Church History
Marcus Parker
February 1, 2011
CHHI 301-B02 LUO
Professor Michael Mitchell
The Foundation of Orthodoxy and the Canon
God is the Divine Author of a set of books, songs, narratives and letters that were written as a way for man to draw nearer to Him through His loving Son Jesus the Christ. God’s Word is an expression of who God is and who His Son is. J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays wrote a book called Grasping God’s Word. Within this book, the authors inspire their readers by giving a detailed reason why we study the Bible. They say, “The reason we study the Bible is that we want to hear God’s Word to us.” They go on to say, “The Bible was written by numerous human authors, but the divine aspect of it is inseparably and mysteriously interwoven into every verse. The term we use to describe this relationship between the divine role and the human role is inspiration. Inspiration can be defined as the process in which God directed individuals, incorporating their abilities and styles, to produce His message to humankind.”[1] Our Bible is an inspired canon of the 39 received books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament. The combined 66 books of the Old and New Testament form the orthodox belief which was founded upon the inspired moving of God among man and creation. What were the events and movements that were influential in the recognition of the canonical books? Furthermore, what methodology was used by the applicable individuals and councils that deemed these 66 books the inspired Word of God? In her work titled, “The Establishment of Christian Orthodoxy of the Holy Bible”, Kathy McFarland gives us a very in depth understanding of the foundation of orthodoxy and the establishment of canon. I will begin by reviewing her thought about the foundation of orthodoxy. McFarland states, “Both Christians and pagans were shocked by the heretical ideas that were developing by the late second-century. Irenaeus, a Christian author
February 1, 2011
CHHI 301-B02 LUO
Professor Michael Mitchell
The Foundation of Orthodoxy and the Canon
God is the Divine Author of a set of books, songs, narratives and letters that were written as a way for man to draw nearer to Him through His loving Son Jesus the Christ. God’s Word is an expression of who God is and who His Son is. J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays wrote a book called Grasping God’s Word. Within this book, the authors inspire their readers by giving a detailed reason why we study the Bible. They say, “The reason we study the Bible is that we want to hear God’s Word to us.” They go on to say, “The Bible was written by numerous human authors, but the divine aspect of it is inseparably and mysteriously interwoven into every verse. The term we use to describe this relationship between the divine role and the human role is inspiration. Inspiration can be defined as the process in which God directed individuals, incorporating their abilities and styles, to produce His message to humankind.”[1] Our Bible is an inspired canon of the 39 received books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament. The combined 66 books of the Old and New Testament form the orthodox belief which was founded upon the inspired moving of God among man and creation. What were the events and movements that were influential in the recognition of the canonical books? Furthermore, what methodology was used by the applicable individuals and councils that deemed these 66 books the inspired Word of God? In her work titled, “The Establishment of Christian Orthodoxy of the Holy Bible”, Kathy McFarland gives us a very in depth understanding of the foundation of orthodoxy and the establishment of canon. I will begin by reviewing her thought about the foundation of orthodoxy. McFarland states, “Both Christians and pagans were shocked by the heretical ideas that were developing by the late second-century. Irenaeus, a Christian author
Bibliography: [1] Duvall, Scott J. and Hays, Daniel J. (2001, 2005) “Grasping God’s Word.” (Page 409) [2] McFarland, Kathy. (2008, December) “The Establishment of Christian Orthodoxy of the Holy Bible” Becker Bible Studies Library Retrieved 31 January 2011 from http:guidedbiblestudies.com/library/Canon.html [3] Smith, Sam A. (2005) “Important Truths About the Bible, Part 2: How and Where Did We Get Our Bible?” The Biblical Reader Retrieved 1 February 2011 from http:biblicalreader.com/reader/How_and_Where_Did_We_Get_Our_Bible.htm