Topical Encyclopedia The term "canon" originates from the Greek word "kanon," meaning "rule" or "standard." In the context of the Bible, the canon refers to the collection of books that are considered divinely inspired and authoritative for faith and practice. The development of the biblical canon was a process guided by the Holy Spirit, involving discernment by the early church to recognize the texts that were inspired by God.Old Testament Canon The Old Testament canon, also known as the Hebrew Bible, consists of 39 books. These books are traditionally divided into three sections: the Law (Torah), the Prophets (Nevi'im), and the Writings (Ketuvim). The Law includes the first five books, also known as the Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Prophets are divided into the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings) and the Latter Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve Minor Prophets). The Writings include books such as Psalms, Proverbs, and Job. The canon of the Old Testament was largely established by the time of Jesus. In Luke 24:44 , Jesus refers to the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms, indicating the recognized divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures. The Jewish community, particularly the Pharisees, played a significant role in preserving these texts, which were later affirmed by the early Christian church. New Testament Canon The New Testament canon consists of 27 books, including the Gospels, Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation. The Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—provide the foundational accounts of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Acts of the Apostles details the early church's history and the spread of the Gospel. The Epistles, written by apostles such as Paul, Peter, James, and John, address doctrinal issues and practical aspects of Christian living. The Book of Revelation, a prophetic work, concludes the New Testament. The process of recognizing the New Testament canon involved discerning the apostolic origin, orthodoxy, and widespread acceptance of the texts. By the end of the 4th century, church councils such as those at Hippo (393 AD) and Carthage (397 AD) affirmed the 27 books of the New Testament as canonical. The Berean Standard Bible reflects this canon, as seen in passages like 2 Timothy 3:16 , which states, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness." Criteria for Canonicity The early church used several criteria to determine the canonicity of a book. These included apostolic authorship or connection, consistency with the established doctrine, and the book's edifying effect on the church. The recognition of a book as canonical was not an arbitrary decision but a recognition of its inherent authority and inspiration by the Holy Spirit. Apocrypha and Deuterocanonical Books The Apocrypha refers to a collection of writings included in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) but not in the Hebrew Bible. These books, such as Tobit, Judith, and 1 and 2 Maccabees, are considered deuterocanonical by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches but are not included in the Protestant canon. The Protestant Reformation emphasized the Hebrew canon of the Old Testament, leading to the exclusion of the Apocryphal books from the Protestant Bible. Conclusion The canon of Scripture, as recognized by the Protestant tradition, consists of 66 books—39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. This collection of writings is regarded as the authoritative Word of God, providing the foundation for Christian faith and practice. The process of canonization was marked by careful discernment and guidance by the Holy Spirit, ensuring that the church would have a reliable and inspired record of God's revelation to humanity. Smith's Bible Dictionary The Canon of Scripturemay be generally described as the "collection of books which form the original and authoritative written rule of the faith and practice of the Christian Church," i.e. the Old and New Testaments. The word canon , in classical Greek, is properly a straight rod , "a rule" in the widest sense, and especially in the phrases "the rule of the Church," "the rule of faith," "the rule of truth," The first direct application of the term canon to the Scriptures seems to be in the verses of Amphilochius (cir. 380 A.D.), where the word indicates the rule by which the contents of the Bible must be determined, and thus secondarily an index of the constituent books. The uncanonical books were described simply as "those without" or "those uncanonized." The canonical books were also called "books of the testament," and Jerome styled the whole collection by the striking name of "the holy library," which happily expresses the unity and variety of the Bible. After the Maccabean persecution the history of the formation of the Canon is merged in the history of its contents. The Old Testament appears from that time as a whole. The complete Canon of the New Testament, as commonly received at present, was ratified at the third Council of Carthage (A.D. 397), and from that time was accepted throughout the Latin Church. Respecting the books of which the Canon is composed, see the article BIBLE. (The books of Scripture were not made canonical by act of any council, but the council gave its sanction to the results of long and careful investigations as to what books were really of divine authority and expressed the universally-accepted decisions of the church. The Old Testament Canon is ratified by the fact that the present Old Testament books were those accepted in the time of Christ and endorsed by him, and that of 275 quotations of the Old Testament in the New, no book out of the Canon is quoted from except perhaps the word of Enoch in Jude. --ED.) Library Now the Whole Canon of Scripture on which we Say this Judgment is ... Perhaps There is no Book Within the Whole Canon of Scripture So ... The New Testament Definitely Protected the Old Testament as a Book ... The Divine Scripture Commands us to Abstain from Blood... Introductory Notice to Novatian, a Roman Presbyter Vehicles of Revelation; Scripture, the Church, Tradition. That Nothing be Read in Church Besides the Canonical Scripture. The Scope of the Apocalypse Shewn by Its Place in the Canon That He who is to be Ordained a Bishop must be Steadfastly ... These are all the Books of Old Testament Appointed to be Read... Resources The: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus Subtopics the Epistle of Paul To Philemon the First Epistle General Of John The Kingdom or Church of Christ the Second and Third Epistles Of John Related Terms The-not-beloved (1 Occurrence) Kir'iath-je'arim (18 Occurrences) Kirjathjearim (17 Occurrences) Vine-dressers (18 Occurrences) Kirjath-jearim (17 Occurrences) Kibroth-hattaavah (5 Occurrences) |
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