Question:
When were the original manuscripts of the Bible collected and compiled, and by whom? What authority, whether from the church or the state, sanctioned this process? How were the inspired texts distinguished from the uninspired ones, and what methods were used to determine the various components of our Bible?
Answer:
The Bible is a work of growth; it is not the product of a single individual, a council, or a decree from human authority. For example, the Pentateuch, which consists of the five books of Moses, was accepted by God’s people up to the time of Christ. The laws contained within that book served as a standard for evaluating later prophets and their writings. Gradually, additional books were added until we reached the conclusion of the Old Testament period.
After the Babylonian captivity, Ezra, Nehemiah, and their colleagues collated and arranged all the books that were widely accepted and undisputed. These constituted the Holy Scriptures during the time of our Lord, as referenced by Josephus, “Against Apion,” and Jesus affirmed them.
The New Testament was compiled similarly, book by book and letter by letter, by men inspired by the Spirit of God, adhering to the enduring test: “To the law and to the testimony.” By A.D. 170, before any council addressed the Scripture canon, nearly all the books we now possess were already recognized as scriptural by the early church, while several others were excluded. Figures such as Clement, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, and Origen mentioned different books.
The well-known “Muratorian Fragment on the Canon,” dating from around A.D. 170, lists almost all the New Testament books, including the Gospels of Luke and John, the Acts, thirteen letters of Paul, 1 John, 2 John, Jude, and Revelation. It omits a few texts that others refer to. Similarly, the Peshito Syriac list from about the same period includes almost all the New Testament books except for 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, Jude, and Revelation. The old Italian version used by North African churches around this time contained all our New Testament books, except for Hebrews, 2 Peter, and James.
Later church councils confirmed our current list of books, adding some that earlier Christians left out. Our present canon stands up to every test, apart from scrutiny from higher critics.
