some Church Fathers to be a part of the book of Jeremiah
and as such was not listed separately by them.
The Fourth Council of Carthage in 419 again
reaffirmed the Canons as defined in previous councils...
CANON XXIV. (Greek xxvii.)
"That nothing be read in church besides the Canonical Scripture.
ITEM, that besides the Canonical Scriptures nothing be read in church under
the name of divine Scripture. But the Canonical Scriptures are as follows:
* Genesis * Exodus * Leviticus * Numbers * Deuteronomy * Joshua the Son
of Nun * The Judges * Ruth * The Kings (4 books) * The Chronicles (2 books)
* Job * The Psalter * The Five books of Solomon (includes
Wisdom and Sirach) * The Twelve Books of the
Prophets * Isaiah * Jeremiah * Ezechiel * Daniel * Tobit
* Judith * Esther
* Ezra (2 books) * Maccabees (2books).
The New Testament: * The Gospels (4 books)
* The Acts of the Apostles (1 book) * The Epistles of Paul (14) * The Epistles
of Peter, the Apostle (2) * The Epistles of John the Apostle (3) * The
Epistles of James the Apostle (1) * The Epistle of Jude the Apostle (1)
* The Revelation of John (1 book).
Let this be sent to our brother and fellow bishop, [Pope] Boniface, and
to the other bishops of those parts, that they may confirm this canon,
for these are the things which we have received from our fathers to be
read in church."
[This is Canon xxxvj. of Hippo., 393. The last phrase allowing the reading
of the "passions of the Martyrs" on their Anniversaries is omitted
from the African code.]
The Council of Florence, also called Basel, 1431-1445, was yet another
Council which confirmed the Canons of both testaments of the Bible...
SESSION 11 4 February 1442:
"We, therefore, to whom the Lord gave the task of feeding Christ's
sheep', had abbot Andrew carefully examined by some outstanding men of
this sacred council on the articles of the faith, the sacraments of the
church and certain other matters pertaining to salvation. At length, after
an exposition of the catholic faith to the abbot, as far as this seemed
to be necessary, and his humble acceptance of it, we have delivered in
the name of the Lord in this solemn session, with the approval of this
sacred ecumenical council of Florence, the following true and necessary
doctrine. Most firmly it believes, professes and preaches that the one
true God, Father, Son and holy Spirit, is the creator of all things that
are, visible and invisible, who, when he willed it, made from his own goodness
all creatures, both spiritual and corporeal, good indeed because they are
made by the supreme good, but mutable because they are made from nothing,
and it asserts that there is no nature of evil because every nature, in
so far as it is a nature, is good. It professes that one and the same God
is the author of the old and the new Testament -- that is, the law and
the prophets, and the gospel -- since the saints of both testaments spoke
under the inspiration of the same Spirit.
It accepts and venerates their books, whose titles are as follows. Five
books of Moses, namely Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy;
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, four books of Kings, two of Paralipomenon, Esdras,
Nehemiah, Tobit,
Judith, Esther,
Job, Psalms of David, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom,
Ecclesiasticus,
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Baruch,
Ezechiel, Daniel; the twelve minor prophets, namely Hosea, Joel, Amos,
Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi;
two books of the Maccabees;
the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; fourteen letters of Paul,
to the Romans, two to the Corinthians, to the Galatians, to the Ephesians,
to the Philippians, two to the Thessalonians, to the Colossians, two to
Timothy, to Titus, to Philemon, to the Hebrews; two letters of Peter, three
of John, one of James, one of Jude; Acts of the Apostles; Apocalypse of
John."
The Council of Florence was held over 100
years before the Council of Trent, and about 80 years before the start
of the reformation.
The Council of Trent 1546-1565, the longest lasting
Council in Church history.
AD 1546:
The Catholic Council of Trent, called to counter changes made by Martin
Luther, again reaffirmed the canonicity of all 46 books of the Old Testament.
Some Protestant reformers who attended, tried to get the Church to accept
the list of books which the Jewish rabbis had chosen at Jamnia.
The Church refused and upheld her teaching from Pope Damasus I, and the
Council of Florence. As a result, Protestants have the same New Testament
books as Catholics, but their Old Testament differs because it does not
contain the books rejected by the rabbis at Jamnia, and much later, rejected
by Martin Luther.
It is interesting that for 1500 years all Christians accepted the same
canon for the Old Testament. Only in the last 480 years, since the reformation,
has there been disagreement from Protestants.
Here are some of the claims made by Protestants
regarding the finalizing of the canon of Scripture...
1. God passed the canons directly to man.
Okay, what men? Who, what , where, when and
why?
Documentary proof please. How do you know this? Show me the Bible verse?
Show me the list as passed down by GOD?
2. Luther did not
remove the 7 books, the Jews did at Jamnia, so they weren't there to begin
with.
If they were never there to begin with, then
how do you explain the fact that they are, and always have been, in the
Latin Vulgate, which has been in use by the Catholic Church for over 1500
years?
Explain why so many history books are wrong, by saying Luther removed them
during the reformation? I must ask also, "By what authority does a
Jewish Council, which was convened decades after the dawn of Christianity,
have any claim regarding the nature of Christian doctrine?"
3. The Council of
Trent in 1546-1565 "added" the 7 books.
If so, then how could Luther have removed
them 20 years earlier if they were not there?
How could Trent have added them if they were already in the Latin Vulgate
from 404 A.D.?
4. Jesus Christ did
not reference the Deuterocanonical books, so they cannot be canonical.
Well, let us see just which books He did reference...
In...
Matthew 4:4, He referred to Deuteronomy 8:3
Matthew 4:7, He referred to Deuteronomy 6:16
Matthew 4:10, He referenced Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:20
Matthew 7:12, and Luke 6:31, He referenced Tobit 4:16
Matthew 9:13, He quoted Hosea 6:6
Matthew 13:43, He quoted Wisdom 3:7
Matthew 22:32, He quoted Exodus 3:6
Matthew 22:37, He quoted Deuteronomy 6:5
Matthew 22:39, He quoted Leviticus 19:18
Matthew 22:44, He quoted Psalms 110:1
Mark 7:6-8, He quoted Isaiah 29:13
John 14:23, He referenced Ecclesiasticus (Sirach)2:15-16, (Septuagint)
or Sirach 2:18 (Confraternity).
He quoted Deuteronomy, Hosea, Exodus, Leviticus, Isaiah, and Psalms, as
I have listed here, and there are more, but He did not quote all of the
books of the Old Testament.
Of these books, neither Jesus Christ nor the Apostles referenced:
Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Obadiah, Zephaniah, Judges, 1Chronicles,
Ezra, Nehemiah, Lamentatations, and Nahum.
Does this make these books any less canonical simply because they were
not reference by them?
However, did you notice that I have referenced three Deuterocanonical books
in my list, Tobit, Wisdom and Sirach? As pointed out above, the Septuagint
was referenced by Christ and the Apostles, many more times than they referenced
the Hebrew Old Testament, and the Septuagint had all 46 books. These three
references lend much credibility to the books removed by Luther, and to
the Greek Septuagint.
The Deuteroncanonical book of
Wisdom has, however, a stunning prophecy of Jesus Christ, which adds immensely
to its canonicity...
"Therefore let us lie in wait for the
righteous; because he is not for our turn, and he is clean contrary to
our doings: he upbraided us with our offending the law, and objecteth to
our infamy the transgressions of our education. He professeth to have the
knowledge of GOD: and he calleth himself the child of the Lord. He was
made to reprove our thoughts. He is grevious unto us even to behold: for
his life is not like other men's, his ways are of another fashion. We are
esteemed of him as counterfeits: he abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness:
he pronounceth the end of the just to be blessed, and maketh his boast
that GOD is his Father. Let us see if his words be true; and let us prove
what shall happen in the end of him. For if the just man be the Son of
GOD, he will help him, and deliver him from the hand of his enemies. Let
us examine him with despitefulness and torture, that we may know his meekness
and prove his patience. Let us condemn him with a shameful death: for by
his own saying he shall be respected." Wisdom
2:12-20, Septuagint.
See Matthew 27:42-43
5. There is no New Testament reference to any of
the disputed books.
As I pointed out in the previous question, this is absolutely not true
as there are several references to the "Deuterocanonicals", and
at least three from "Apocrypha" which I have found...
Bible references (N.T.) to
Apocryphal books:
1. Jude 1:9, Yet when Michael
the archangel was fiercely disputing with the devil about the body of Moses,
he did not venture to bring against him an accusation of blasphemy, but
said, "May the Lord rebuke thee."
This is found in the Apocryphal book, "The Assumption of Moses".
2. Jude 1:14, Now of these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied,
saying, "Behold the Lord has come with thousands of His holy ones..."
This prophecy is from the Apocryphal Book of "Enoch", 1:9.
3. 2Tim 3:8, "Just as
Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these men also resist the truth,
for they are corrupt in mind, reprobate as regards the faith." Although
this is a reference to Ex 7:11, the 'magicians' of Pharaoh, they are not
named in Exodus. They are found in the Apocryphal book "Gospel of
Nicodemus" 5:1. They are also found in the "Narrative of Aeneas
Account of the Suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ," 5:4.
Bible
references (N.T.) to Deuterocanonical books of the Old Testament: These
references show legitimacy to these books that Protestants rejected. They
also show that the seven books were indeed in the Septuagint at the time
these references were written in the first century.
1. Heb 11:35, "...Others
were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might find a better
resurrection." The only place in the Old Testament in which you will
find reference to that is 2Macc 7:1-29. How do you, who do not have 2Maccabees,
explain that? Note! The first half of Heb 11:35 is found in 1King 17:23
and 2King 4:36.
2. Heb 11:38, "...wandering
in the deserts, mountains..." This is found in 1Macc 2:28-30
and 2Macc 5:27.
3. John 10:22, "Now there
took place at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication..." This found
in
1Macc 4:52-59.
4. John 14:23, "...If
anyone love Me, he will keep My word..." This is in Sir 2:18.
5. Rom 9:21, " is not
the potter master of his clay..." Found in Wis 15:7
6. 1Pet 1:6-7, "...gold
which is tried by fire..." See Wis 3:5-6
7. Heb 1:3, "...brightness
of His glory..." Similar to Wis 7:26-27
8. 1Cor 10:9-10, "...perished
by serpents and destroyed by the destroyer." Almost perfectly matched
in Judith 8:24-25.
9. 1Cor 6:13, "...food
for the belly and belly for food..." Similar to Sir 36:20
10. Rom 1:18-32, "GOD
is known by the things He has created..." Similar to Wis 13:1-9
11. Matt 7:12, Luke 6:31,
"...all that you wish men to do to you, even so do you also to them..."
Found in Tob 4:16
12. Luke 14:13, "...when
you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame..." Similar
to
Tob 4:17.
13. Rev 21:18, "And the
material of its wall was jasper; but the city itself was pure gold, like
pure glass." Similar to Tob 13:21.
14. Matt 13:43, "Then
the just will shine forth..." Found in Wis 3:7.
15. Matt 18:15, "But
if thy brother sin against thee..." Similar to Sir 19:13
16. Matt 25:36, "...sick
and you visited me..." Similar to Sir 7:39.
17. Matt 27:42, "...if
He is the King of Israel, let Him come down now from the cross..."
Similar to Wis 2:18-20.
18. Mark 14:61-62, "...are
you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One: And Jesus said to him, I AM."
Found in Wis 2:13.
19. Luke 2:37, "...as
a widow...She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting
and prayer." Found in Judith 8:4-6.
20. Luke 24:4, "...two
men stood by them in dazzling raiment." Found in 2Macc 3:26.
21. John 16:15, "All
things that the Father has are mine." Found in Wis 2:13.
22. Rom 10:6, "...Who
will go up into heaven..." Found in Bar 3:29.
23. Rom 11:33, "...How
inscrutable are His judgments and how unsearchable are His ways."
Found in Judith 8:14.
24. 1Cor 10:20, "...they
sacrifice to demons, not to God..." Found in Bar 4:7.
25. 1John 3:17, "If someone
who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion,
how can the love of GOD remain in him?" Found in Tob 4:7.
These
are just a few that I have found, and with very little effort. Most of
them were found just by reading the cross references in Bibles. There are
many more.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE
NEW TESTAMENT CANON:
AD 51-125:
The New Testament books are written, but during this same period other
early Christian writings are produced--for example, the Didache (c. AD
70), 1 Clement (c. 96), the Epistle of Barnabas (c. 100), and the 7 letters
of St. Ignatius of Antioch (c. 107).
AD 140:
Marcion, a businessman in Rome, taught that there were two Gods:
Yahweh, the cruel God of the Old Testament, and Abba, the kind father of
the New Testament. Marcion eliminated the Old Testament as scriptures and,
since he was anti-Semitic, kept from the New Testament only 10 letters
of Paul and 2/3 of Luke's gospel (he deleted references to Jesus's Jewishness).
Marcion's "New Testament", the first to be compiled, forced the
mainstream Church to decide on a core canon: the four Gospels and Letters
of Paul.
AD 200:
The periphery of the canon is not yet determined. According to one list,
compiled at Rome c. AD 200 (the Muratorian Canon), the NT consists of the
4 gospels; Acts; 13 letters of Paul (Hebrews is not included); 3 of the
7 General Epistles (1-2 John and Jude); and also the Apocalypse of Peter.
AD 367:
The earliest extant list of the books of the NT, in exactly the number
and order in which we presently have them, is written by Athanasius, Bishop
of Alexandria, in his Festal letter # 39 of 367 A.D..
AD 382:
Pope Damasus I, in a letter, listed the New Testament books in their present
number and order.
AD 393:
The Council of Hippo affirmed the Canon written by Bishop Athanasius.
AD 397:
The Council of Carthage reaffirmed the Canons of the Old and New Testaments.
AD 1442:
At the Council of Florence, the entire Church recognized the 27 books,
though does not declare them unalterable. This council confirmed the Roman
Catholic Canon of the Bible which Pope Damasus I had published a thousand
years earlier.
AD 1536:
In his translation of the Bible from Greek into German, Luther removed
4 N.T. books (Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelations) and placed them in
an appendix saying they were less than canonical.
AD 1546:
At the Council of Trent, the Catholic Church reaffirmed once and for all
the full list of 27 books as traditionally accepted.
Some
final notes...
Interestingly, some Protestants who have studied the origins of the Canons
of Scripture, accept the decisions of Pope St. Damasus I, and the various
councils when they finalized the New Testament canon, but reject the decisions
of the same councils for the canon of the Old Testament. In doing so, they
have to admit that the Catholic Church, by infallible decision, determined
the canon of the New Testament. By whose authority then, do they reject
the canon of the Old Testament, which was decided by the same Bishops at
the same council?
Here is a perfect example of acceptance of "half of the truth".
The only way Protestants can know which are the inspired books of the Bible
is for them to accept the teaching of the Catholic Church. If this is not
acceptable, then please, someone show me the listing of the inspired books
in the Bible?
Is
The
Catholic
Church
The
Mother
Of
The
Bible,
Or The
Daughter?
By simple
deduction...
The Catholic Church was founded at the end of Christ's
ministry on earth, or about 29-30 A.D..
The first book of the New Testament was not even written
until about 20 years later.
The Catholic Church could not possibly have come from the Bible.
Instead, the Bible came from the Catholic Church.
Consequently, the Catholic Church is the mother of the Bible, and not the
daughter.
By the time Revelations, the last book of the Bible, was written around
100 A.D.,
the Catholic Church was already on its fifth Pope,
St. Evaristus.
©
Compiled by Bob Stanley,
July 12, 1999
Updated March 22, 2001
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