Journal: Bulletin for Biblical Research
Volume: BBR 06:1 (NA 1996)
Article: The Integrity of the Biblical Canon in Light of Its Historical Development
Author: Lee Martin McDonald

BBR 6:1 (1996) p. 95

The Integrity of the Biblical Canon
in Light of Its
Historical Development

Lee Martin McDonald

First Baptist Church
Alhambra, California

The following essay argues that the final fixing of the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian biblical canon did not emerge until the middle to the late fourth century, even though the long process that led to the canonization of the Hebrew scriptures began in the sixth or fifth century bce and of the New Testament scriptures in the second century ce. Pivotal in the arguments for an early dating of the Hebrew Scriptures is the lack of unequivocal evidence for the fixation of the Old Testament canon in the time before Christ but also the emergence of canonical lists of scriptures only in the fourth century ce. It is also argued that the Muratorian Fragment originated in the middle of late fourth century ce. The paper concludes with a discussion of viability of the traditional criteria of canonicity and whether these criteria should be reap- plied to the biblical literature in light of more recent conclusions about author- ship, date, theological emphasis, and widespread appeal in antiquity.

Key Words: Canon of Scripture, Muratorian Fragment, early Patristics

I. Introduction

For the last generation or so there has been a growing interest in the formation of the Christian Bible and the viability of the current biblical canon. With little or no change in the biblical canon for some 400 years, why is there today such vigorous inquiry into its formation and even recommendations for changes in its contents? Kurt Aland, for example, has raised the question of reducing the books in the Bible to take out what he considers to be an embarrassment to the majority of the Church in order to promote Christian unity.1 Similarly, Ernst Käsemann has also asked whether there should be a “canon within

BBR 6:1 (1996) p. 96

the canon”—in essence, a reduction of the biblical text—in order to alleviate the concern over the diversity within the Bible.2 The goal of each of these scholars is laudable, namely, to produce harmony in the Christian community; it is, nevertheless, shortsighted. The reduction of any part of the biblical canon would cause more division in the Church and not less. More recently, and for completely different reasons, the Jesus Seminar has also promoted the idea of both reducing the current biblical canon (eliminating especially the Apocalypse) and expanding it to include the Gospel of Thom...