The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon [Paperback]

Lee Martin McDonald (Author), Helmut Koester (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1995

"Lee McDonald has written a lucid and accessible account of the formation of the Christian Bible, clearly marshalling the major evidence, working through the main problems, and reaching persuasive conclusions. Treating separately the canons of the Old and New Testaments, he provides translations of most of the ancient primary sources, good summaries of scholarly debates, and a useful guide to the extensive scholarly literature on the subject. This book will find an appreciative readership among students, pastors, and inquiring laypersons."
—Harry Gamble, Professor and Chair of Religious Studies, University of Virginia

"This is a remarkable book in that it tackles the question of the formation of the Christian biblical canon in its full sense, that is, both testaments. . . . McDonald has produced a timely study, considerably improved in the sections of the OT canon and generally more comprehensive for both testaments than in his first edition, that should command wide attention for years to come. He has, in my opinion, come to the right conclusions on the essential questions."
—James A. Sanders, Professor of Biblical and Intertestamental Studies, School of Theology at Claremont

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lee Martin McDonald is principal of the college and professor of New Testament studies at Acadia Divinity College in Nova Scotia, Canada. He is also the author of The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers; Rev Sub edition (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565630521
• ISBN-13: 978-1565630529
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,032,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rev. Lee Martin McDonald, Ph.D.
President Emeritus and Professor of New Testament Studies
Acadia Divinity College (1999-2007);
Dean of the Faculty of Theology Emeritus, Acadia University
Wolfville, Nova Scotia (1999-2007)
President, Institute for Biblical Research, (2006-present)

EDUCATION
B.A., Biola University, La Mirada, California, 1964.
B.D., Talbot Theological Seminary, La Mirada, California 1969. (Magna Cum Laude)
Th.M., Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1985 (Honors). Major in New Testament History and Patristics. Thesis: An Examination of the Origins of the Christian Biblical Canon. (Supervised by Professor Helmut Koester)
Ph.D., University of Edinburgh, Scotland, 1976. Focus: New Testament Studies. Thesis title: The Resurrection of Jesus in History and Faith. (Supervisor: Professor Hugh A. Anderson)

I have a commitment to the Christian faith and the church as well as to academic inquiry. My overall concern is to advance the Christian message and also to learn from historical methodologies whatever we can that will clarify the biblical message. I acknowledge the limitations of historical inquiry and support those who recognize that the truth of the Christian Gospel is only discovered through faith in the risen Christ.

I support an honest inquiry into the biblical literature and its historic traditions. I have spent a considerable amount of energy seeking to understand and clarify the complex origin and development of the Bible, namely what is called biblical canon formation. Most of my adult life has also focused on understanding Jesus the Christ in both his historical and faith perspectives.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even-handed, scholarly, thought-provoking, June 21, 2003

By 

Dan Keener "dkeener13" (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon (Paperback)

McDonald's book provides an excellent overview of the topic at hand. Reads a lot like a textbook, which I suppose is how it's often used. He does a very good job of bringing in all appropriate evidence, but staying very methodical in his assessments and in getting his points across. You'll probably wish for more depth in some areas, less in others, but this book should at the very least point you in the right direction toward more in-depth research.

Perspective is always important when you're talking about books on this subject. The field seems to be dominated by highbrow apoligists (like Metzger and Bruce), whose glossing over of problematic (to the orthodoxy) canonical issues makes for limpwristed scholarship, or by the more deconstructionist liberal school of the Jesus Seminar and such. Motives and scholarship often become difficult to differentiate. McDonald, however, is a Baptist minister, and a scholar, and, in my opinion gleaned from this book, he wears both hats with aplomb and distinction. Hard core fundamentalists (like a previous reviewer) may find his conclusions troubling. I'll let McDonald respond in his own words, from the last paragraph of his "Final Thoughts":

"My aim in this study has not been to destroy the church's Bible, as if that could be done, but to bring some light to the often dimly lit corridors that led to the formation of our Bible and, in that process, to remind the reader of the true canon of faith for the church: our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible is still the church's book without which the Christian faith would be a blur. I believe that a careful study of the biblical message in its historical environment and in the community of faith where it was first acknowledged as scripture and canon will prove invaluable to the church. Lessons learned from this approach will not only free the church from inappropriate loyalties but also will help the church to focus more clearly on the true object and final authority of its faith: Jesus Christ."

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book, February 28, 2001

By 

Brian J. Glass (Onsted, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon (Paperback)

This book provides a good overview of the developement of the entire Christian canon - both testaments. While this book does not go deeply into the arguments in favor of its positions, it does provide a general overview of the opinions of various scholars and presents basic but adequate reasons for choosing the positions it does.

This is a good introduction to canonical studies. For lay people like myself it will be enough, but scholars will use this as simply a good starting point for deeper research.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, July 2, 2006

By 

P. Burnett - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon (Paperback)

McDonald's "The Formation of Christian Biblical Canon" should be on every bookshelf. McDonald has provided a well-documented history of how several OT and NT canons were filtered before the presently accepted canons came into being after several centuries. Many will be surprised to learn there were several different canons in use by early Christians, and that the Scriptures of the apostolic era were more inclusive than those ultimately selected for inclusion in modern Bibles.