The Making of the New Testament: Origin, Collection, Text & Canon [Paperback]

Arthur G. Patzia (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 25, 1995

What motivated the early Christians to commit teaching and events and visions to papyrus? How were the stories and sayings of Jesus circulated, handed down and shaped into Gospels? Why were four Gospels included instead of one? What do we know about ancient letter writing, secretaries and "copy shops"? Would a first-century librarian have known how to classify a Gospel, an Acts or an Apocalypse? How were Paul's letters, sent here and there, gathered into a single collection? Are there other documents that almost made it into the New Testament but didn't? The narratives and letters of our New Testament were shaped by worn pens gripped by calloused, ink-stained fingers. Their authors' ears were more likely assaulted by the urban clatter of busy intersections and bustling markets than attuned to a still small voice. Scrolls that bumped across cobbled Roman roads and pitched through rolling Mediterranean seas found their destination in stuffy, dimly lit, crowded Christian house churches in Corinth or Cenchreae. There they were read aloud and reread, handled and copied, forwarded and collected, studied and treasured. Their ordinary story is true to their extraordinary message: the mystery of the Word that became flesh. In The Making of the New Testament Arthur Patzia retells that story. His textbook study of the origin, collection, copying and canonizing of the New Testament documents answers a myriad of questions--cultural, historical, geographical, linguistic and spiritual.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This accessible introduction to the making of Christian Scripture, written by a professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, synthesizes a wide range of scholarly research in a readily understandable form. Patzia begins with an introduction to the literary world of the New Testament, then devotes sections to the Gospels, the Pauline literature, and other New Testament material, before turning in some detail to specifically textual issues. In the process, he gives a historically informed overview of critical methods of biblical scholarship that have developed in the past 100 years. The sections on formation of the canon, textual transmission, and textual criticism will be of particular value to serious students (in or out of formal academic settings) who seek a critically informed encounter with Christian Scripture. Steve Schroeder

Product Details

• Paperback: 205 pages
• Publisher: IVP Academic (May 25, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830818596
• ISBN-13: 978-0830818594
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #327,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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49 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars OK, not great, March 22, 1999

By A Customer

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This review is from: The Making of the New Testament: Origin, Collection, Text & Canon (Paperback)

This book offers some good information for considering different aspects about the new testament literature. However, I'd recommend "Fortress Introduction to the Gospels" by Mark Allan Powell as a place to start, rather than this book.

Patzia sometimes makes incredible statements of fact, which in reality are points of debate among scholars. For example, in one half sentence, Patzia declares (with no backing) that the Gospel of John was written in Ephesus in the late 1st Century. Contrast that with Powell's two page discussion of the when and where questions of that same gospel.

Basically, there is not enough discussion of the reasoning of the scholars on particular points. In one odd twist, the Patzia states that the authorship of some of Paul's letters is questioned. This includes, among others, 2 Thessalonians. A couple of pages later, though, he makes the statement that "Paul himself" gives (in 2 Thessalonians) an explanation about how to tell that the letter is authentic. Of course, if Paul didn't write 2 Thessalonians, then the explanation is bogus, a point that Patzia seems to miss.

I have to admit that I was surprised that the book didn't contain more information about the decision making process for what was considered canon. This work only gives the Council of Carthage of 397 brief treatment.

The book does contain some valuable information, but it wouldn't be my first choice. It's too bad the author (or editor) didn't spend a little extra time refining the material.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Readable and Beneficial!, June 27, 2011

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A. Morgan (Virginia, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Making of the New Testament: Origin, Collection, Text & Canon (Paperback)

Have you ever been asked by someone "How did the New Testament get put together?" or "how did they choose the books for the New Testament?" What would you say if someone did ask you? While such questions can be red herrings, for some people the origin and process of HOW the New Testament came together and when it was regarded as `scripture' or God's word, is very important. Sadly, many Christians either do not know HOW the books of the New Testament came together, or what they do know is incorrect. It is vital for Christians to know and understand how this process happened, not just in order to answer questions, or to tackle the increasing attacks upon the reliability of the New Testament, but more importantly, so that our faith can be strong in knowing the New Testament as God's word.

Arthur Patzia has done a wonderful job in "The Making Of The New Testament'. Despite being a reasonable 280 plus pages, he has packed a lot information into this book, covering everything from the making of the Gospels to what they used to write with, and what they wrote on!

While this does have the feel of a theological `text book', don't let that put you off. This book is for both the theological student and the Church layperson. It provides you with a wealth of information and understanding about the practical aspect of the gathering of the New Testament and it will be both interesting and immensely beneficial to read. A great introductory text!

Highly recommended.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Intro To The NT Text, May 11, 2011

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PastoralMusings "mslapastor" (Dixie) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Making of the New Testament: Origin, Collection, Text & Canon (Paperback)

The Making of The New Testament, by Arthur G. Patzia, is a concise and interesting entry level text that introduces the reader to the origin, collection, canonization, and transmission of the New Testament.
Patzia begins by helping the reader to see the world in which the early church existed. He introduces us to the Hebrew Scriptures, the Septuagint, the apocryphal writings, the OT pseudapigrapha, the Dead Sea scrolls, as well as Greco-Roman literature. This sounds like a large amount of info, but it is written in a manner that makes it accessible to all. It is a helpful background to have, however, to see the world into which the NT came.
In part two, the author presents to us the gospels. The reader will find an overview of oral tradition, the transition from oral tradition to written gospels, why and how the gospels were written, a brief overview of the synoptic problem, source criticism and redaction criticism. While I felt that this chapter was not the strongest in the book due to the focus on Markan priority that seems to accept the theories of the day instead of dealing with the history found in the Apostolic Fathers, the author does take the time to give us a view of how the early church fathers viewed the Scriptures. He also shows us a bit of how the gospels became accepted as canonical.
Parts three and four deal with the rest of the NT books. There is much here to interest the reader, as we not only find an introduction to the various books, but we are introduced to them in their historical, societal, and religious contexts. We also are given a view of the acceptance of the various books and how they came to be considered canonical books.
Part five is among the stronger sections of the book, as it deals with the criteria of canonicity. It is brief, yet gives us an introduction to the subject that will help the reader understand the background of his NT.
Parts six and seven were the parts that I found most interesting. In these sections we study the writing, copying, and transmission of the NT manuscripts as well as an introduction to textual variants and textual criticism. The author does well in introducing us to the writing materials that were used in the production of the NT. We are also introduced to the various styles of writing that were used in the copying and transmission of the NT. It is here that we begin to see why textual variants exist. They do not exist simply because of some widespread conspiracy to corrupt the text, but because of the imperfections of men. Never the less, textual criticism shows us that we have essentially the same NT as the early church possessed: it has not been lost, but has been preserved for us.
Five appendices also add some info concerning various leaders in the early church, the canon of the OT, various lists of the NT canon, and a list of early NT manuscriptus. There is also a glossary included to help the reader.
This book will serve to be a good introduction to the NT text. Though I wish that the author took a much more conservative stance toward the dating of the gospels (though he is by no means extremely far off) and the Synoptic problem, I find this book to be one that should be extremely helpful to the beginning student of the NT. I would recommend its being used along with Lea/Black The New Testament Message for a comprehensive overview of the NT.