...CHHI 301, Research Paper 1 The New Testament Canon I have asked myself many times the question of where the bible came from. Was it divine prophesies, or was it simply a mish mash of letters, writings, and books all crammed together into one volume. How and when it was decided which books and letters was would be included, and who decided that? In this paper we will discuss how the New Testament was put together and the origins of the New Testament Canon. The New Testament is a very young document that dates from around 1,900 to 2000 years old. This may seem like a long time ago, but compared to the age of the Old Testament, and other recorded ancient writing it is really pretty recent. It is commonly accepted by most rational thinking people that the Bible as we currently have it today, didn’t just appear one day, but was put together by many different writers, and by many different scholars. So this begs the real question how did the current New Testament come to being and who besides God was behind the publication of the New Testament Canon. I will try in this research paper to paint a picture of how the New Testament Canon came to be, who was involved and what the process was that was used to select the books that were ultimately used. Most scholars agree that the early writers were not aware, or even intended to have books or letters published in the New Testament, they were simply writing to a specific audience. As an example when Paul wrote...
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...collection of interpretations, whether they be right or wrong, are ought to form. Throughout the early centuries many altered interpretations, or heresies, regarding the bible formed. Although the heresy of Marcionism was outlandish and heavily disputed against, it actually aided in the emergence of the Catholic Church. According to John Knox, of the University of Chicago, “Among the creative personalities of early Christianity few are so interesting and important as Marcion, who was expelled from the Roman community… and whose activities gave rise to the most vigorous heretical movement within the ancient church”(p.1). According to the article, Marcion and Scripture: The Impact of a Second Century Heretic on the New Testament, Marcion’s early life was filled with disgrace. “At some point later, however, he was “excommunicated by his own father” for having seduced a consecrated virgin and “degraded both her and himself.” Most modern historians think that the story of Marcion's seduction of a virgin may be a symbolic tale in which the virgin represents the church and Marcion's seduction represents his introduction of heretical teaching”(p.1-3). After being excommunicated from the Church, he took his odd beliefs to Asia Minor. Adolf von Harnack, the author of Marcion The Gospel of the Alien God, explained the bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp’s views as “Polycarp sharply...
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...Adedapo Oluwatodimu Course: CH110 (Church InTthe Roman Empire) Class: TMM Year One (1) Question: As a Theologian vast in Church history, trace lucidly the definition and origin of the Church. Definition: The church; is it a who, a what or a where? There are several and various definitions of the word “Church”. However for the purpose of this study we shall define the “Church” as the people of God, the “laos” (gk) of God, the corporate body of people called out in fellowship and anticipation of the second eminent coming of Jesus Christ. The word “Church” though a New Testament word has it root in the Old Testament gathering of the Jewish nation as represented by the Hebrew word “qahal” which refers to a gathering of people. The “Church” is derived from the Greek word “ec.cle.si.a” which translated means to summon forth; the word was first used for the political assembly of citizens of an ancient Greek state (Athens). However during the advent of Christianity the word became associated with the Christian Church or Congregation! The word “Church” has both local and universal significance; as it denotes individual assembly and worldwide community of Christians. Origin: It is pertinent to note that although the word “Church” is a new testament Institution which “formally” came in prominence after the death of Jesus Christ; it may be naïve to assume that there had been no such gatherings before the birth of Jesus Christ, the New Testament in looking back speaks in one instance...
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...program whereby you go into a church and lay a prophetic foundation within the very framework and infrastructure of my people.” (personal prophecy spoken over Dennis Cramer, Oct. 1996) The “Amos” Mandate Amos said, “I do not come from a family of prophets neither am I a professionally trained prophet with a scholarly background... I have no formal prophetic training or education of any kind. Still, the Lord has commanded me to prophesy!” (Amos 7:14,15) The “Equippers” Mandate “And He gave some to be prophets—for the equipping of the saints” (Eph. 4:12). The Greek word for equipping implies: A recovered wholeness, as when a broken limb is set and mends. A discovered function, as when a physical member is properly operating. The task of the gifted leader is to cultivate the individual and corporate ministries of those he leads. As the “equipper” his job is to help each member find his function in God, experience wholeness in his ministry, and to help each member find his place of service to God. The “Communicators” Mandate “Educators take something simple and make it complicated. A good communicator takes something complicated and makes it simple.” The “Jesus” Mandate “Go and teach all nations... teaching them all the things I have taught you” (Matthew 28:19,20). 2 What is the School of Prophecy? Dennis Cramer Ministries presents a three-day mobile prophetic school—a practical, workable, prophetic curriculum for the church of the 21st...
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...The Biblical Canon: The Movement, Methodologies, and People Who Influenced It Thomas Gainey CHHI 301: History of the Christian Church I February 7, 2016 Introduction In Christianity one of the key factors of its faith is the belief that the Bible is inerrant. Many great Christian leaders have expressed the importance of the Bible. Norman Geisler once stated “The inerrancy of Scripture is the foundational doctrine in which all other doctrines rest, and the Psalmist rightly said, ‘If the foundation be destroyed, then what can the righteous do?’” In his statement he expresses the truth behind the fact that the Christian faith resides on the fact that the Bible is inerrant. Interesting enough the Bible of today with its 66 books, 39 Old Testament, and 27 New Testament are very similar to the bible of the early church. In the words of Herman Ridderbos, "the history of the Canon is the process of the growing consciousness of the Church concerning its ecumenical foundation.” People have often wonder why certain books made into the Bible, but others did not. In this paper will look how we got the Bible we have today and what movements, people, and doctrines effected. Old Testament Canon The Old Testament known to Christians in the Bible is what is known to Jews as the Tanakh. This is made of the writings of the Laws, the Prophets, and the Psalms. Jesus Christ stated in Luke 24:44 “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and...
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...The Formation of the Canon, 5-6 page paper. Thus far we have come to a closing about the date and source of the individual books of the New Testament, but another questions remains unanswered. We can ask ourselves, how did the New Testament itself come into being? Who collected the writings and on what ideology? What conditions led to the creations of a canon, of trustworthy books? Throughout history Christian’s belief is that the Holy Spirit, who controlled the writing of the individual books, also controlled their selection and compilation, thus continuing to fulfill our Lord’s promise that He would guide his disciples into all reality. This however, is something that is to be discerned by spiritual insight, and not by historical research. The object is to find out what historical research reveals about the origin of the New Testament canon. We have people tell us that we receive the twenty seven books of the New Testament on the mandate of the Church; but even if we do, we have to look at how the Church came to recognize these twenty-seven books as worthy of being placed on a level of encouragement and authority with the Old Testament. It took over a century of the proliferation of numerous writings before anyone was even concerned. They started to pick and choose and it was largely a cumulative, individual and accidental event, guided by chance and prejudice more than objective and scholarly research, until priests and academics began declaring what was authoritative...
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...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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...study is based on the definition, translation and the number of occurrences of six words in the King James Version of the Bible. The six words which will be reviewed are: glorify, serve, honor, humble, exalt and delight. In order to properly address these six words, the principles which are discussed by Hill and Tracy (2003) will be explored. Introduction In the early 1990’s, Andrew E. Hill published his treatise which is titled: Enter His Courts with Praise: Old Testament Worship for New Testament Church. Hill dedicates the content of this treatise to one component or another of worshipping the Lord in the context of the Old Testament. The vocabulary words which are applied in the Old Testament are reviewed. The production of biblical histories is reviewed. The holy places, actions and forms are reviewed in this essay. This analysis is inclusive of the priestly class and the royal class in giving reverence to the Lord. The theme of this essay will be Old Testament worship and its function in the New Testament Church. The rituals of...
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...The Canonization of the New Testament When we think about the New Testament in our Bibles today most of us pay little attention to, or have little regard for the history that surrounds how it came to be. This is partly because of the high position we as Evangelicals have for our Bibles. We are taught that the Bible is infallible and never contradicts itself. I agree whole heartedly that the Bible is God's Holy Word and infallible non contradictory. But two weeks ago if you were to ask me how the Bible was put together or "canonized", I would have told you that there was some sort of council that decided which books should be in there, but ultimately it was God's sovereign will. Now the last part would be correct, but the rest is at best debatable. So how was the Bible put together? Since the argument is extremely complex and much of the details are lost or were never recorded, we will be exploring the different events that drove the movement, along with several different opinions of when the Bible was Complete or Canonized. There were two particular movements during the second century that made the Church realize a need to have a compilation of books that were universally accepted. The first movement, although not as well know, was Marcionism. This heretical sect was started by Marcion who was born into Christianity but had a deep dislike for Judaism and the material world. He believed that the God and Father of Jesus are not the same as the creator Yahweh, and it was...
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...E. Hill published his treatise which is titled: Enter His Courts with Praise: Old Testament Worship for New Testament Church. Hill dedicates the content of this treatise to one component or another of worshipping the Lord in the context of the Old Testament. The vocabulary words which are applied in the Old Testament are reviewed. The production of biblical histories is reviewed. The holy places, actions and forms are reviewed in this essay. This analysis is inclusive of the priestly class and the royal class in giving reverence to the Lord. The theme of this essay will be Old Testament worship and its function in the New Testament Church. The rituals of worship which were conducted in the Judaic temple are explored in addition to the implications of the artistic adornments which are applied toward worshipping the Lord. Hill makes an argument for the association of the forms of worship which were applied in the context of the Old Testament and the New Testament. Hill emphasizes the application of the book of Psalms in the conventional Christian church. Tracy reviews the application of the book of Psalms in conventional Christian worship. In the treatise titled: Biblical Worship is Good for You, Tracy makes an argument for the use of singing, playing of musical instruments, creating music and formulating psalms in the New Testament worship of the Lord. , In the New Testament, the Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled. Jesus Christ is Lord.,,, The perspectives of Hill and Tracy...
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...Count- 568 The twenty-seven books of the New Testament are referred to as the canon, a term that has come to mean “list” or “table” (Carson 2005, 726). In English, the term canon represents an accepted rule or norm, Paul used this same word in Galatians 6:16 when he described the standards to be followed by believers (Lea 2003, 70). The Scriptures are collectively accepted beliefs for Christians, and the New Testament canon contains the approved doctrines for the Church (Lea, 71). The books of the New Testament are considered authoritative, and from divine origin, and these twenty-seven books are distinct from other books and literature written at that time (Lea, 72). Not all books were accepted as authoritative scripture, and the criteria for determining such was difficult. However, the most important element used to indicate canonicity was inspiration, this follows 2Tim 3:16 which says that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God.”(Lea, 71). Further reference specifies that “inspired scripture” is from God, and that “not inspired” meant writings other than from God. Many other writings of the Christian Church existed and were sifted through because they lacked the elements necessary for inclusion into the canon (Lea, 72). The early Christian Church leaders used three factors to determine the validity of scriptures claimed to be inspired. Number one was the “rule of faith”, meaning that the Church accepted that the book contained correct teachings...
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...Clay Crumpler September 9, 2014 CHHI 301 Paper 1 The Foundation of Orthodoxy and the Canon How did we get the New Testament? That is a good question. Well we know that the New Testament is twenty-seven books ranging from AD 45 to approximately AD 100. (1) The New Testament was not written as one continuous book. Many different people at differing times and different locations wrote the books and then they were compiled much later. Who, then, decided which books should be included in the New Testament canon and which ones were to be left out?(2) In the Bible in 2 Timothy chapter 3 verses 16-17 "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good word.” This is telling that God breathed out the message he wanted in the Bible so that all of us may learn from it and get to know him more. Even Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5 verse 18 “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” He talks about how the word of God was inspired to be the way it is and no one should change it because it is how God breathed it to be. The Cannon is a permanent list of authoritative book recognized as scripture. The word of God was written in three languages Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. (3) We do not have the original...
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...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY ONLINE THE FORMULATION AND RECOGNITION OF THE CANONICAL BOOKS A PAPER SUBMITTED TO PROFESSOR C. PAUL KING IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR HISTORY OF THE CHURCH I 301 DEPARTMENT OF CHURCH HISTORY BY GLENN ROGERS LYNCHBURG. VIRGINIA 10 NOVEMBER 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Reason or Need for Adoption of a Canon of Scripture 4 Key Events that were Influential in Recognition of the Canon 5 Individuals and Councils that Helped Shape the Canon 6 Conclusion 8 Works Cited 10 Introduction The Bible is one of the most intriguing books ever written. There is no other book in history that covers the same amount of time or the comprehensive aggregation of people and cultures as found in the pages of the Bible. The mysteries and wisdom of the Bible have held the attention of Biblical and non-biblical scholars for centuries. We know from the study of history that not all Jews agreed on which books belonged in the Bible. As a matter of fact Christians also debated what to include and exclude in the New Testament Scriptures. This was a major problem in the first two centuries of Christianity. Biblical historian Paul Johnson wrote in his book entitled History of Christianity, “After more than two centuries...
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...A Pilot Project Aimed at Mutually Equipping Church and Business Leaders for Kingdom Impact II. The Context: Followers of Jesus Christ who possess a divine calling, talents, and gifts to work and serve God through specific voluntary or paid vocations in the workplace face daily opportunities to impact the Kingdom of God. When believers walk by faith and obedience in the revelation that God’s divine presence and purpose is with them daily in their work lives, God empowers them to lead change that can transform lives, businesses, and even nations. Believers clearly see this truth in the lives of Abraham, Joseph, Daniel, and Nehemiah. The Great Commission (Matt. 28) commands believers to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every person. This directive includes Holy Spirit-empowered witness in the marketplace with signs, wonders, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in operation. As His priests (1 Pet. 2:5; Rom. 12:1-2), God calls believers ordained for the twenty-first century workplace to worship and serve Him through their actions, words, and works. God’s Word calls for excellence in whatever a person does (Col. 3:17). Fruitfulness follows when believers root biblical ethics in excellence, and practice it in relationships and business decisions. Anthropologists and missiologists are observing major global shifts causing leaders to revise their understanding of the notion of culture. When business leaders, church leaders, and missiologists consider how to effectively...
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...world, where he espoused dualism that distinguished the OT God and the NT God . The main sources for Marcion's life are Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Hippolytus . It is of importance to not that although his own works are not existing we know the position of Marcion and the Marcionites church through their writings. Legend has it that before moving to Rome, he disgraced himself by having affair with a woman, and was excommunicated by his father , but it is not clear if the excommunication was for the affair or for false teaching. He joined the Church in Rome and his aim was to call the Church back to what he deemed the original gospel of Jesus Christ. Possible Influence and Background By The second century there was a steady growth of Gentile Christianity, and also lots of oppornets at this time. A new generation of leaders succeeds the apostles. Nevertheless, expectation still runs high that the Lord may return at any time. The end must be close. The Gospel has been taken through a great portion of the known world of the Roman empire and even to regions beyond. New churches at first usually begin in Jewish synagogues around the empire and Christianity is seen at first as a part of Judaism. The Church faces a major crisis in understanding itself as a universal faith and how it is to relate to its Jewish roots. Christianity begins to emerge from its Jewish womb. A key transition takes place at the time of Jewish Revolt against Roman authority. In 70 AD...
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