The formation of the biblical canon

1
The formation of the biblical canon

• From scroll to codex.
• Septuagint.
• NT canon stages of development
• NT canon criteria of selection.
• Marcions contribution.
• Irenaeuss contribution.
• Jesus in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas.

The oldest known ms. of Gospel of John 125 AD
2
Scroll
3
Codex
4
Codex Sinaiticus

• Underlying text the earliest extant Christian
  Palestinian Aramaic, 6th c. AD. Overlying text
  Georgian, dated 979. Mt. Sinai, Egypt.

5
Scriptio continua. Prologue to the Gospel of John
ca. 200. P66

• INTHEBEGINNINGWAS
• THEWORDANDTHE
• WORDWASWITHGDAND
• THEWORDWASGD

6
Abbreviations of sacred names
7
Ambiguities of punctuation

• AWOMANWITHOUTHERMANISNOTHING
• A WOMAN, WITHOUT HER MAN, IS NOTHING
• A WOMAN WITHOUT HER, MAN IS NOTHING

8
Septuagint

• Greek translation of the OT
• Started in Alexandria under Ptolemy Philadelphus
  in the third c. BC.
• the legend
• Significance became the OT scripture of the
  Church

Greek translation of Leviticus. Egypt, 2nd c. CE.
The oldest MS of LXX.
9
Latin Translation of Ezekiel (North Italy, 5th C.
AD). T
10
Oral traditions behind the gospels

• Collected, memorized and (perhaps) recorded
• Sayings of Jesus
• Miracle stories
• Passion narrative

11
Four Source Hypothesis
12
Gospel of Thomas
Beginning
Ending with title
13
Proliferation of Apocrypha

• Gospels attributed to individual apostles or
  groups
• Peter, James, Philip, Thomas,Judas, Mary,
  pseudo-Matthew, Matthias, Bartholomew, the Twelve
  Apostles, Ebionites, Hebrews, Nazaraeans,
  Egyptians,
• Gospels under general titles
• Perfection, Truth, the Four Heavenly Regions
• Gospels attributed to heretics
• Cerinthus, Basilides, Marcion, Apelles,
  Bardesanes, Mani
• Other apocryphal literature
• Apocryphon of John, James Apocalypse of John,
  Peter Correspondence between Paul and Seneca
  Shepherd of Hermas

Non-canonical gospel fragment
14
NT canon stages of development

• Witnessing Jesus ministry
• Preaching and teaching about Jesus
• Composition of the written materials
• Proliferation of writings
• Informal selection of writings

15
Timeline

• 3rd c. B.C.E. Septuagint. Started under Ptolemy
  II Philadelphus (285-246 BCE) in Alexandria.
• end of 1st c. C.E. Council of Javneh Jewish
  canon closed with 39 books.
•  
• NT canon
• 50ies Pauline Epistles. Paul died ca. 60.
• 60ies-early 70ies Gospel of Mark.
• 80ies Gospels of Matthew and Luke.
• 90ies Gospel of John and the rest of the canon.
•  
• 140ies Marcion produced his own canon.  
• 170ies Tatian published his Diatessaron.
• 180ies Irenaeus endorsed the four gospels.
• 200 ( or 4th c?) Muratorian canon. Some Gnostic
  Gospels and apocrypha rejected.
• 367 The first full list of the 27 NT writings
  mentioned in letter of Athanasius of Alexandria

16
Marcions version of Christianity

• Antinomianism sharp contrast between the Law and
  the Gospel
• Docetism
• Marcions biblical canon
• Churchs response to Marcion

17
Irenaeus' contribution

• Four gospels, no less and no more
• Four beasts of Ezekiel symbolizing the four
  evangelists

18
Irenaeus on the use of the four gospels

• Irenaeus, Haer. 3.11.7 So firm is the ground
  upon which these Gospels rest that the very
  heretics themselves bear witness to them, and
  starting from them, each endeavors to establish
  his own peculiar doctrine. For the Ebionites use
  Matthews Gospel Marcion mutilates that
  accordning to Luke. those who separate Jesus
  from Christ Docetists prefer the Gospel of
  Mark those who follow Valentinus make copious
  use of that according to John

19
NT canon informal selection criteria

• Use in public worship teaching.
• Orthodoxy agreement with the apostolic
  tradition and rule of faith).
• Apostolicity attributed to apostles or
  apostolic men.
• Antiquity belong to the apostolic age.

20
Seminar Qs Infancy Gospel of Thomas

• What portrait of a young Jesus emerges out of
  this narrative? How is this portrait different
  from the picture of Jesus in the canonical
  gospels?
• What theological issues does the author of this
  gospel grapple with in his presentation of Jesus?
  
• In your judgment, why did the Church decide not
  to include this gospel into its canon? Give
  reasons