|
Match Context and Document information |
URL: | https://www.bible.ca/b-canon-apostolic-fathers-apologists.ht m |
---|---|
Depth: | 2 links away from Home |
Size: | 217,802 bytes |
Modified: | 2024-06-16 03:02:53 |
Categories: | -None- |
Title: | The canon of the Bible: What the apostolic fathers and apologists viewed as scripture |
Description: | -None- |
Keywords: | -None- |
Meta data: | -None- |
Body: | The books did the apostolic fathers and apologists quoted A conservative, bible believing perspective! God's providence gave us the 27 book New Testament Canon, not the church. God, not men decided the canon. This providence does not mean that church leaders were inspired in their selecting the canon, only that God had his eye on the scriptures the whole time and brought about His will to form the Bible we see today! The books did the apostolic fathers and apologists quoted Go to: "Canon of the Bible" Home Page Introduction: Although the apostolic fathers and apologists were not inspired, they do give us a windows into which books of the Bible they considered to be part of the Canon. Like preachers today, they used many historical books as references that they knew were not inspired. "He [Graham N. Stanton, The Fourfold Gospel, p 322] points to a significant passage, often ignored in the literature, which shows that Justin must have reckoned with at least four gospels. In Dialogue 103.8 he refers to "memoirs" composed by Jesus' apostles and by those who followed them." As noted above, this remark corresponds to the evidence that the early church thought that two gospels were written by apostles (Matthew and John), and two by followers of apostles (Mark as the interpreter of Peter, as per the Papias fragment, and Luke as the companion of Paul). Stanton also argues that 1 Apol. 61.4 and Dial. 88.7 show that, apart from the Synoptics, Justin also knew John's Gospel, because the former draws on John 3:3-5 and the latter on John l:19-20. (Lee Martin McDonald, James A. Sanders, Editors: The Canon Debate; Peter Balla, Evidence for an Early Christian Canon: Second and Third Century, p 380, 2002) The first author who clearly asserts that the church has no more and no less than four authoritative gospels is Irenaeus. (Lee Martin McDonald, James A. Sanders, Editors: The Canon Debate; Peter Balla, Evidence for an Early Christian Canon: Second and Third Century, p 380, 2002) Graham Stanton has rightly argued that it is a good method to point to the source that is most explicit, and "to work back from the full flowering of a concept or a development to its earlier roots." If we find no sign of a major change in the view of the great church reflected in the previous sources, it can be argued that the situation clearly expressed around 180 C.E. by Irenaeus applies to earlier decades as well. Irenaeus employs analogies from both nature and scripture (e.g., the four winds and the four-faced cherubim of Ezek l; Haer. 3.11.8) to show that the church has to have no more and no less than four gospels. Additionally, "he reckons to `scripture' . . . Acts and the thirteen letters of Paul. 1 Peter and the two Johannine letters (l and 2) are appraised like the Pauline letters, while James and Hebrews are probably not so highly esteemed" (see, e.g., Haer. l.9.4; 2.26.l-2; 3.l.1). (Lee Martin McDonald, James A. Sanders, Editors: The Canon Debate; Peter Balla, Evidence for an Early Christian Canon: Second and Third Century, p 380, 2002) II. Which books did the apostolic fathers refer to? Book Clement of Rome Justin Martyr Polycarp Didache Papias Barnabas Hermas Aristides Murat-orian Fragment Athena-goras Lyons Clement of Alexan-dria Irenaeus Hippolytus Tertu-llian Tatian Theo-philus Origen Cyprian Ignatius Eusebius Book Date AD 95 100 110 125 130 140 150 175 175 177 177 180 180 200 200 200 200 230 250 250 275 Date AD Mt Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Mt Mk Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Mk Lk Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Lk Jn Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Jn Act Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Act Rom Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Rom 1Co Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View 1Co 2Co Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View 2Co Gal Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Gal Eph Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Eph Phi Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Phi Col Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Col 1Th Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View 1Th 2Th Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View 2Th 1Ti Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View 1Ti 2Ti Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View 2Ti Tit Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Tit Phl Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Phl Heb Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Heb Jas Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Jas 1Pe Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View 1Pe 2Pe Click to View 2Pe 1Jn Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View 1Jn 2Jn Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View 2Jn 3Jn Click to View Click to View 3Jn Jud Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Jud Rev Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Click to View Rev Date AD 95 100 110 125 130 140 150 175 175 177 177 180 180 200 200 200 200 230 250 250 275 Date AD Book Clement of Rome Justin Martyr Polycarp Didache Papias Barnabas Hermas Aristides Murat-orian Fragment Athena-goras Lyons Clement of Alexan-dria Irenaeus Hippolytus Tertu-llian Tatian Theo-philus Origen Cyprian Ignatius Eusebius Book III. Notes: 1. We take the view that all 15 letters of Ignatius are forgeries written about 250 AD. They are important, only in that they document 250 AD. If you look at the books Ignatius quoted from, only Hebrews is of any value because it was one of the disputed books. Otherwise, Ignatius is an insignificant witness in the Canon discussion. 2. Regarding the date of the Muratorian Fragment: The majority of conservative scholars still believe the evidence best supports the date of 175 AD. IV. Bibliography: 1. The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance, Bruce Metzger, 1987 2. New Testament Apocrypha, 6th edition. 2 Vols. Wilhelm Schneemelcher, 1989 3. A General Survey of the History of the Canon of the New Testament, B.F. Westcott, 1855 4. General Introduction to the Bible, Norman Geisler and William Nix, 1986 By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections. Click Your Choice GoToStart:WWW.BIBLE.CA |