Customer Reviews

The Bible, the Church, and Authority: The Canon of the Christian Bible in History and Theology (Michael Glazier Books)

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This wonderfully written book is not a history of the formation of the canon nor is it a justification for the Catholic or Protestant Canon. The author doesn't try to justify any one position. This book deals with many difficult questions, but at the same time, he answers in a manner that allows you to come to your own conclusions. For example, Why are there two version of the Old Testament? Is the Canon infallible? What does and did Gods inspiration mean? Why can so many people read the Bible and come up with so many different doctrines? These questions are tackled in the manner that provides a tool rather than a simplistic answer. It was the "Rule if Faith." The author explains the role that the "Rule of Faith" played in the development of the Canon and its interpretation. I great book, easy to read, well written.

Especially edifying is the section on exactly when there became two Bibles, Catholic and Protestant. Written fairly, he shows how Trent did not "add" books to the Bible, only recognized books already considered canonical through the centuries by most of the Church. Luther in his turn, chose the shorter canon, with his own historical reasoning (some prominent Church Fathers preferred the shorter text, like Jerome). The book also does a good job of reviewing how the New Testament was formed. But this book put to rest the deuterocanonical question. The Bible has 73 books, not 66, and arguments for the shorter canon shows their historical weaknesses. Very good read.

An enthralling read. Being a novice at learning the origins of Christianity and First Century Christianity, I was most impressed with the ease at which Father Lienhard explained the issues faced by the Early Church Fathers and the later Reformationists. I was drawn to the book like a magnet. Father Lienhard does not write preferentially for one faith or the other. He gives you facts as they were (and are) and lets you form your own conclusions. I am totally satisfied with this book.