Formation of the Canon
What is the Bible?
The Story the Bible
“…A written New Testament was not something the church formally ‘decided’ to have at some later date, but rather it was the natural outworking of the redemptive-historical function of the apostles. Inasmuch as that text was deemed to be an embodiment of the apostolic message, it would have retained the authority of the apostles and thereby the authority of Christ himself. It is here that we see the vivid contrast with the Bauer-influenced approaches. Those approaches suggest that the writing down of these Jesus traditions took place before they were seen as authoritative (the latter happening at a much later date), whereas the historical evidence suggests that the traditions were seen as authoritative before they were written down (due to their apostolic connections).
Thus, it is not difficult to see why early Christians would have regarded some texts as authoritative from the very start. The idea of a New Testament canon was not something developed in the second century (or later) when the church was faced with pressing needs, but rather it was something that was handed down to and inherited by the early church from the beginning. It was the foundation for the church, not the consequence of the church. The idea of canon, therefore, does not belong formally in church history, but it is more accurately understood as a central plank in redemptive history.”
- Andreas Kostenberger and Michael Kruger
- The Canon of the New Testament Web Page by F F Bruce
- God's Canon Web Page by Steve Hays
- Ten Basic Facts about the NT Canon that Every Christian Should Memorize Web Page by Michael J Kruger
- My Sheep Hear My Voice: Canon as Self-Authenticating Web Page by Michael J Kruger
- Why These Books and No Others? The Canonization of the New Testament (4-Part Lecture Series) Web Page by Michael J Kruger
- The Development of the Canon of the New Testament Web Page by Glenn Davis
- The Concept and Importance of Canonicity Web Page by Greg Bahnsen
- The Formation of the New Testament Canon Web Page by Stephen Voorwinde
- The Canon of Scripture (eBook) Web Page by Samuel Waldron
- The Formation of the Canon of the New Testament Web Page by B B Warfield
- The Canon Of The New Testament Web Page by Roger Nicole
- The Books of the Old and New Testaments Canonical and Inspired Web Page by Robert Haldane
- How We Got The Bible? PDF by John Macarthur
- Canon and Covenant PDF by Meredith G Kline
- Canon and Covenant: Part II PDF by Meredith G Kline
- Canon and Covenant: Part III PDF by Meredith G Kline
- The Canon of The New Testament PDF by Herman Ridderbos
- The Holy Scriptures - The Canon and Inspiration Web Page by A A Hodge
- The Development of the Canon of the New Testament Web Page by Bruce M Metzger
- Doctrine of the Bible: Canonicity Web Page by Bible Research
- The Canon of Scripture Web Page by Curt Daniel
- A Brief Introduction to the Canon and Ancient Versions of Scripture Web Page by Michael Marlowe
- Was the New Testament Influenced by Pagan Religions? PDF by Ronald Nash
- The Canon of Scripture Web Page by Michael Marlowe
- Scripture, Tradition and Church: An Historical Survey PDF by A S Lane
- Canon of Scripture Web Page by Wayne Grudem
- Canon of the New Testament PDF by Dr Simon J Kistemaker
- How Long Was the Canon in Question? Web Page by Dr Timothy Jones
- An Essential Key to Understanding the Development of the NT Canon Web Page by Michael J Kruger
- The Canon of Scripture: Biblical Presuppositions PDF by Phillip Kayser
- How We Got our Bible Web Page by Mike Vlach
- The Authenticity of 2 Peter PDF by Michael J Kruger
- The New Testament Canon Web Page by Glenn W Barker
- The Definition of the Term 'Canon': Exclusive or Multi-Dimensional? PDF by Michael J Kruger
- Did Early Christians Disagree Widely on Which Books Made it into the Canon? Web Page by Michael J Kruger
- Why These 66 Books? Web Page by Nathan Busenitz
- What is the Earliest Complete List of the Canon of the New Testament? Web Page by Michael J Kruger
- The Theology and History of the Canon (MP3) Audio/MP3 by Michael J Kruger
- The Canon of the Old and New Testaments Ascertained PDF by Archibald Alexander
- The Old Testament of the Early Church Revisited Web Page by Albert C Sundberg Jr
- Has the Bible Been Changed? The Science of Textual Criticism Web Page by John Stevenson
- How We Got the Old Testament Web Page by Lane Burgland
- The Hebrew Text of the Old Testament Web Page by Michael Marlowe
- The New Testament Canon (Pdf) PDF by Charles E Hill
- How We Got the New Testament Web Page by Lane Burgland
- Evangelicals and the Canon of the New Testament Web Page by M James Sawyer
- History, Theology and the Biblical Canon: An Introduction to Basic Issues PDF by Eckhard Schnabel
- How Many Books Are in the Bible? Web Page by Erwin W Lutzer
- Are the Right Books in the Bible? The Doctrine of Canonicity Web Page by John Stevenson
- The Apostles and the Written Word Web Page by Leland M Haines
- History of the Bible Web Page by Herbert Samworth
- How We Got Our Bible Web Page by Mike Vlach
- Dating of the New Testament Web Page by Norman Geisler
- Seven Principles For Recognizing Canonical Books Web Page by unknown
- Historicity of the New Testament Web Page by J P Moreland
- The Canon: Why the Roman Catholic Arguments for the Canon are Spurious Web Page by William Webster
- Evangelicals and the Canon of the New Testament Web Page by M James Sawyer
- The Content and Extent of the Old Testament Canon Web Page by Wayne Stiles
- Apostles and Prophets and the Foundation of the Church Web Page by Bob DeWaay
- The Origins of the New Testament - A Sunday School Course Web Page by Robert C Jones
- Were the Apostolic Fathers Unable to Distinguish Between Authentic and Unauthentic Books? Web Page by Glenn Miller
- Are the Right Books in the Bible - The Doctrine of Canonicity Web Page by John Stevenson
- The Witness of History for Scripture Web Page by Franz Pieper
- Do the Resurrection Accounts HOPELESSLY Contradict One Another? Web Page by Glenn Miller
- The Old Testament Canon and the Apocrypha Web Page by William Webster
- Tota Scriptura Web Page by R C Sproul
- The Integrity of the Biblical Canon in Light of Its Historical Development PDF by unknown
- The Bible as Canon PDF by unknown
- Current Challenges to the Christian Canon PDF by C Marvin Pate
- James Still's "Critique of New Testament Reliability and 'Bias' in NT Development" Web Page by Glenn Miller
- James Still's "Critique of New Testament Reliability and 'Bias' in NT Development" (Part II) Web Page by Glenn Miller
- Dates and Authorship of the Gospels Web Page by unknown
- The historicity of the New Testament Web Page by J P Moreland
- Affirming the Bible's Reliability Web Page by Jim Wallace
- Canon of OT and NT Ascertained, or The Bible Complete Web Page by Archibald Alexander
- The Canon of the Bible: Its Formation, History, and Fluctuations Web Page by Samuel Davidson
- The Canon of Holy Scriptures: Examined in light of History (c1862) Web Page by Louis Gaussen
- Canon and Text of the NT (1907) Web Page by unknown
- The Historical Reliability of the New Testament PDF by Darren Hewer
- The Place of Nehemiah in the Canon of Scripture: Wise Builder PDF by Stephen G Dempster
- When was it decided that there would be just four gospels? Web Page by Four Gospels
- Newsweek vs. the New Testament: A Case Study in Clashing Worldviews Web Page by Albert Mohler
- Apocrypha and Canon in Early Christianity Web Page by Michael J Kruger
- The Canon of the Old and New Testaments PDF by Archibald Alexander
- How can we trust the Canon created by the early Church? (YouTube) Web Page by D A Carson
- Comparing Turretin and Kruger on the Canon (Part 1) Web Page by Adam Parker
- Comparing Turretin and Kruger on the Canon (Part 2) Web Page by Adam Parker
- Comparing Turretin and Kruger on the Canon (Part 3) Web Page by Adam Parker
- Faith vs. Scientific Study of the Bible PDF by F F Bruce
Canon of Scripture Web Page by Wayne Grudem - The Development of the Bible Web Page by Michael J Kruger
- Is the Original Text of the New Testament Lost? Rethinking Our Access to the Autographs Web Page by Michael J Kruger