The term ‘canon’ comes from a Greek word (kanon) which means: Measuring rod or rule. It refers to the collection of individual writings that comprise the Old Testament and New Testament.
Churches, councils or people did not ‘decide’ or ‘pick’ which books would be considered part of the canon of scripture, but rather ‘recognized’ which ones were inspired by God. In other words, the church ‘received’ the canon.
What was the criteria used to recognize God’s inspired books?
The Authority of the Writer
- Old Testament: Had to be a lawgiver, prophet or the leader in Israel. Recognition of OT canon probably took place under the influence of the scribe Ezra (a very long process, given the OT books were written over many centuries).
- New Testament: Had to be an Apostle or a colleague of an Apostle (Mark was an associate of Peter; Luke was an associate of Paul)
Internal Evidences of the Books Themselves
- Teaching must be orthodox – the books must be consistent in doctrine.
- The books must have some evidence of their unique character as being inspired and authoritative.
- The content should commend itself to the reader as being different from an ordinary book in communicating the revelation of God.
- The book should bear evidence of high moral and spiritual values that would reflect the work of the Holy Spirit.
- Books may be verified by other scripture (Peter refers to Paul’s writings in 2 Peter 3:16, as ‘other Scriptures’. Paul quotes from Luke 10:7 in 1 Timothy 5:18). In other words, the early church had a ‘functional canon’ from the beginning.
Reception by the Early Church
- There is surprising unanimity among the early church as to recognizing which books belonged in the canon of scripture.
- Although there were a few books that were temporarily doubted, no book whose authenticity was doubted by any large number of churches was later accepted.
Relevance
- Widespread and longstanding usage within the church
Establish my footsteps in Your Word ~ Psalm 119:133 