The Canon

The Canon

There became a growing need for it to be written. Eye witnesses began to die off and it became more speculation. The apostles were eyewitnesses to Jesus Christ and so were considered highly valuable. Apostle broadly is "sent one". Any one who is sent. A more narrow definition is one who was an actual eye witness of Christ. Letters were meant a to be circulatory... Not just one church but for many surrounding churches. If something was written by an apostle it had authority and was given the respect of God's very own Word. Hence so many pseudo apostles. Church back then was characterized by the reading of Scripture. That was a primary part of their worship. There arose heresies because of false books written by frauds. The Church had to decide upon specific books because it cut off heresies and frauds. They had to identify with God's books so to limit the Bible and not give way to lies and false books. Because of Martians there had to be a set list if books of the Bible. By 1 AD this list was made. Mark is often associated with Peter. It was believed that if a writer was associated with an apostle that there was validity. There were a lot more questions and doubts raised about the Old Testament than the New Testament. The old church fathers (Polycarp, Athanasius ect.) understood the difference from themselves and the apostles. The latter had direct relation to Christ. The former were students of the apostles. The Church is not fixed. The Church is not divine. The Church can err. The books in the canon are all inspired or they wouldn't be in the canon. Either you bow to the self-attesting authority of the Church or you bow to the self-attesting authority of Scripture. They both claim authority, but only the Scripture can truly be backed up and believed. It is not that the Church has no authority, but rather that does not have ultimate authority. The Bible has sustained through the years. There is no suppressing it entirely. You control the Bible and information thereof, and you control the people. The Scripture alone has freedom, true freedom that we seek. The Church cannot be on the defensive, we have no reason to be attacked. We are to be on the offensive, the one doing the attacking the culture and world driven by sins of the flesh.