Comments from Pastor Billy about chapter thirteen of his summer book recommendation - a great read for high school graduates and their parents!
My Professor Says That Books Were Left Out of Our Bibles--Can We Be Sure We Have the Right Ones? (Chapter 13)
This chapter of the book is focused on the burning questions that may come up on a college campus as to whether we have the right books of the Bible. Who put the Bible together? What if we have the wrong books? Are there other books that are missing? The books that are labeled today as the Apocrypha are those books that don't have the historical credentials, lack eyewitnesses, and are often much later in date.
Michael Kruger talks about the origins of the Gospel of Thomas, a favorite of many people who want to discredit the current biblical canon. However, much of what is included would sound more like a self-help preacher today then the actual word of God, for instance, “Know yourselves; then you will become known.”
The New Testament canon and that of the Bible has much better origins than what many scholars have led people to believe. By the end of, or during the 2nd Century, a core group of Books were accepted in the New Testament canon. Only a few “disputed books--typically James, 2 Peter, 2-3 John, and Jude” seem to have taken longer to accept. However, we know from other sources, and second century church fathers like Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria, plus the Muratorian Fragment that lists of canonical books were being compiled.
Further evidence is provided by Michael Kruger, for instance, he speaks Papias the Bishop of Hierapolis who seems to have accepted many new testament books in the early 2nd Century. Papias had Mark, Matthew, 1 Peter, 1 John, Revelation, “and maybe even some of Paul’s epistles” in the canon. This is impressive since most scholars today in secular universities will tell you that it was essentially free for all in the early years of Christianity. That it was only a bishop in the 4th century that came up with this list.
Finally, we have internal evidence that the Bible and other Scriptures were being written, even by the Apostles. 2 Peter 3:15b-16 states, “just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.” Peter is speaking about the writings of Paul and how some of them can be difficult to understand. This shows that even during the writing of the letter of 2 Peter, the author was aware that Paul had been writing letters to churches as well. But even further than that, it was clear that those letters were thought of as graphe or Scripture.
This chapter continues to show that while many will say that Christianity and the Bible are just things to take on nothing but faith. Our faith is a part of real history, real people, real writings and events. We cannot disconnect our faith from the history that God is working in and through. Instead we can marvel at how God has been preserving his people, his Word, and his plan from start to finish.
In Christ,
Billy
For further information watch this YouTube clip: https://youtu.be/vVbYNmKj_Zk