The canon of ScriptureWhat does the “canon” of Scripture mean?The word “canon” is derived front the Greek word kanon which means a straight rod, a ruler, and a carpenter’s measuring rod.
Figurative use of “canon”
Figuratively “canon” came to mean the standard by which something could be measured. In 2 Corinthians 10:13 , “But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you”; and in Galatians 6:16 “And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” The word kanon is translated as rule to denote the restriction and type of behavior that characterizes someone who is led by the Spirit.
Applying “canon” to Scripture
In time, the word kanon was applied to the books of Scripture themselves. The canon became the collection of books or writings accepted by the apostles and leadership of the early Christian church as a basis for Christian belief. It is the standard by which all Christians throughout the ages live and worship.
AthanasiusAthanasius is the first one known to have used “canon” in such a context.
OrigenOrigen used the word “canon” to denote what we call the “rule of faith,” the standard by which we are to measure and evaluate everything.
CanonicityThe process of recognizing the sixty-six books of the Bible as the word of God is known as canonicity.
The church did not create the canon. Rather, Christians came to recognize the books for what they were: God’s inspired revelation. “All Scripture is God-breathed (inspired) and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” 2 Timothy 3:16 .
The Old Testament canonOne way to answer the question: “How and when were the books of the Bible put together?” would be to say that ultimately it was God who decided which books would be included in the biblical canon and which books would be excluded from the biblical canon.
It was not a matter of some council or synod deciding which books they were going to have in the Old Testament. Rather it was a matter of God convincing the church which books should be included in the Bible.
Compared with the New Testament, there was very little controversy over the canon of the Old Testament.
The books of the Old Testament were recognized as being divinely inspired and authoritative almost as soon as they were written. The writers were accepted as being God’s spokesmen. Soon after the book of Malachi was written (in about 430 b.c.), the Jews officially recognized and closed the Old Testament canon.
The Council of JamniaThe Council of Jamnia, held in about a.d. 90, established and closed the canon of the Old Testament for nearly all Jews. It has been their canon ever since and consists of the twenty-seven books of what we know as the Old Testament. However, the order of the books in the Hebrew Bible differs from the order of the books in what Christians call the Old Testament.
The canon of the whole BibleAll of the books of the New Testament as we know them today we officially recognized:
• In the Eastern Church in a.d. 367 in Athanasius’ Festal Letter;
• In the Western Church in a.d. 397 at a conciliar decision at Carthage.
The sixty-six books which we are now used to seeing in our Bibles were recognized as being the canonical ones in the above 4th century letter and council.
Before the first church council formally ratified the question about which books made up the Christian Scriptures, the decisions had already been made. The council only went on record, approving what was already acknowledged.
Quote Unquote“Some religious persons have had an incorrect view as to the basis of the determination of the true canon. They have said that the books were made canonical on the basis of the decision of church councils. In reality all that the church leaders could do would be to discover and recognize that list of books which were obviously inspired.”
Roy D. Merritt
