...Running Head: THE NEW COVENANT FOR ALL MANKIND The New Covenant: New Testament Canionization? Abstract The canonization of the New Testament evolved over 400 years following the death of Jesus, influenced by social upheaval, different cultures, and political pressures of the era. This paper examines how the 27 books of the New Testament were formulated, recognized as Holy Scriptures, and eventually declared for inclusion in the new canon. It will examine how the new scriptures were evaluated using a new four-step criterion, determining which books were divinely inspired. It will also examine a new classification system, created to help determine which writings were acceptable, disputed, or rejected from consideration. Finally, the decision of which books to include in the New Testament is addressed during four major councils held by the church during the fourth century. The New Covenant: New Testament Canonization. After the death of Jesus, the apostles, and other followers, spread the word of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The primary method of teaching was by way of oral communication, spreading the message by word of mouth. As time went by, and the Apostles started to die, the first efforts were made to capture their life with Jesus into written word. The dissemination of these works was a slow process due to the hindrance in transportation and the inability to mass produce the writings. The ability to capture and fully understand these divine works...
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...The Canonization of Scripture Stephen Landrum The word canon has evolved over time to come to mean the official inventory of books, like that of Athanasius, that a religious community regards as its authoritative source of doctrinal and ethical beliefs. The word comes from the Greek kanwn and most likely from the Hebrew qaneh and Akkadian, qanu. Literally, it means a straight rod or bar; a measuring rule as a ruler used by masons and carpenters; then a rule or standard for testing straightness (Harris 24). In the past, canon referred the doctrines of the church that were accepted as rule of faith. The canonization of the New Testament was a long and complex process. Canonization served two purposes. It clarified the beliefs church leaders considered true and acceptable; and it provided a unifying force for the churches throughout the Roman Empire. Canonization provided a firm written authority for universal belief and practice. A major factor in the permanent establishment of a New Testament canon was the Vulgate, a translation done by Jerome. This translated the scripture into common Latin of western Roman civilization. For nearly one thousand years no new translations of the Bible appeared even as new European languages developed through the dark ages of the medieval period. The Vulgate remains the official Bible of The Roman Catholic Church (Harris 31-32). The protestant canon differs from the Roman Catholic canon. The protestant Bible is seven books shorter...
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...The Nature and Significance of the New Testament Marshall Suddarth Indiana Wesleyan University New Testament by Definition. As defined the New Testament is “the second part of the Christian Bible comprising the canonical Gospels and Epistles and also the book of Acts and book of Revelation” (Merrium-Webster.com, 2015); however, the meaning goes much deeper than that. It is the testimonial recollection of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ; a guide to salvation and eternal life. The New Testament is the canonization of several manuscripts written over a fairly large period of time after the death of Christ. A process of study, group debate, and political influences brought the New Testament to the twenty-seven books we see today. While some debate still exist as to the authorship of the individual books, most believe that God directed the early founders of Christianity to form the text as a basis for others to find the truth of God and Christ. Canonization. Early founders of the church consisted of multicultural backgrounds, each with its own set of political influences, cultures, and belief structures. The word of Christ was very important as a common theme; however, the authority and authorship of the individual works was just as important (Schenck, 2010). Early founders of the book we currently see as the Bible wanted the scripture to be a true recollection of the original testimony of Christ’s life, and the purpose for which he died and was resurrected. To do...
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...should avoid using generic websites that do not appear scholarly in nature. A good rule of thumb is that if a website does not have an author, it is not a good source. Good online material has also usually been published in print at some point. Google Scholar and JSTOR are great places to search, as well as the online encyclopedias I've shown you. Always feel free to send me an email if you have questions about sources or formatting. You are to write a 5-page research paper (12 point, double spaced, Time New Roman font, 1-inch margins on all sides), using at least three scholarly sources (not including the textbook), focusing on the key events and movements that were influential in the recognition of the canonical books. You should focus primarily on the canonization of the New Testament, though it is acceptable to include some information on the Old Testament. In addition, look at the methods and the process employed by individuals and councils in the NT canonization process, and how/why they deemed certain books as the inspired word of God. Please note that this paper is to be about the canonical books of the Bible, not the canon laws of the Catholic Church. These are two different subjects. Also, note that the formation of the NT Canon is the foundation of orthodoxy for the Church. This paper should not be on the Eastern Orthodox Church, which is a different topic. I have posted a document entitled "CHHI 301 Paper Tips" in this week's module that goes into much more...
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...Introduction The debate over tongues is one that will not be settled in one session of writing or discussion; men will be having their say on the subject until the day we meet Christ face to face in heaven. In the modern sense, this spiritual phenomenon is closely associated with the Pentecostal movement which originated in the Azusa St. Revival of 1906 and has caused a severe split in the church. This division has been caused, primarily, by an incorrect interpretation of the gift of tongues in the New Testament through the exclusion of studying the gift through the Biblical precedent of the gift established by Luke in the book of Acts. In order to properly interpret and comprehend the references to speaking in tongues in the corporate setting of the New Testament church, one must understand the purpose and characteristics of tongues in the book of Acts. This paper will argue that the experience of tongues in Acts is normative for understanding tongues in the rest of the New Testament epistles and the church today. The Meaning of Speaking in Tongues in the Church Today In the...
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...Floyd McAllister June 14, 2010 Rel 112: Introduction to the New Testament Rev. Ashley Summerlin Questions of the Week Week One There are those who feel that interpreting the Bible is simply process of opening the Bible, reading a brief passage, and then offering an opinion of what that text seems to mean. What do you think about the process? How does knowledge of the historical and cultural background of the Greco Roman world influence the interpretation of the New Testament? What is involved in interpreting a passage from the New Testament? The process of reading a passage is more than just simply opening the Bible, this is history this is our guide for life. It helps us to live our lives in the way God would want us too. I believe the knowledge of the historical and cultural background of the Greco Roman world influenced the interpretation of the New Testament because of the history context, the way they lived and the heinous and pleasant things they did I think all things in that frame played a part in the interpretation of the New Testament. I believe a measure of trust faith and belief is involved when interpreting a passage. Week Two The four Gospels give us four unique portraits of Jesus. Does this diverse witness to Jesus enrich our understanding of Jesus or do the four Gospels cause confusion? What aspect of Jesus’ life has been your biggest surprise in your readings in this course? In a way it does cause confusion but with them telling everything...
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...detail it is a monotheistic religion. There are many hierophanies in the Catholic Church. An example of a sacred place would be the church itself. An example of a sacred person would be the priest or Father Bob at St. Mary’s. Also in the Catholic Church Saints and Popes would be regarded as very sacred people. The mass I attended was during the sacred time of Lent, which is a forty day period. The Catholic Church is not iconoclastic at all. At St. Mary’s there were multiple depictions of the holy in their art. There was a statue of Jesus The religious language of the sermon was double-intentional. The priest read John 4:5-42 for the gospel reading. After the gospel was read, he told a story about an Iraqi family who recently moved to a new community and started going to a Catholic church. The language in the gospel is double-intentional in the sense that the story talks about...
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...Research Paper The Babylonian Empire and the Old Testament Submitted to Dr. Curtis Fitzgerald, Ph.D, In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of the course OBST 520 LUO (Summer 2014) Old Testament Orientation II Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary Marcus Banks-Bey_L2444950 June 29, 2014 Thesis Statement This research paper will discuss, and review the history of the Babylion Empire, its rulers, and the Empire’s influential relationship upon some of the major events which developed within Old Testament literature. Introduction Through my research, it is my intent to identify significant points within the history of the Babylion Empire, including its origins, development, expansion, eventual decline, and why it became a focal point of many of the major events of the Old Testament. From the Great Empire of Akkad, Babylon became a major seat of learning, culture, and technology. More than simply a city-state of defiance, and sinful practices, Babylon’s influence, very often viewed through a negative scholarly lens, shaped the history of Asia Minor, Northern Africa, and the world when approached from a biblical standpoint. As such, Babylon remains a critical, powerful nation in relation to its nation-state of Israel, and Old Testament history. Nimrod The Cushite The first nation-state identified within contemporary Biblical literature is the land that is “Ethiopia”, as mentioned...
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...Table of Content I. Introduction: How do Evangelicals agree or disagree with contemporary Catholicism? II. This paper will explore the different motif within Contemporary Roman Catholicism while examining the differences between Evangelicals and Contemporary Roman Catholics. A. Origin of the Roman Catholic Church. 1. Different views of Church History. 2. Apostolic Succession. 3. Veneration of the Saint/ Virgin Mary. B. Mass/ Sacraments/ Eucharist/ Purgatory. III. Protestant Reformation. A. Council of Trent. 1. Vatican Counsel II. 2. Biblical Canonization/ Apocrypha B. Evangelical Attitude toward Contemporary Roman Catholicism? 1. Areas of Agreement. 2. Area of Disagreement. 3 Different views of Church of Authority. 4. Different view on Salvation on justification. IV. Conclusion: Evangelicals persist that some of the Contemporary Roman Catholic teachings can be misleading, in spite of this salvation to the believer can still be achieved. Introduction Since the Vatican Council II commenced in 1963, the Roman Catholic Church had a paradigm shift in regard to its interaction with Protestant believers. The Catholic Church reformed their...
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...GETTING TO KNOW THE CHURCH FATHERS An Evangelical Introduction JoHanna Gilyard-Woodward History of Christianity 1 CHHI 520 July 20, 2012 Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction By Bryan M. Litfin: BrazosPress, 2007, pp301 softback. Bryan M. Litfin at the writing of this book states that he earns his living as “a professor whose academic expertise is the early church fathers” (p.7). He is a husband and an associate professor of theology at Moody Bible Institute. He summarizes himself by saying that he is one who has been “taught to think like a Christian; taught to think like a scholar; and taught to think like a catholic” (p. 7). Litfin begins and ends this book with an overall theme and challenge to see how the church fathers impacted the Christian church and the life of an individual Christian on the whole. Secondary to the overall theme he lays out three misconceptions with regards to the church fathers, (1) the church fathers were not biblical; (2) the ancient church fathers were Roman Catholics; and (3) the church fathers represent the “fall” of Christianity (pp. 20-25 & pp. 255-257), and through the ten church fathers discussed in his book he seeks to prove how those misconceptions have misled some individuals. As he introduces the church fathers and deals with the misconceptions, he deals with his third theme, the historical events and places of the life of the church father. Each chapter begins by giving a modern day application...
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...Institute for Christian Teaching THE BIBLE: REVELATION AND AUTHORITY Richard M. Davidson 402-00 Institute for Christian Teaching 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904 USA Symposium on the Bible and Adventist Scholarship Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic March 19-26, 2000 Page 1 of 33THE BIBLE: REVELATION AND AUTHORITY 3/2/2014http://fae.adventist.org/essays/26Bcc_017 -055.htm Introduction I have not always held the view of Scriptural revelation and authority that I now maintain. Having journeyed through a different perspective on the revelation/authority of Scripture and then returning to the position that I now hold, I am convinced that this issue is basic to all other issues in the church. The destiny of our church depends on how its members regard the revelation and authority of the Bible. In the following pages I have summarized the biblical self-testimony on its revelation and authority. The major focus of the paper is biblical authority, but a short statement concerning revelation-inspiration-illumination introduces the subject, and other biblical testimony on the nature of revelation is subsumed under the discussion of biblical authority. The paper also includes a brief historical treatment of the Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment understandings of biblical revelation/authority and an analysis and critique of their basic presuppositions in light of Scripture. Following the conclusion, a selected bibliography of sources cited and other...
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...Institute for Christian Teaching THE BIBLE: REVELATION AND AUTHORITY Richard M. Davidson 402-00 Institute for Christian Teaching 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904 USA Symposium on the Bible and Adventist Scholarship Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic March 19-26, 2000 Introduction I have not always held the view of Scriptural revelation and authority that I now maintain. Having journeyed through a different perspective on the revelation/authority of Scripture and then returning to the position that I now hold, I am convinced that this issue is basic to all other issues in the church. The destiny of our church depends on how its members regard the revelation and authority of the Bible. In the following pages I have summarized the biblical self-testimony on its revelation and authority. The major focus of the paper is biblical authority, but a short statement concerning revelation-inspiration-illumination introduces the subject, and other biblical testimony on the nature of revelation is subsumed under the discussion of biblical authority. The paper also includes a brief historical treatment of the Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment understandings of biblical revelation/authority and an analysis and critique of their basic presuppositions in light of Scripture. Following the conclusion, a selected bibliography of sources cited and other useful books and articles on the subject is provided. Appendices include: (1) a chart schematizing the two major...
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...The Nazarene Way of Essenic Studies 666: The Number of the Beast The Book of Revelation of St. John the Divine "No one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or name of the beast, or the number of his name, and his number is 666" ~The Book of Revelation 13:17-18 Some versions of Christian eschatology holds that this prophecy refers to future events, typically that the Mark of the Beast is one way in which the antichrist will exercise power over the earth, during the period known as the Tribulation in the book of Revelation. Opinions as to what form it will take are varied. The literal interpretation is that the number 666 will be imprinted on the skin, but with recent technological developments the possibilities of universal control are limitless. The notion that the mark is required for all commerce implies that the mark might actually be a special card, or that we might have to have our fingerprints scanned into a worldwide database in order to be recognized in business. Or, the mark might be some kind of smart chip implanted into the body. In Revelation 14:9-12, the third angel warns of wrath and retribution to all those who bear this mark on their heads or hands. The number 666, which supposedly represents the name of the Antichrist, is another source of controversy. There are various theories about the meaning of this verse, and there have been many attempts to show that a person is the Antichrist by relating his name to the number 666. One interpretation is...
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...The Nazarene Way of Essenic Studies 666: The Number of the Beast The Book of Revelation of St. John the Divine "No one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or name of the beast, or the number of his name, and his number is 666" ~The Book of Revelation 13:17-18 Some versions of Christian eschatology holds that this prophecy refers to future events, typically that the Mark of the Beast is one way in which the antichrist will exercise power over the earth, during the period known as the Tribulation in the book of Revelation. Opinions as to what form it will take are varied. The literal interpretation is that the number 666 will be imprinted on the skin, but with recent technological developments the possibilities of universal control are limitless. The notion that the mark is required for all commerce implies that the mark might actually be a special card, or that we might have to have our fingerprints scanned into a worldwide database in order to be recognized in business. Or, the mark might be some kind of smart chip implanted into the body. In Revelation 14:9-12, the third angel warns of wrath and retribution to all those who bear this mark on their heads or hands. The number 666, which supposedly represents the name of the Antichrist, is another source of controversy. There are various theories about the meaning of this verse, and there have been many attempts to show that a person is the Antichrist by relating his name to the number 666. One interpretation is...
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...claims of the Scriptures themselves IV. Closing Bibliology is simply “the study of the Bible.” For Christians, the Bible is the most sacred of books and on it hinges the entire religion of Christianity. Were the Bible to ever collapse, Christianity would have no foundation on which to rest and it too would follow suit shortly thereafter. For the skeptic, the Bible is a book in which good ideas, morality, fables, myths, and oftentimes blatant lies are contained. It is the express purpose of this paper to examine the evidences which give rise to the credibility of the Biblical text. There are a great many different aspects of bibliology which could be discussed. Inerrancy, inspiration, sufficiency, preservation, apocryphal books, canonization, infallibility, and interpretation are but a few of those areas. In many of these different aspects of bibliology, it is as though one crosses into the domain of the other and adds support and stability to the entire study and credibility of the Scriptures. For the purposes of...
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