Article 3b - The Origin of the Bible – Church Councils and the Process of Canonization by the Catholic Church

 By Emmanuel Gomes

 

This article concludes the introduction to the Old Testament, and discusses on how under the infallible authority of the Catholic Church the canon of the Scriptures according to Catholic faith was finalized.

 

There are video lectures at the end of this article. After studying this article, it is recommended to watch the four videos for a comprehensive understanding of the origins of the Bible. 

 

From next article onwards, we will begin with the study of the Pentateuch, starting with the book of Genesis. For this Bible Study, we will be following the canonical order.

 

The Development of the Canon in the Early Church –

 

In the previous article, we saw how different sects of Judaism had divergent views on the Jewish Scripture during Jesus’s time. So when did the Jewish community reach a consensus on their canon as described in our first article?

 

Jewish traditions do not have a central authority like the Catholic Church and does not claim to hold infallible councils. A German scholar, Heinrich Graetz, suggested that the Jews may have reached a closure at A.D. 90 at the “Council of Jamnia[Jabneh]”. This theory has been discredited due to lack of evidence as the Mishnah records debates that was still ongoing in the second century A.D. More will be discussed on this in the video lecture at the end.

 

The Mishnah is a central text of Jewish law and religious teachings. It is a compilation of Jewish oral traditions that were passed down from generation to generation. The Mishnah was codified and redacted by Rabbi Judah the Prince (Yehuda HaNasi) around the second century A.D. in the land of Israel.

 

In the first centuries, the exact boundaries of the canon was not a pressing concern for the Church. Much greater concern were questions regarding inclusion of Gentiles into the Church (Acts 15), relation of the law to salvation in Jesus Christ (Romans; Galatians) & maintaining visible unity of the Church.

 

In second & third centuries, there were frequent persecution of Christians which threatened the survival of the Church. Hence, we see in history that only after the legalization of Christianity by Roman Emperor Constantine in the early fourth century, that we began to have extant lists of the Canon of Scripture from various Church Fathers and Church Councils.

 

By the end of fourth century, the Churches in communion with Rome finalized on the Canon recognized by the Catholic Church today via Councils of Rome(382 A.D), Council of Hippo(383), Council of Carthage (397 & 419) and by Augustine.

 

For the early councils and Church Fathers, canonical books were those which were authorized by legitimate apostolic authority to be read publicly in worship. Non canonical books (sometimes called “apocryphal”) texts were not approved for public proclamation.

 

Further insight into the thought of the early Church on canonicity is provided by Saint Augustine in On Christian Doctrine. Saint Augustine who holds such authority in Western Christendom had teachings on the Canon which are noteworthy for number of reasons.

 

For a criterion of canonicity, Saint Augustine does not propose –

 

1.    The personal experience of the believer.

2.    The opinions of scholars.

3.    The belief of the Jews.

4. The quotation of a book by the New Testament.

5. Any abstract principle like “prophetic character”.

 

Saint Augustine said that the judgement of the Church is the principal criterion of canonicity. He did not endorse the view that the Church confers inspired status on a book, much less that the Church’s approval makes the book inspired. Rather, the Church “receives” books as sacred and inspired through the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures do not require the approval of the Church to become inspired. They were inspired by God during their composition. However, any individual believer does require the Church’s guidance in order to know which books are inspired. The Church does not make the Scripture inspired, but does make known which Scriptures are inspired.

 

Already in the fifth century A.D., Saint Augustine gives the complete Catholic canon of Scripture, including the so called “deuterocanonicals”. 

 

Deuterocanonical books –

1.   Tobit

2.    Judith
3.    The Wisdom of Solomon
4.  Sirach (traditionally known as Ecclesiasticus)
5.    Baruch
6.    1 Maccabees

7.    2 Maccabees

 

These are the seven books not found in Jewish canon of the Scripture or in the Protestant Old Testament.

 

The question of canonicity did not become pressing again until the Ecumenical council of Florence in mid fifteenth century A.D., during attempts  to heal the schism between the Western(Latin Catholic) and Eastern(Greek Orthodox) Churches. Council of Florence had full participation of the pope, the ecumenical patriarch, and the emperor of Constantinople and arrived at a common statement of faith, including a common canon of Scripture in 1441. It was the same as the canon affirmed by the late fourth century councils. It is important to note that the Roman Catholic canon was established by an ecumenical council that include ample Eastern representation, about a century prior to the outbreak of the Protestant Reformation.

 

Apocrypha – refers to books that might be studied privately but were not to be read in public liturgy. Which books are apocryphal varies in different religious communities. Example - 1 Esdras, 3 & 4 Maccabees and the Odes of Solomon are considered apocryphal by Catholic Church but canonical by Eastern Orthodox.

 

The Process of Canonization from the Perspective of Catholic Faith –

 

Jesus authorized the apostles to make authoritative judgements about religious law. Most pointed out example is found in Jesus’s declaration to Peter at Caesarea Philippi:

 

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:18-19)

 

The terms “bind” and “loose” have a deeper meaning. In first century Judaism, religious law was (and is) called halakhah. Halakhah is, the way one “walks” – that is how one behaves. To “bind” meant to prohibit a behaviour; to “loose” meant to permit it. Jesus refers to this again in (Mt 23:2-3).

 

The point of Jesus’s declaration is that he is investing Peter and, later, the apostles with him (Mt 18:18) – with the authority to make “binding” decisions concerning religious law for the people of God. 

 

One such question of religious law was the correct list of inspired books – the canon.

 

Jesus taught the apostles by word and they, in turn, passed down this tradition along with the authority to “bind” and “loose” to their successors – bishops of the Church, who began to address the question of canonicity explicitly in the second half of fourth century, when circumstances were favourable, as discussed above.

 

Thus, the bishops in the early church did not innovate; rather, they approved those books which had been used by the Church of the apostles as inspired Scripture for centuries.

 

It is the Holy Spirit who guides the Church to the certainty that the seventy three books of the Catholic Canon of Scripture, and these alone, are inspired by God.

 

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth”. (Jn 16:13).

 

Video Lectures – The Origin of The Bible.

 

Please go through these videos to get a comprehensive understanding and a rich learning experience.

 

Click the Play All button, after clicking the YouTube link below, to watch all the four videos in sequence.

 

 

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL59en0wJaHryTywDn9nJb_D7AcIf5ehAc – From YouTube Channel Catholic Productions.

 

 

References –

1)   A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament by John Bergsma and Brant Pitre