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The Canon in the New Testament as a historical and theological problem

• Ιωαννίδης, Θωμάς Αντ.

The crucial issue which is of great concern among researchers is whether the formation of the Canon in the New Testament as a whole is a historical necessity or the result of a conscious decision taken by the Church. Overstressing or accepting either one of the above views creates partiality and discards the true meaning of the history of the Canon.1. The Canon in the New Testament is a definite collection of writings, which is considered to be inspired by God and thus true, it is the result of a conscious decision and not a part of an evolutionary and inevitable procedure. It is not an individualized and subjective issue but an expression of a combined, and conscious belief of the church.2. The Church created a Canon which is universally accepted as true by all Christians thus establishing the main principles of the orthodox belief represented by Christ Himself. The meaning of the Canon is interwoven with the Ecclesiastic Authority which has the responsibility to determine its context. The Holy Bible neither illustrates the magnitude nor does it exist outside the boundaries of the Church. On the contrary it is the work of the Church which interprets it authentically.3. The uncontrolled and widespread propagation of various movements, heretical preaching along with the occult, the false works of the Gnostics and the formation of a misinterpreted Canon by Marcion, render the collection and recording of our Lord’s works a necessity. Furthermore, they imposed a more systematic teaching of the real apostolic teachings as experienced by the Church.4. The fact that there is a Canon in the Old Testament found in the beginning of the Holy Church acts a model for the formation of the New Testament. a) The Old Testament by being the very first Holy Scripture of the Church is not a mere recording of the historical facts of the ancient Israel world and society, nor is it a collection of cultural elements concerning that era, but it describes the relationship between God and men. b) The fact that the collection illustrates a diversity of works and includes the writings in one body gives the Holy Bible its unique universality from the first («In the beginning» Gn 1, 1) to the last Book («Amen, Come» Ap 22, 20).5. The collection of St. Paul’s Epistles by the Church constitutes the principle of the Canon in the New Testament, which emphasizes the importance of the writings not just as private epistles but as official passages and sources of Christianity: «So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist..., as they do the other scriptures» (2P 3, 15-16).6. The concentration of the four Gospels as the main foundation of the Canon is of outmost importance for the formation of the Canon. The four Gospels are the final form deriving from a continuing re-examination and reforming of the Evangelic preaching. They do not aim at satisfying the future readers’ curiosity but at safely guiding their beliefs and life: «these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name» (Jn 20, 31).7. «Regula veritatis» and «Regula fidei» are based on the overall viewing of the Gospel’s preaching which includes the revealing and all true experience of the Church. Through its magnitude the Canon ensures the objective value and validity of the Holy Script and does not allow its replacement or abolishment. 8. In order to accept a book as canonical a unique relationship between the book and the facts concerning the life and the preaching of Christ should be established. Its apostolic origins and its compliance with the Church’s Truth which result «from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word» (Lk 1, 2) are its guarantee. The criterion which justifies its being a Canon itself is its use by the Christians in their everyday worship.

• Philosophy, Ethics and Religion

• Θρησκεία