How do we decide which books belong in the Bible since the Bible does not say which books belong in the Bible?
The Bible as we know it today consists of 66 books – 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. However, the Bible itself does not contain a definitive list of exactly which books should be included. So how did we end up with the collection of books that we have in our Bibles today? How was it decided which books “belong” in the Bible and which ones do not?
This is a complex question with a long history behind it. There was a process over several centuries where various books were evaluated and discussed by religious scholars and councils to determine their canonicity, meaning whether they should be viewed as divinely inspired Scripture. Some key factors that were considered included:
– Authorship – Was the book written by a prophet or apostle or someone closely connected with them? Books that passed this test include the books of Moses, the major and minor prophets, the gospels and epistles. Books that were written too late to have apostolic authorship, such as 2 Peter, were debated.
– Recognition – Did the early church fathers and Christians widely recognize the book as inspired and authoritative? Books like the 4 gospels and some epistles of Paul passed this test. Disputed books took longer to gain acceptance.
– Consistency – Does the theology of the book align with the rest of Scripture? For example, the Gnostic gospels in the 2nd and 3rd centuries were rejected for contradicting the teachings in the other Apostolic writings.
– Contents – Does the book contain the marks of inspired writing? For example, Old Testament books that made historical or prophetic claims were compared against the record of history.
The process of canonization first began within Judaism. The Old Testament canon recognized by Protestants emerged between 400-200 BC. The Jews recognized the 39 books of the Protestant Old Testament as divinely inspired, rejecting the Apocryphal books with inferior or spurious claims of inspiration. Jesus and the Apostles affirmed the Jewish canon as carrying divine authority (Luke 24:44).
The New Testament canon emerged between c. 95-400 AD. The 27 books were recognized as Apostolic, authoritative and consistent. Other books claiming apostolic authorship were rejected, like the Gospel of Thomas. Key milestones in the canonization process include:
– c. 95 AD – Clement of Rome refers to multiple NT books as Scripture. This shows early recognition.
– c. 140 – Marcion proposes first canon of only Luke and 10 epistles, omitting OT. His canon is rejected.
– c. 367 – Athanasius lists accepted 27 NT books, affirming these are divinely authoritative.
– 393 – Council of Hippo formalizes 27 book NT canon which is reaffirmed at the Council of Carthage.
– c. 400 – Jerome translates the Bible into Latin, including only the 39 OT and 27 NT books, affirming the consensus.
So in summary, the formation of the Biblical canon was a complex, gradual process. While the Bible does not contain a list of its own contents, books were tested against the standards of apostolic authorship, recognition by the early church, theological consistency and marks of inspiration. Through this Spirit-guided, consensus-based process, the 66 books were affirmed as carrying divine authority for the Church. The canon provided a fixed collection of inspired Scripture to live by and test all other truth claims against.
Having covered a high-level overview of the canonization process, we can look more closely at how it unfolded within the Old and New Testaments specifically.
The Old Testament Canon
The canon of the Old Testament developed over many centuries before the books were finally recognized as authoritative by Judaism. While the Old Testament contains references to a number of books that have been lost to history, such as the Book of the Wars of the Lord (Num 21:14), by 400 BC the Jews had settled on the same 39 books of the Old Testament that Protestants accept today.
Some key steps in this process include:
1. Moses and the Torah – c. 1400-1250 BC: The first five books, Genesis to Deuteronomy, were written by Moses and accepted as divinely inspired Scripture from earliest times. These contain the foundational history and Law of Israel.
2. The Prophets – c.1000 – 300 BC: The books of the major and minor prophets were accepted as they appeared over this period. These apply the purposes of the Law during Israel’s key historical events and contain inspired prophecy pointing toward the Messiah.
3. Wisdom Books – c. 1000 – 200 BC: Books like Psalms, Proverbs and Job were collected during this period. These contain godly wisdom and important details on Israel’s worship and poetry.
4. Exile and Ezra – c. 538 BC: After returning from exile, Ezra and the Great Assembly finalized the Old Testament canon, placing emphasis on Moses and the Prophets (Mal 4:4, Ezra 7:6). The other books were included for historical context.
5. Second Temple Era – c. 400 BC: By the late Second Temple period, the Septuagint translation shows that the Jews had settled conclusively on the same 39 book canon affirmed in Jesus’ day. The Apocryphal books were excluded.
So over many centuries, the books of Moses, the Prophets and other writings were evaluated and recognized by Jewish religious scholars as carrying divine authority. This was settled well before the time of Christ. Jesus affirmed the completed Jewish canon:
“And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.” (Luke 24:44)
The Early Church also affirmed the Jewish canon. Josephus (c. 90 AD) and other sources show the widespread acceptance of the 39 books among Jews, Christians and even Greek intellectuals. When we see Church leaders like Jerome and Augustine defending the Old Testament canon in the early 5th century, they are defending what had already been long established from earliest times.
So in summary, the 39 book Old Testament canon recognized by Judaism for over 2,000 years was inherited and fully accepted by the Christian Church from the very start.
The New Testament Canon
While the Old Testament canon was settled centuries before Christ, the New Testament canon was not finally recognized until about 400 AD. This happened through a gradual, Spirit-led process of consensus-building among the churches, as various biblical books were tested against the standards of apostolic authorship and authority.
Key factors that contributed to the recognition of the 27 books include:
– The Authority of Christ – Jesus affirmed the Old Testament canon and promised the Spirit would guide His apostles into all truth (John 14:25-26). The teachings of Christ are foundational to the Church.
– The Witness of the Apostles – The gospels and epistles provide the authoritative apostolic eyewitness testimony about Christ and instructions for Christian living.
– Use in Early Worship – NT books that were regularly read in early church worship carry significant weight, indicating widespread recognition of their authority and canonicity.
– Recognition by Church Fathers – Early Christian leaders like Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement and Origen provide important evidence in citing NT books as Scripture.
– Consistency of Theology – Books that contradicted the Apostles’ teachings, like the Gnostic gospels, were rejected.
– Traditional Authorship – Books thought to be written by apostles were accepted. Those of questioned authorship, like Hebrews, faced more scrutiny.
Given these guiding criteria, we can trace the emerging consensus regarding the New Testament canon:
– c. 95 AD – Clement of Rome references Matthew, Luke, Corinthians, Hebrews showing early knowledge of apostolic writings.
– c. 140 – Marcion proposes a canon of Luke + 10 Pauline epistles. His canon is rejected.
– c. 180 – Irenaeus argues for Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Paul’s epistles and Revelation based on tradition.
– 303 AD – Edict of Diocletian seeks to destroy Christian sacred texts, indicating there was an accepted NT canon by this time.
– c. 367 AD – Athanasius gives earliest list of the 27 NT books as we have them today. He distinguishes these from disputed books.
– 382 – Council of Rome affirms canon list as per Athanasius.
– 393 – Council of Hippo formally approves 27 book NT canon.
– c. 397 – Council of Carthage reaffirms 27 books as the authoritative NT canon based on traditions of the apostles.
– c. 400 – Jerome translates the Bible into Latin including only the approved OT and NT books. This Vulgate text helps standardize the canon.
So while the NT canon was not definitely settled until around 400 AD, there was emerging consensus centuries earlier that the books we have in our NT are the authentic, authoritative writings of the Apostles that should guide the Church. The Spirit-led process resulted in the formal recognition of the 27 books we have today.
This covers a general overview of how the biblical canon came to be established. To summarize:
– The Old Testament canon was settled centuries before Christ among the Jews, consisting of the same 39 books Protestants accept today. This was affirmed by Jesus and passed down in the Church.
– The New Testament canon was gradually formalized through the first four centuries of the Christian Church. Books were weighed against apostolic authority, theological consistency and recognition across the churches.
– While the Bible does not contain its own canon list, the books were tested and verified through this Spirit-guided, consensus-based process over centuries.
– The result is the 66 book canon we have today – the authoritative written Word of God. The completed biblical canon provides the trustworthy revelation of God that guides and governs all of Christian faith and doctrine.
This establishes the general framework of the canonization process. Many books have been written exploring the details more thoroughly from historical, textual and theological perspectives. But in broad strokes, this explains how the question of which books “belong” in the Bible was answered over the centuries, even though an exact list is not provided within Scripture itself. The Holy Spirit faithfully guided the process so that Christians today can have confidence in the Bible as the complete revelation from God and standard for testing all truth claims.
