Q

uestion

113

Is it true that both the gospel of John

and the book of Revelation almost weren’t

canonized (included in the Bible)? Why?

Who got to decide which books would be

included in the Bible, and what rules did they

use to decide?

Craig Detweiler

Who is...

?

Craig Detweiler

I love sumo wrestling.

A.

The fi rst Christians were mostly a persecuted people. They were

an underground movement, trying not to be noticed by Roman

authorities. Consequently, it was diffi cult to organize both the

Christian community and their scriptures. The letters of Paul may have been

collected and circulated as a source of encouragement during troubled times.

The memoirs of the apostles were set apart as what we now call “the four

gospels.”

A canon is a form of rule, standards by which the Christian faith is

defi ned. Early church leaders like Origen of Alexandria were committed to

organizing and, in a sense, “purifying” Christian thought. Within two hun-

dred years of Jesus’ death, Origen had focused upon twenty-seven authorita-

tive books that eventually formed the New Testament.

Once Constantine approved Christianity as an acceptable option for

people within the Roman Empire, it became much easier to gather for con-

ferences and decision making. Before competing notions spread too widely,

the early church attempted to establish the biblical canon. Key meetings like

the African Synod at Hippo in 393 approved the New Testament as it stands

today. The Councils of Carthage held in 397 and 419 also affi rmed the same list

of historical documents.

What was discussed? The “extreme” or at least “unique” style of the

gospel of John may have caused many to pause. It simply does not conform

to the shape and structure of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Those