Is the Bible limited to 66 books?
Rob Phillips
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (BP) -- Some scholars today cast doubt over the canon of Scripture -- those 66 books that the church has long held to be the complete written revelation of God. They justify their views by claiming: 1) that surviving texts of the Old and New Testaments are corrupt and therefore unreliable or 2) that early church leaders deliberately excluded certain books for personal or political reasons.
As Craig L. Blomberg responds in his book "Can We Still Believe the Bible?": "... there is not a shred of historical evidence to support either of these claims; anyone choosing to believe them must do so by pure credulity, flying in the face of all the evidence that actually exists."
But what if we discovered an apostolic writing that has remained hidden for the last 2,000 years?
For example, in 1 Corinthians 5:9, Paul alludes to an earlier letter to fellow believers in Corinth. We don't have that letter, nor are we aware of its specific contents. Let's say, however, that archaeologists unearth a clay pot containing a manuscript dating from the mid-first century and fitting the description of Paul's letter.
Should the church welcome 3 Corinthians as the 28th book of the New Testament? Not so fast.
The New Testament offers hints of the process of canonization, but little more. As Jesus prepares His followers for His passion and return to heaven, He promises to send the Holy Spirit, who will enable the disciples to remember Jesus' teaching (John 14:26), testify further about Him (John 15:26) and proclaim truth (John 16:13).
In other words, the same Holy Spirit who authors Scripture will ensure that authentic testimonies about Jesus are written, preserved and shared.
Some New Testament books receive a great deal of scrutiny before their inclusion, most notably Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2-3 John, Jude and Revelation. And some don't make the cut for a variety of reasons, such as the gnostic gospels of Judas, Barnabas and Thomas.
So, what criteria did the early church use as a guide? Blomberg notes three predominant requirements: apostolicity, catholicity and orthodoxy.