Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2017 21:32:02 GMT -5
The New Testament canon of the Christian "Bible" had not been definitively established by the Church Fathers at the time of the convocation of the First Great Ecumenical Council at Nicea in 325 A.D. In 331 A.D. Emperor Constantine the Great (who had convoked the First Ecumenical Great Council Council of Nicea) commissioned St. Eusebius Pamphilius of Caesaria, and the Church bishops, to prepare 50 copies of a canonical Bible.
The Codex Sinaiticus of St. Catherine's Monastery of Sinai (Greek Orthodox) is the oldest existing copy of the "Bible," dating to the 4th century A.D.
St. Athanasius of Alexandria (Coptic Orthodox) listed the canonical texts of the New Testament in his extant Paschal Epistle of 367 A.D.
So, the "Bible," as we know it, had been formally canonized by the Church Fathers some time between 325 A.D. and 367 A.D.-- probably in 331 A.D.
Of course, the New Testament scriptures, themselves, were much older-- originating in the Apostolic era of the first century A.D.
Development of the New Testament canon
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_of_the_Christian_biblical_canon
The development of the New Testament canon was, like that of the Old Testament, a gradual process.
St. Irenaeus (died c. 202) quotes and cites 21 books that would end up as part of the New Testament, but does not use Philemon, Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 3 John and Jude.[4] By the early 3rd century Origen of Alexandria may have been using the same 27 books as in the modern New Testament, though there were still disputes over the canonicity of Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, and Revelation,[5] see also Antilegomena. Likewise by 200 the Muratorian fragment shows that there existed a set of Christian writings somewhat similar to what is now the New Testament, which included four gospels and argued against objections to them.[6] Thus, while there was plenty of discussion in the Early Church over the New Testament canon, the "major" writings were accepted by almost all Church authorities by the middle of the second century.[7]
The next two hundred years followed a similar process of continual discussion throughout the entire Church, and localized refinements of acceptance. This process was not yet complete at the time of the First Council of Nicaea in 325, though substantial progress had been made by then. Though a list was clearly necessary to fulfill Constantine's commission in 331 of fifty copies of the Bible for the Church at Constantinople, no concrete evidence exists to indicate that it was considered to be a formal canon. In the absence of a canonical list, the resolution of questions would normally have been directed through the see of Constantinople, in consultation with Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea (who was given the commission), and perhaps other bishops who were available locally.
In his Easter letter of 367, Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, gave a list of exactly the same books that would formally become the New Testament canon,[8] and he used the word "canonized" (kanonizomena) in regard to them.[9
The Codex Sinaiticus of St. Catherine's Monastery of Sinai (Greek Orthodox) is the oldest existing copy of the "Bible," dating to the 4th century A.D.
St. Athanasius of Alexandria (Coptic Orthodox) listed the canonical texts of the New Testament in his extant Paschal Epistle of 367 A.D.
So, the "Bible," as we know it, had been formally canonized by the Church Fathers some time between 325 A.D. and 367 A.D.-- probably in 331 A.D.
Of course, the New Testament scriptures, themselves, were much older-- originating in the Apostolic era of the first century A.D.
Development of the New Testament canon
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_of_the_Christian_biblical_canon
The development of the New Testament canon was, like that of the Old Testament, a gradual process.
St. Irenaeus (died c. 202) quotes and cites 21 books that would end up as part of the New Testament, but does not use Philemon, Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 3 John and Jude.[4] By the early 3rd century Origen of Alexandria may have been using the same 27 books as in the modern New Testament, though there were still disputes over the canonicity of Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, and Revelation,[5] see also Antilegomena. Likewise by 200 the Muratorian fragment shows that there existed a set of Christian writings somewhat similar to what is now the New Testament, which included four gospels and argued against objections to them.[6] Thus, while there was plenty of discussion in the Early Church over the New Testament canon, the "major" writings were accepted by almost all Church authorities by the middle of the second century.[7]
The next two hundred years followed a similar process of continual discussion throughout the entire Church, and localized refinements of acceptance. This process was not yet complete at the time of the First Council of Nicaea in 325, though substantial progress had been made by then. Though a list was clearly necessary to fulfill Constantine's commission in 331 of fifty copies of the Bible for the Church at Constantinople, no concrete evidence exists to indicate that it was considered to be a formal canon. In the absence of a canonical list, the resolution of questions would normally have been directed through the see of Constantinople, in consultation with Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea (who was given the commission), and perhaps other bishops who were available locally.
In his Easter letter of 367, Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, gave a list of exactly the same books that would formally become the New Testament canon,[8] and he used the word "canonized" (kanonizomena) in regard to them.[9
