How Were the Books Chosen in the Biblical Canon?
What many people may not realize is that there were more books written other than those included in the Biblical canon. There were certain tests that were applied to help decide what books would be included as part of the canon and what books would be left out. To give you a framework of this process let me share with you some of the tests that were applied in this process.
1 – Authorship
The first test was authorship, who wrote the book. Old Testament authorship referred to the authority of the person writing it. Were they a lawgiver, a prophet, or a leader in Israel? In the New Testament, the authority came from the person either being an apostle or someone who was backed by or closely connected to an apostle.
2 – Inspiration
The question had to be asked, "was this book inspired by God?" This was determined by the writings themselves meaning they had to have God’s handprint on them. Without inspiration, they would not be included.
3 – Universal Acceptance
In general, if these books were included, it was the writings and content were universally accepted by the different churches or the leaders and teachers in Israel.
Here is how Dr. Chafer, a theologian who was the founder and first president of Dallas Theological Seminary, put it.
“The authority of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments which gives to them their canonical preëminence is attributable to at least seven different sources. (1) The Scriptures are authoritative being God-breathed. (2) The Scriptures are authoritative being written by chosen men who were “borne along” by the Holy Spirit. (3) The Scriptures are authoritative being accredited by those who first received them. (4) The Scriptures are authoritative being attested by the Lord Jesus Christ-the Second Person of the Godhead. (5) The Scriptures are authoritative being received, delivered, and attested by the Prophets. (6) The Scriptures are authoritative being the Word employed by God the Holy Spirit. (7) The authority of the Bible is seen in the fact that without the slightest deflection it vindicates and satisfies its every claim.”
It was upon these types of foundations that we have the Bible that we have today.
The important process of canonization was not a process to discover inspiration, it was a process to authenticate it. In other words, they didn’t try to create an inspiration that did not exist but simply they wanted to recognize the inspiration that did.
- Excerpted from Clarence L Haynes Jr.'s article - What Is the Biblical Canon and Why Should Christians Know about It? on Crosswalk.com
Photo credit: Vladimir Zapletin