An internationally respected biblical scholar investigates the origins of the Christian canon. John Barton explores the reasons behind the development of the New Testament and pursues the historical factors involved in combining these books with the Hebrew Scriptures.
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About the Author
John Barton is Oriel and Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture at the University of Oxford in England. His publications include The Oxford Bible Commentary, The Original Story, Understanding Old Testament Ethics (WJK), and How the Bible Came to Be (WJK).
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Fine scholarship,
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This review is from: Holy Writings, Sacred Text: The Canon of Early Christianity (Paperback)
Barton's short book asks how the books of the New Testament grew into the canon of scripture. He reviews the history of scholarship on the subject. In the early 1900's, Theodor Zahn "made an exhaustive examination of the New Testament citations in the Fathers, and concluded that there was already a Christian canon by the end of the first century" (p 3). Barton states that "an authorative corpus already existed even earlier than Zahn thought, but it was still not firmly defined" (p 21) as Sundberg claimed.
Barton also suggests that biblical scholars rarely take into full account the fact that the ancient world existed as an oral culture. What we see as proof tends to be textual. Eyewitness testimony was more crucial in their world. At any rate, by the time of Tertullian and Justin "the authority of the gospel accounts is taken for granted as the absolute starting point for Christians" (p 73). -
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
THE FORMATION OF the Christian Bible is a story with neither beginning nor end. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Old Testament, New Testament, Christian Bible, Song of Songs, Apostolic Fathers, Hebrew Bible, Christian Scripture, Muratorian Fragment, Fourth Gospel, Hebrew Scriptures, Jesus Christ, Jewish Scripture, Middle Ages, Marcion's Bible, Clement of Alexandria, Festal Letter, Epistle of Barnabas, Harry Gamble, High Priest, John Knox, Justin's Dialogue, Synoptic Gospels New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
THE FORMATION OF the Christian Bible is a story with neither beginning nor end. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Old Testament, New Testament, Christian Bible, Song of Songs, Apostolic Fathers, Hebrew Bible, Christian Scripture, Muratorian Fragment, Fourth Gospel, Hebrew Scriptures, Jesus Christ, Jewish Scripture, Middle Ages, Marcion's Bible, Clement of Alexandria, Festal Letter, Epistle of Barnabas, Harry Gamble, High Priest, John Knox, Justin's Dialogue, Synoptic Gospels New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 71
books:
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10
books
cite this book:
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- The Old Testament by Schaffer Frank on 6 pages
- The Birth of the Codex by Colin H. Roberts on 5 pages
- Dialogue with Trypho (Selections from the Fathers of the Church) by Justin Martyr on 4 pages
- On the Kabbalah and its Symbolism (Mysticism & Kabbalah) by Gershom Scholem in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Reading the Old Testament: Method in Biblical Study (New Edition) by John Barton in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 71 books this book cites
- Appealing to Scripture in Moral Debate: Five Hermeneutical Rules by Mr. Charles H. Cosgrove in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- How the Bible Came to Be: Exploring the Narrative and Message by John W. Miller in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Masculinity, Anti-semitism and Early Modern English Literature: From the Satanic to the Effeminate Jew (Women and Gender in the Early Modern World) by Matthew Biberman in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- This Book We Call the Bible: A Study Guide for Adults by James E. Davison in Back Matter
- One Scripture or Many?: Canon from Biblical, Theological, and Philosophical Perspectives by Christine Helmer on page 159
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