Canonicity: How Christianity Got its Bible
In dealing with the current plight of blacks in America, it is impossible to ignore the influence that Christianity has had on the black race in America. As blacks become more conscious concerning their true identity and their origin, many questions concerning Christianity have come to the surface. At the core of the discussion is the validity and authenticity of the Bible. This short treatise on canonicity is not meant to be a comprehensive explanation, but it is more of a summation of how the Bible came to be.
I will not be venturing into the validity or the lack thereof concerning the scriptures. I only want to present a foundation through which everyone who claims to be a Christian can honestly investigate the most influential force at the core of their faith. I have no desire to push my beliefs and stances on the matter on anyone, but I have a passion for truth, which serves as an impetus to present you with what I know, which I am most certain is diametrically opposed what you have been presented with.
I also believe that it is paramount for anyone who claims to be committed to a particular faith to have a comprehensive and lucid perspicacity of that faith as well as all that sustains and validates it. With the Bible being the center of the Christian faith, it is imperative to understand its origin. For the Christian, the canon of scripture is the manner in which they nourish their lives and measure their character. It is the absolute standard of God. This means that the integrity of scripture is extremely important, meaning that any corruption or manipulation of scripture over the centuries can have a devastating impact on those that depend on this book for guidance and spiritual sustenance.
Canonicity
What is canonicity? In simple, the word canonicity refers to the rule of standard through which something is measured. The word “canonicity” is derived from the Greek word (Kanon), which originally carried the meaning of a rod or ruler, hence a measuring stick — eventually taking on the meaning of norm or standard through which things are measured. The Bible is considered the absolute standard by which all things are measured in the Christian faith. According to theologians and Bible scholars, the Bible is the only reliable source of information with regard to eternal salvation and the alternative — eternal condemnation.
It is my purpose here demonstrate how Christians acquired the Bible as they have it today.
The Origin of the Scriptures
One of the first questions that must be addressed is the origin of the scriptures. Where did they come from? The Bible, as it exists today, is the compilation of 66 books and over 40 authors, spanning more than 1,500 years in the making. It is a concentrated teaching within the Christian faith that all scripture is inspired by God (God breathed).
The following two scriptural passages are the most used to validate or confirm this stance:
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophesy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Pet. 1:20-21)
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2 Tim. 3:16)
These two scriptural passages are the foundation for what is known in systematic theology as the doctrine of divine inspiration. In the King James Version the noun used is “God-breathed,” which was translated from the Greek ‘theopneustos.” This expresses the action of God breathing his Word into his prophets and then his prophets exhaling the Word in spoken and then written form.
For the sake of time and argument, we are going to concede that the original scriptures were God breathed. An argument can be made for both sides, but it has very little gravity in what is being presented here today.
Translations and Interpretations
A lot has been spoken and written concerning the translations and interpretation of the original scripture. There is a distinct difference between translating and interpreting any piece of literature. To translate means to convert from one language to another with equal meaning. To interpret means to decipher meaning from what is written, regardless of what language it is written in.
Remember when I conceded that scripture was God-breathed, but stated that the concession produced no gravity for the conceded fact? Here is why. Only the original scriptures are classified as the unadulterated Word of God. The multitudinous translations that are derived from the original cannot be classified as such for a number of reasons. For starters, the translators and interpreters were selected by men, not by God. Although translating is different than interpreting, it is important to understand that interpretation is a necessity for the purpose of proper translation. Understanding what the writer is attempting to convey in his work is paramount in translating it into the right words to convey that message in another language.
For the vast majority of Christians over the age of 40, the first translation they were probably introduced to is the Original King James Version. Since the King James Version, there have been literally thousands of manuscripts (copies) of the original text that have been discovered, all of which being much older than the manuscripts being used to translate the King James Bible. Why is this important? You have to understand that there were no copy machines during those days, so all of these copies were copied by hand. Although great measures were taken to eliminate mistakes, mistakes were still inevitable. As you can imagine, copying from a document with mistakes almost certainly ensures that the finished copy will have the original mistakes, plus the mistakes made by the person copying the document. This means that the newer the manuscript (copy) the more errors, and the older the manuscript, the fewer errors and the more accurate the translation. Based on simple translation, the two most accurate versions of the Bible, as far as being placed juxtaposed to the original, would be the NASB and the NIV.
There are four major types of manuscripts known as codices:
- Codex Sinaiticus
- Codex Vaticanus
- Codex Alexandrinus
- Ephraemi Rescriptus
There are many other manuscripts such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, but these manuscripts play a major role in providing the capacity to validate the authenticity of scripture, its accuracy, etc.
The Necessity of a Canon
It is important to keep in mind that for centuries, outside of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible, written by Moses), the scriptures we kept, but they were not considered one official piece of literature. So why was there a need for the cannon? There are several reasons. The first reason is to provide believers from every generation a complete revelation of God, based on the original writings of the prophets. This would provide a lucid understanding of God’s predetermined plan for mankind. It would provide an absolute standard by which men were to govern themselves.
Second, the canon was necessary so that the people might have God’s word in writing. Theologians who hold to the Bible as the authentic Word of God, proclaim it to be the greatest treasure on earth.
Third, there was a need for the preservation and circulation of the ancient writings. For example, in 320 A.D., the Roman Emperor, Diocletian, gave the order to destroy all sacred books of the Christians. This actually served as a catalyst to expedite the settling of a grave dispute. For years, theologians had been arguing over the inclusion of James and Hebrews, as well as second and third John into the canon. The Emperor’s order meant that the dispute had to be settled quickly, and all three books were included.
Lastly, there were concerns about which books were considered canonical — divinely inspired. By creating a canon, it would separate the canonical books from those that were non-canonical. This selection process was conducted by the Council of Nicaea, which convened in 325 A.D. for the purpose of finalizing the canon. Here is where things become a little tricky, if you prefer transparency and concrete criteria. There was no divine inspiration involved in the selection process. Here we have a group of men who would determine which of the sacred writings would make into the canon and which ones would not.
The criteria used for the Old Testament was as follows:
- The Principle of Internal Evidence — Did the writer adequately sustain that the scripture was indeed sacred and divinely inspired?
- Documentation by Quotation — The New Testament contains quotations from the Old Testament, meaning that those who quoted them believed they were sacred.
- The Law of Public Official Action — This can best be observed in the book of Nehemiah. “And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it all the people stood up. The fact that the scripture was acknowledged by public action qualified it as canonical.
- The Law of Cause and Effect
- The Principle of External Evidence – Extra-biblical evidence, such as a fulfilled prophesy from scripture would validate that scripture as being sacred.
I will not get into the organization of the canon, but as you can see, there is room for error and relativity in determining what scriptures would be omitted.
A similar process was undertaken for the New Testament.
The classification of the Canon
There were books that found their way into or out of the canon for certain reasons and they are classified accordingly.
The Homologoumena
These were books that were widely accepted by the Patristic writers as canonical. The Greek word “homo” means the same, so the writers were all of the same mind concerning these books, so they were accepted.
The Antilegomena
These particular books were the source of significant strife and argument among the council. Books, such as Esther, Canticles (Songs of Solomon), Ecclesiastes, Ezekiel, and Proverbs, were among these books.
The Pseudepigrapha
These were writings that were considered spurious, or false. They were the writings that bore the names of prophets or apostles, but were determined to be forgeries.
The Apocrypha
There is some dispute as to when the Apocrypha was written, but they definitely have significant bearing on how the faith of Christianity must be viewed. In some Bibles in which the Apocrypha is inserted, they are placed between Malachi and Matthew. They are found in both, the Septuagint (Greek) and Vulgate (Latin) versions of the canon, but not in the Hebrew. These books reveal some very interesting facts about the original Hebrews (who were black by the way) and the Ashkenazim or Khazar Jews (European or Caucasian Jews). These books clearly indicate when Europeans usurped the identity of African Jews. It is the omission of these books that allows for the whitewashing of the Bible, especially the New Testament.
A careful and in depth examination of the Council of Nicaea reveals a great deal of questions that any critical thinker must seek the answers to. I have brought you to this point, but it must be your decision to take the next step. I have literally walked you up to the door, now you must choose whether or not you wish to walk in. I will tell you what my professor told me when I made to this point, if you choose to walk through that door, your life will never be the same.
I only asked that you at least consider the fact that anything that has been corrupted through actions driven by ill motives, must be studied and examined in that light. This does not eliminate God, but it does challenge believers to dig deeper. There are many other questions that you must ask yourself, such as:
Why is the vast majority of the Bible, including almost all of the book of Psalms nearly identical to ancient Egyptian writings that were written thousands of years before? Why has no one ever told you that the story of Christ is actually the 16th time in history (All in Africa) in which a child was born to a virgin, left home at 12, returned at 30 and was murdered at 33. Research the story of Assaur, Asset (Isis) and Heru (Horus). This is not an attempt to challenge the story of the Christ, but to point to the fact that it was not as unique as we have been led to believe. There is so much more, but it is up to you to search this out. It is actually the Bible that states, “You shall “know” the truth and the truth will make you free.” As long as you continue to live on a partial truth, you will be bound by the complete lie. ~ Dr. Rick Wallace, Ph.D.
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