Church History Outline Matt Tolbert 01/05/2014 Week 07 I.

Introduction to Bible Reading Plan

Q1: Why is a canon necessary? Are you a Christian? Yes. Does the Bible (or Canon) save you? No. The Creator-God breaking into history and miraculously intervening on behalf of sinners saves a Christian. The canon is the testimony of this Creator God recorded by Men. There are two reasons why Christians have a canon. A. Identity-Christians would know who they were and what they believed and could find truth and identity. Christians belong to this group and no other. The boundaries are here and clearly define what is and what is not a Christian. The Canon are the words of God speaking to men. B. Authority- When a conflict arises, who decides what is right and wrong? The question Did God Say? (posed by the serpent) has an answer that can be verified. Conflicts, confusion and doubt are encountered everyday. The canon is given to teach, encourage, exhort, and clarify the will of the Lord. Q2: What happens when there is no canon? If you belong to a church that denies, substitutes, or subordinates the word of God to the word of men, then you have two results A. Loss of Identity-Christians are hard to recognize and they look less like their Lord and more like their church leaders. Believers are hard to differentiate from the rest of the world. Reading the true Bible consistently yields fruit of the Spirit. The Spirit speaks to the church through the words of the canon (the Bible), and if you arent listening (either from lack of discipline or sin), you will not bear the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22). B. Loss of Authority-Christians will lose the ability to present more than the zeitgeist, or the spirit of the age. They will speak without clarity, authority, and eventually will be marginalized. Remember that the early church thrived because it did not collaborate or compromise with other religious movements. Where is Manicheism now? Where are the Gnostics today? Q3: How did the NT Writers think about their own writings A. Based on the gospels, we know they heard and believed the following: a. They have seen and heard from the Baptism by John to his resurrection (his works and his divinity seen)-Acts 1:21-22-They are witnesses to it. b. Apostles have authority from the Holy Spirit to be witnesses c. Apostles are given authority and ability to perform miracles d. Apostles believed that Jesus was the fulfillment of scriptures i. Believed that there was a category for scriptures and canon to be fulfilledthere was true prophecy that had an effect on the state of the world-i.e., if scripture was authoritative, then it must be fulfilled somehow-Acts 1:16

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Their writings were eventually given a level of authority equal to that of OT canon i. NT Examples and conflict 1. VIEWS OF SCRIPTURE 2. 2 Tim 3:16-17 (all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work) a. The OT was seen as inspired and useful 3. 2 Pet 1:20-21 (Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophets own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.) EXAMPLES OF NT AS SCRIPTURE 1 Thess. 2:13 (You received the word of God, which you heard from us, and accepted it not as the words of men but as what it really is, the word of God). Paul asserting his authority 1 Thess. 2:15 (So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter) 1 Cor. 14: 37-38 (This passage is one of the most explicit about Pauls apostolic authority, If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.) Luke 1:1-4 (just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us) He saw himself as delivering apostolic authority

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9. 10. Later on in 2 Pet 3:15-16 (Bear in mind that our Lords patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable men distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.) 11. I Timothy 5:18 (For the Scripture says, Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain, and the worker deserves his wages). While the first reference is taken from the book of Deuteronomy (25:4), the second is derived from the Gospel of Luke (10:7) Lukes writings are viewed as similar in Authority to the Pentateuch f. Did God speak then by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? Is he speaking now by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? What is the content of that message? Would everything Peter, Paul, Matthew and John be considered scripture? What is the criteria for Canonicity?

Q4: Criteria of Canonicity A. in the NT, anticipation of a Canon Criteria a. discern the spirits i. 1 Cor. 12:10 (and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues) b. Pauls understanding of their testimony to Christ i. 1 Cor. 12:3 (Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit) c. A more specific test by John, i. 1 Jn 4:2 (By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God) B. Paul wrote final greetings in his own hands to combat the potential forgeries (temporary criteria) a. 1 Cor. 16:21 (I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand.) b. Gal. 6:11 (See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand) c. Col. 4:18 (I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you) d. 2 Thess. 3:17 (I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write). e. Philem. 19 (I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay itto say nothing of your owing me even your own self) C. Apostolic Authority a. Jesus didnt leave anything in writing, authoritative writings came from his apostles b. Paul was the most active writer of the early apostles i. Apostleship was undoubted-in part b/c he founded most of those churches ii. Pauls letters were among the 1st to be circulated as a collection c. Many NT documents dont contain the names of the writers i. Letter to Theophilus (or the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts) has no name preserved in it ii. Hebrews has no listed author iii. 2 of the 4 Gospels were ascribed to Apostles 1. Matthew and John iv. Mark & Luke were established in tradition, but had no direct apostolic authority 1. Mark was identified by Irenaus, Papias, & Anti-Marcionite prologues as setting down the account of Peter 2. Luke was not an apostle but apostolic-Tertullian a. He was an associate of Paul b. Luke, the beloved physician (col. 4:14-Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas) v. Hebrews authorship could be Pauline, or a Luke translation vi. It wasnt verified as apostolic however 1. Eventually, however, the later church leaders learned to distinguish apostolic authorship from canonicity As the letters of Hebrews, Luke, James & Jude were lacking in apostolic authorship, a new set of criteria for canonicity had to be developed. D. ANTIQUITY

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Work of an apostle, or someone close to an apostle, it must belong to apostolic era Writings of a later date, despite their canon, could not be included among the canonical books Shepherd of Hermas-seen as a work of prophecy-too late to be a canonical prophet, too late to be among the apostolic writings

ORTHODOXY a. Apostolic Faith is the faith set forth in the undoubted apostolic writings and maintained in the churches that were founded by the apostles i. Against docetic: 1. Jesus was not really a man, did not have a physical body or birth ii. Against Gnosticism 1. Demiurges, OT & NT God is different, secret knowledge for salvation, dualism iii. The Person & Work of Christ? 1. Apostolic witness as the historical Jesus of Nazareth, a. Crucified and raised from the dead b. Divinely exalted as Lord over all iv. Bishop Serapion 1. Heard that the Gospel of Peter was read in a church in Rhossus a. Was not greatly disturbed b. Did not examine style or vocabulary c. Discovered that the document implies that the Lord did not really suffer in his death (tinged with Docetism) 2. Went to Rhossus as a pastoral visit to make sure this church hadnt been led astray by this doctrine (side note on authority and bishops) F. CATHOLICITY a. Works that had only local recognition were not likely to be recognized as canon b. When the majority of churches recognized a work, it would likely receive greater recognition c. Pauls Letters i. Temporary urgency to local churches might not be for the universal church ii. Early answer was Pauls letter to 7 churches, Johns letter to seven churches (number of perfection) thus they were universal d. Tradition i. Vincents Rule 1. What has been believed everywhere, always, and by all G. INSPIRATION a. For many centuries, inspiration and Canon were closely tied i. Books were included in the canon because they were inspired. ii. Books were inspired because they were included in the canon. b. Inspiration says this: i. The vocabulary is theirs, the message is His. ii. Num. 11:29 (But Moses said to him, Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORDs people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!) Two men were prophesying in the camp c. NT answer to Moses request: i. God began to fulfill his promise to pour out his spirit on all flesh 1. (Joel 2:28 "It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will

prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions.)-quoted again in Acts 2:17 2. All members of the new Christian community receive the Spirit-Paul says in Romans 8:9-You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 3. This didnt mean all Christians have the gift of prophesydeclaring the Mind of God in the power of the Spirit 4. One NT author expressly bases his authority on Prophetic Inspiration-John the Apostle in the book of Revelation a. Implies his words are inspired b. The readers of the 7 letters are supposed to hear what the spirit says to the churches d. Authority for Inspiration i. Paul-2 Cor. 13:10 ( For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down). In his apostleship, ii. John 14:26 (But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you) The spirit will guide into Truth-the words he said. e. Exceptions to the work of the Spirit i. Mark and Luke are recognized as trustworthy witnesses on their own merit, not simply on their relationship to Peter and Paul ii. Ignatius & Clement of Rome both claim to speak and write by the Spirit but do not claim apostolic authority f. Allegorical Interpretations of the Four Gospels i. Early church Fathers (Irenaeus & Origen) allegorically interpreted the gospels just like they did the OT canon (they read into the text the spiritual interpretations). H. PRACTICAL ISSUES OF CANONICITY a. Persecutions i. Which books could you let go of, which books must be preserved with life & limb? b. Books read in the church i. Should you publicly read the gospels? The shepherd of Hermas? Etc. ii. How should the hearers think of the other books written? (1 Clement, etc.) c. Which books can you use to settle doctrinal questions? i. Heretics and orthodox had some agreement on the source of the conflict I. CONCLUSION a. These are words of spirit and truth. These are the words of life. To who, or what else should you go? b. Do you believe there is life here? Are you willing to labor in reading and meditation? c. Do you know who you are in Christ and do you submit to his authority. There are two ways to say no to someone. One way is to defiantly disagree or refuse to obey. The other way is to simply ignore the command. d. BIBLE READING PLAN! Get on it. Tomorrow!