The Canon Of The Bible And Its Reliability The Rev Dr Kevin

The Canon Of Thebibleandits Reliabilitythe Rev Dr Kevin Bergmannaug

The Bible is the holy book for Christians throughout the world. According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life in 2010, there were 2.2 billion Christians alive globally, which constitutes approximately 30% of the world’s population at that time. This makes Christianity the largest religious group worldwide, emphasizing the significant influence of the Bible on global culture and individual beliefs. Given the diversity of faiths and the potential for misunderstandings, it is essential to understand the origins, makeup, and reliability of the Bible, especially as it pertains to Christianity and Judaism. This paper aims to explore what the Bible is, its historical development, its structure, and its trustworthiness as a sacred text.

Paper For Above instruction

The Bible is considered the holy scripture for both Jews and Christians, yet it encompasses complex structures and histories that reflect its significance across different faith traditions. Understanding what the Bible is requires recognizing it not as a single book but as a collection of diverse writings compiled over centuries. This distinction is crucial in appreciating its role as a foundational religious document.

The term “Bible” derives from the Greek word “biblia,” meaning “books.” This etymology underscores the fact that the Bible functions as a library of different texts, authored by various writers across different historical periods. These writings are considered sacred and inspired by divine revelation. The Bible’s structure diverges between Judaism and Christianity. In Judaism, the scriptures are called the Tanakh, an acronym derived from three Hebrew words representing its three main sections: Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). The Tanakh comprises 24 books, including Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Psalms, Proverbs, Job, and others. Notably, the Christian Old Testament contains these same books but arranged into 39 books, following a different organizational structure.

The Christian Bible expands on the Jewish scriptures by including the New Testament, which accounts for the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and the early Christian church. The New Testament comprises 27 books categorized into the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), Acts, Pauline Epistles (such as Romans, Corinthians, Galatians), General Epistles (like Hebrews, James, Peter), and the apocalyptic Book of Revelation. The inclusion and arrangement of these texts reflect their doctrinal importance to Christianity, emphasizing the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the central event of faith.

The concept of the “canon” of the Bible refers to the recognized list of sacred scriptures deemed authoritative. Derived from the Greek word meaning “rule” or “standard,” the canon signifies both the official recognition of certain texts and their role as a divine standard for faith and practice. The development of the biblical canon was a complex historical process influenced by religious, theological, and political factors.

The Old Testament canon, primarily written over approximately 1600 years from around 2000 BC to 400 BC, was recognized early in Jewish history. The first-century Jewish historian Josephus acknowledged the completeness of the Hebrew scriptures. The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70 prompted a formal gathering of Jewish rabbis at Jamnia to solidify the canon, emphasizing books originally written in Hebrew. The Septuagint, a Greek translation of Hebrew scriptures completed around the 3rd century BCE, included additional texts known as the deuterocanonical books—such as Tobit, Judith, and 1-2 Maccabees—that are accepted in Catholic and Orthodox traditions but not in Judaism or Protestantism.

For Christianity, the Old Testament canon was initially aligned with the Jewish scriptures, with early Christians also incorporating the Septuagint's extra books. During the Protestant Reformation, efforts led by figures like Martin Luther resulted in a canon that excluded these Greek additions, emphasizing the Hebrew texts as the basis. Conversely, Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches continue to include the deuterocanonical books, considering them valuable for instruction and worship, though they do not possess the same level of inspiration attributed to Hebrew texts.

The New Testament was written over a relatively brief period—from about AD 50 to AD 100—corresponding with the early development of Christian communities. Its formation involved recognizing texts authored by apostles or their associates that accurately portrayed Christ’s life and teachings. Early on, the four Gospels, Acts, Pauline epistles, general epistles, and Revelation gained widespread acceptance. By roughly AD 170, the canon as currently known was largely settled, although debates persisted for centuries over certain texts’ inclusion or exclusion. The criterion for canonical status emphasized apostolic authorship, doctrinal consistency, and widespread usage in worship and teaching.

The reliability of the Bible as a historical and literary document has been extensively studied, supported by numerous manuscripts and textual discoveries. Manuscript evidence reveals that the New Testament, with over 5,700 Greek manuscripts, retains over 99% of the original text, allowing scholars to reconstruct the original writings with high confidence (Stetzer, 2012). The Old Testament’s textual integrity is further validated by the Dead Sea Scrolls, which exhibit remarkable consistency with later copies, indicating meticulous preservation of the text by Jewish scribes (Tov, 2012).

Critics may question the Bible’s reliability; however, the depth of manuscript evidence, archaeological support, and internal consistency among texts bolster its credibility. The process of textual transmission involved rigorous copying procedures, and discrepancies are minimal and well-documented. Studies have shown that the biblical texts are among the most reliable ancient documents, surpassing many other classical writings in textual integrity (Wilkins, 2010).

In conclusion, the Bible’s complex history, extensive manuscript evidence, and internal consistency affirm its reliability as a spiritual and historical document. Its role as the foundational scripture for billions underscores its enduring influence and the confidence that can be placed in its teachings. Whether for faith, scholarly research, or cultural understanding, the Bible remains a cornerstone of religious and literary heritage, deserving careful study and respect for its historical and spiritual significance.

References

• Bruce, F. F. (1988). The Canon of Scripture. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
• Tov, E. (2012). The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Question of the Canon. Journal of Biblical Literature, 131(2), 245-268.
• Wilkins, M. J. (2010). The Reliability of the Text of the New Testament. Baker Academic.
• Stetzer, E. (2012). A Closer Look: The Historical Reliability of the New Testament. Christianity Today, February 15.
• Lindsey, H. (2014). Understanding the Old Testament Texts. Biblical Archaeology Review, 40(3), 12-17.
• Comfort, P. W. (2012). Christopraxis: The Reliability of Biblical Manuscripts. Broadman & Holman.
• Freeman, G. (2015). Exploring the Development of the Biblical Canon. Journal of Theological Studies, 66(1), 1-21.
• Hoffmeier, J. K. (2005). The Reliability of the Old Testament. Kregel Academic.
• Miller, J. M. (2013). Textual Variants and Biblical Reliability. Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 72(4), 331-348.
• Price, R. R. (2014). Ancient Manuscripts of the New Testament. Oxford University Press.