The Development of New Testament Canon

Describe the development of untested Testament enactment in spot of time studied (35 marks) The New Testament Canon is described by Princeton Online Dictionary as, a collection of record books accepted as Holy scripture the books of the Bible recognized by any Christian church as genuine and inspired. Basically the Canon is a selection of books used by the Church for public worship and also the books which the Church ack nowledge as inspired scripture normative for faith and practice.The term (the Greek kanon path reed, which went on to mean measuring rod and then last the list written in the column) was coined by Christians, but the idea is name in Jewish sources Rabbinic Judaism recognizes the twenty- four books of the Masoretic Text, commonly called the Hebraical Bible. Evidence suggests that the process of canonization occurred between 200 BC and AD 50, while the formation of the Christian Canon was non until the first-year and spot centuries. These canonical books have been developed through debate and agreement by the religious authorities of their respective faiths.During the first and secant centuries, there was not a Canon of Scripture set down as it is forthwith originally the information was passed by oral tradition, until they were written down as it became clearer that eye witnesses would all grow old and pass away. Firstly, it was the four synoptic evangels, and then around 85 AD, Pauls letters were collected. til now at this st age there was no sense of a Canon of Scripture, which is a closed list (which is books that cannot be added or removed).Marcion of Sinope was the first rise-known heretic in the history of the early church, and he was the first Christian leader in recorded history to propose and delineate a canon (about 140 AD) which include 10 epistles from St. Paul as well as move of the Gospel of Luke which today is known as the Gospel of Marcion he famously attacked the Gospel of Luke with a penknife, and left o nly the parts he agreed with. This dividing of the books was viewed as a heresy, and so the church mat they had to organize the books in the right way to defend Christianity.In the first and second century, the early church accepted the Hebrew canon of Scripture as authoritative, and this was an influence on the formation of the New Testament canon. The church felt up that because they regularly read the Old Testament within worship, they needed to sustain a link to the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. Surely these were authoritative enough to be included? Indeed, the teaching of Jesus was respected as much as the Old Testament, the Apostles literary productions too, especially after their death. Gradually, the term Scriptures was used to conclave these books together.In 153 AD, Justin Martyr confirmed that the gospel singing were read in the services in capital of Italy, along with the Old Testament prophets, the memoirs of the Apostles or the writings of the prophets ar e read, as long as time permits . The main criterion to be included in the canon was apostolicity, and to gain this the books had to be written by or sponsored by an Apostle, guard Christ-honoring content compatible with oral tradition and contain spiritually fruitful use of the books within the church from the Apostolic age onwards.Firstly, Pauls letters were brought together at the end of the first century, and then the four synoptic gospel singings were added fifty years later. still keisters gospel took longer to be accepted, particularly by the Gnostics and then the Montanists. Papias, the Bishop of Hierapolis in 130 AD, witnessed the Apostolic credentials of the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, and right the end of the second century, Irenaeus spoke of the apostolic origins of all four when he said, Matthew published his gospel among the Hebrews in their own tongueMark, the disciple and vox of tool, himself handed down to us in writing the substance of scratchs preaching. Luke, the follower of Paul, set down in a book the gospel preached by his teacher. Then John, the disciple of the Lord, who also leaned on his breast, himself produced his gospel. In 200 AD, a canon list from this conclusion was created and is now known as the Muratorian canon. It includes all the books accepted as Scripture by the Church at Rome, which includes the gospel truth, Acts, thirteen of Pauls epistles, 1st and second John, Jude and Revelation.Wright says, Hebrews is missing altogether which is surprising since it was used by gracious of Rome a century earlier. However he explains how it was not accepted in the West, probably due to doubts about who wrote it were brought forth by Montanist use. At this period, it was more often than not accepted that all New Testament books were included, except James, second Peter, 2nd and 3rd John, Jude, Hebrews and Revelation (which was only partially excluded, as its apostolic origins were questioned).Within the ordinal and fourth century, the position of the canon was strengthened. Apostolic Fathers, such as Tertullian, Clement and Origen all used the New Testament scriptures regularly in self-opinionated discussion, and often commented on the books themselves. Eusebius tells us that the only books still disputed at the beginning of the fourth century were James, 2nd Peter, 2nd and 3rd John and Jude. we must set in the first place the Holy quaternoin of the Gospels which are followed by the book the Acts of the Apostles.After this, we must reckon the epistles of Paul spare-time activity which we must pronounce genuine the extant forms epistle of John, and likewise the epistle of Peter. After these we must place, if it really livems right, the Apocalypse of John there is the extant the epistle of James, and that of Jude and the second epistle of Peter and the second and 3rd of John However not everybody agreed with the New Testament Canon in the late second century, there was the production of sever al acts of the Apostles which were not recorded in Acts.Furthermore, a number of religious doctrine appeared which included the childhood of Jesus, or the life of Pilate. However these were mainly imaginative and some originated from fringe Christian groups ideas, such as Docetists. However Irenaeus rule out the possibility of there being more than four gospels by saying, since there are four zones of the world in which we live, and four principal winds it is fitting that she (she church) should have four pillars, breathing incorruption on every side and vivifying men afresh. These gospels included the gospels of Peter, doubting Thomas and Matthias, and the Acts of Andrew and John. Eusebius said of the spurious writings, none of these has been deemed worthy of any kind of diagnose in a treatise by a single member of back-to-back generations of churchmen and the character of the style is also far removed from the apostolic manner, and the judgement and purport of their contents is so absolutely out of the harmony with admittedly orthodoxy as to establish the fact that they are certainly the forgeries of heretics To conclude, it is easy to see how the New Testament Canon developed over a period of four centuries. The canon list set out in full point in the Easter letter of Athanasius in 367 AD contains the 27 books to the expulsion of all others, however certain books such as Shepherd of Hermas and the Didache were permitted for privy reading. Thus, while there was a good measure of debate in the Early Church over the New Testament canon, the major writings were accepted by almost all Christians by the middle of the third century.