UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE - WHAT MADE THE CUT? HOW WAS THE NEW TESTAMENT COMPILED?

As I mentioned in my previous post, the Bible is a collection of 66 “books” (73 in the Catholic version), although none of these could truly be considered books as we understand the term today.  Rather, they are letters or short stories written by a variety of authors, in most cases decades and even centuries after the events which they attempt to describe.  I will concentrate almost exclusively on the New Testament, as that is the definitive and often authoritative collection that is part-and-parcel of the Christian church and faith. 

The majority of the New Testament consists of Paul’s letters – including the disputed ones – and the four gospels.  I have already presented a timeline for those writings.  Nearly all the other letters and books were likely written between 70 – 100AD, some 40 – 70 years AFTER Jesus’ ministry.  The books dubiously ascribed to Peter (almost certainly NOT the apostle Peter) weren’t written until 100 – 150AD.  The New Testament contains absolutely no books or letters that were written while Jesus was alive.  Jesus himself wrote none of it.  Indeed, we have absolutely no surviving writings of Jesus, and no evidence whatsoever that he ever put any of his thoughts, teachings or instructions to papyrus.  

The New Testament as we know it today wasn’t officially compiled into the approved canon until the late 4^th century.  Some scholars establish the date as 367AD, while others claim that the final canon wasn’t officially established until 393AD.  There were unofficial lists as early 180AD that suggested 22 of the 27 books that were ultimately formally approved.  In 325AD at the famous Council of Nicaea the Roman Emperor Constantine commanded the publication of 50 bibles that contained the 27 books that were to be ultimately adopted as the official canon over 50 years later.    

Many of these 27 books were in circulation throughout the Middle East and parts of Europe and Asia for centuries.  However, they weren’t the only ones being read and used by churches and congregations throughout Christendom.  There were dozens and dozens of other letters and books and letters used by church congregations spread throughout much of the 1^st century world.  Many of these letters and books have been lost to history.  In many cases they were deliberately destroyed by other factions on Christianity.  However, we still have dozens that have survived.  These books and letters were once widely read and considered holy scripture by untold numbers of congregations and their adherents.  Some of these letters and books were once even held in high esteem by the official church, but were eventually declared non-scriptural and didn’t make the final cut when the New Testament we have today was officially canonized.  Many of the books were deemed to be not inspired by God, and some were even considered heretical. 

I would venture a guess that most Christians don’t give much thought as to the process that ultimately determined the final books of the canon.  For years I was in that category, figuring a group of godly and knowledgeable church leaders assembled peacefully to carefully examine every book and letter to determine if they were God-inspired and told the truth about Jesus and his messages.  I likely even had fantastical visions of them humbly praying for guidance and perhaps gathering around a campfire to sing a 4^th century version of Kumbaya.  I figured that if the smartest minds in Christendom (were they really the most knowledgeable?) decided that these books presented the truth and were, indeed, God’s word, then everything was settled and copacetic.  Ultimately, I learned that I was believing a fantasy, and that the actual process was chaotic, violent and deadly … and certainly not unanimous.  

Going into great detail on the many conflicts, debates and compromises made during the church councils – of which there were many – is beyond the scope of this blog.  There have been many detailed and enlightening books written on the subject.  For those interested in more detail, I have listed several of these books at the end of this post.  However, I will try to highlight a bit about the Councils so one can see that the entire process was no way near smooth or peaceful.  Indeed, it was just the opposite. 

As mentioned earlier, one must understand that there were scores of various sects of Christianity, each believing and espousing different viewpoints about Jesus and his messages.  Some of these were well organized, with their own hierarchies and dogmas.  Some were small congregations that held holy various letters and books that in some cases were the same as the more orthodox church, while in other cases they were ultimately rejected for inclusion in the official canon.  Writing in Jesus Wars, renown professor and author Philip Jenkins writes: 

“Despite the theological slogans of the times, Christ was not divided; but the Christian world certainly was, irreparably.  Now, Christian divisions as such were not new.  At least since the apostles left Jerusalem, at no point in Christian history has one single church plausibly claimed the loyalty of all believers to the exclusion of rival institutions.  In the mid fourth century, perhaps half of all Christians belonged to some group that the Great Church regarded as heretical or schismatic, and new splits continued to form.  Dilemmas of interchurch conflict and cooperation go back literally to the foundations of the faith.” 

Why is this important to understand?  One must realize that the books that were ultimately included in the orthodox Christian bible were not agreed upon and sanctioned by Christians everywhere.   To the contrary, there were a wide variety of books and letters in circulation, and each of these congregations and churches felt that they had the “right” view and understanding of Jesus and his messages.  This was problematic for Emperor Constantine, as he needed a unified church that he could control to help make the empire stronger.  It was with this unity in mind that he ordered the gathering of church leaders in Nicaea to develop an official bible and to settle matters that were in dispute, particularly the divinity of Christ.  While the council was more or less successful in achieving the former, it failed miserably at setting an official dogma or settling the issue of Christ’s divinity that everyone – meaning the multitudes of different congregations and churches – could agree upon.  

Estimates vary, but anywhere from 250 – 320 voting church leaders were present at the Council of Nicaea.  Many of these came from churches that had widely disparate views, understandings and interpretations of Jesus and his messages.  These leaders pressed their points of view and beliefs, vigorously attempting to win the debate and have their views prevail.  Threats were issued, deals were struck, comprises were made.  By most accounts, the debates at Nicaea and future councils were heated and often led to excommunications, violence and even some reported deaths.  These councils were not Kumbaya moments. 

Ultimately, decisions were made and 27 books were included in what became known as The New Testament.  Several of the books that were included barely made the cut, including Hebrews, 2^nd James, 2^nd Peter, 2^nd & 3^rd John, Jude and Revelation.  The reasons that these were vigorously debated and nearly excluded were several, including doubts as to authorship and closeness of dating to the time of the apostles.  Revelation was intensely debated due to its apocalyptic nature. 

Further, there were many other books and letters that were considered and nearly made the cut.  The names of these books and letters are largely unknown today other than in scholarly circles.  These include books such as The Epistle of Barnabus, The Apocalypse of Peter, The Shepherd of Hermas, First Clement and others.  There were a variety of reasons that they were ultimately excluded, mainly due to the belief that, although very instructional and helpful, they were not God-inspired.  Hmmm.  I’m not sure how one can truly know if an ancient book or letter was God-inspired or not.  I would say it is a judgment call.  And, in reality, that was exactly the ultimate deciding factor on which books were included and which were not – a judgment call.  Some voices were more vocal and powerful than others, and those voices won the day.  I’m tempted to say, “Democracy in action”, but the threats of excommunication, job loss and violence made it more akin to a meeting of Mafia Dons than a democratic proceeding.  Of course, I am under no illusions that similar tactics aren’t used during our own government’s “democratic” proceedings. 

While the goal of church unity is certainly admirable at first glance, it can also lead to the stifling of ideas and of alternative interpretations.  Not everyone reads the Bible (or any book, for that matter) and views or interprets it in the same way.  Different interpretations and views can help keep a faith dynamic and growing, whereas rigid conformity can destroy creativity and, in some cases, stifle the search for truth.  This is even more problematic when the church declares itself as the only body that can interpret the bible, and any alternative viewpoints or attempts to usurp this role is heretical and can (and did, far too often) lead to punishment, torture and even death.  

So, every thinking Christian should understand at least a bit about how the Bible, particularly the New Testament, was formed.  It was a decision made by men.  Yes, some of these men (based on the dismal and frightening history of the proceedings at the various councils, I hesitate to say “many” or “most”) were sincere, God-fearing folk who were truly trying to understand the various books and letters and determine if they accurately reflected Jesus and his message and were truly the word of God.  Still, they were men, filled with flaws, doubts, fears, biases, and misunderstandings, and bombarded with outside influences and demands.  Their decisions were ultimately human ones, made with all of the compromises and dealings one would expect at any such gathering, be it political or religious.  What we have as a result is a Bible that contains 27 books.  Are these the best books to include?  Should some of them have been excluded?  Should others have been included?  These questions could be … and actually continue to be … argued to this day, some 1600+ years later. 

More on Understanding the Bible in my next post.  Thanks for walking this journey with me. 

A very short list of recommended books on this subject: 

Jesus Wars: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens and Two Emperors Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 Years by Philip Jenkins 

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart D. Ehrman 

Forged: Writing in the Name of God—Why the Bible’s Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are by Bart D. Ehrman 

Reading the Bible Again for the First Time by Marcus J. Borg 

Living the Questions – The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity – by David M. Felten and Jeff Procter-Murphy