The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown

An Introduction to the New Testament

Andreas J. Köstenberger, L. Scott Kellum, Charles L. Quarles

• Editorial: B&H Academic
• Año: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781433684012
• Edición: 2
• Categoría: Théologie et religion
• Categoría: Études bibliques

The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown guides serious New Testament students through the historical, literary, and theological dimensions of the biblical text, allowing them to better understand and share God's "word of truth" (2 Tim2: 15). It offers a thorough introductiontoall twenty-seven books of the New Testament and closely examinesevents such asChrist's incarnation and virgin birth, his crucifixion and resurrection, andtriumphant return. The second edition features updated bibliographies and footnotes, interpretation sections that coverdifferent literary genres in the New Testament, an epilogue thatcanvassesthe entire storyline of Scripture, and a variety of maps. All of these new features contribute to makingthisa life-long resource for students of Scripture.

Part One

INTRODUCTION

BEFORE INVESTIGATING THE Gospels and the rest of the NT in Parts Two through Four of this volume, it is appropriate to lay the groundwork for the study of the writings included in the canon of the NT by considering the nature and scope of Scripture (chap. 1) and by surveying the landscape of the political and religious background of the NT (chap. 2). This is appropriate because questions such as the extent of the NT canon, the inerrancy and inspiration of Scripture, the translation of Scripture, and its textual transmission (textual criticism) constitute preliminary issues that have an important bearing on the interpretation of the books included in the NT.

Unless these questions are adequately addressed, there is no proper foundation for NT introduction. When there is no proper foundation, the result is a doctrinal vacuum that leaves the student in a precarious and vulnerable position when confronted with challenges to the canonicity of certain NT books or to a high view of Scripture and its authority. Moreover, the Gospels, Acts, the NT letters, and the book of Revelation did not appear in a vacuum. For this reason it is vital to discuss the political and religious backgrounds that form the backdrop to the study of the various NT writings. Hence, NT introduction properly commences with treatments of the nature of NT Scripture and of the relevant NT background.

CHAPTER 1

THE NATURE AND SCOPE OF SCRIPTURE

CORE KNOWLEDGE

Basic Knowledge: Students should know the major issues involved in the formation of the canon, the doctrines of inerrancy and inspiration, the textual transmission of the NT, and translations of the Bible. They should have a basic grasp of the major figures and documents involved and issues addressed, including key dates.

Intermediate Knowledge: Students should be able to discuss more thoroughly the canonization process and the criteria of canonicity. They should be able to identify developments in the collection of the Gospels and the Pauline Letters. They should also be able to defend the reliability of the Bible on the basis of their knowledge of the relevant issues regarding the transmission and translation of Scripture.

Advanced Knowledge: Students should be able to provide definitions of inerrancy and inspiration on the basis of the major NT passages on the subject. They should be able to provide an overview of the history of the English Bible. They should also be prepared to discuss formal and functional equivalence in Bible translation.

INTRODUCTION

B. F. WESTCOTT noted long ago that a “general survey of the History of the Canon forms a necessary part of an Introduction to the writings of the New Testament.”¹ For many students the discussion of the canon—the question of which books should be included in the Bible—seems moot: the canon is closed and limited to the books found in the Bible. But a study of the canon does more than merely determine the books of the OT and NT or furnish material for scholarly debate. It provides a basic orientation to how the Bible came into existence and therefore connects students more firmly to the foundations of their faith. In the context of the present volume, this opening chapter also serves the purpose of laying a basic framework for dealing with each NT book in more detail later on in this work.

This chapter begins a journey through the NT. The idea of a NT is traced along the lines of the historical development of this body of literature. As in the case of each individual NT book in the remainder of this volume, the discussion of the canon of the NT in the present chapter proceeds under the rubrics of history, literature, and theology.² First, the discussion of history scrutinizes the process of canonization in order to answer the question, Why these twenty-seven books? Second, the treatment of literature deals with the reliability of the Bible and seeks to adjudicate the question, Is the Bible today what was originally written? Finally, the canon is also significantly a function of the church’s theology. Hence the chapter closes with an inquiry into the question, What is the nature of the canon?

THE NEW TESTAMENT CANON: WHY THESE TWENTY-SEVEN BOOKS?

The present investigation regarding the scope and extent of the NT—the NT canon—is concerned not so much with the production of these writings but with their recognition as Christian Scripture to the exclusion of all other possible candidates. What is a “canon”? Put succinctly, the word comes from the Greek word kanōn, which in turn derives from its Hebrew equivalent kaneh and means “rule” or “standard.”³ The term eventually came to refer to the collection of the Christian Scriptures. This modern concept of canon is clearly attested in the fourth century. How far the notion extends back beyond this to even earlier centuries is the subject of vigorous scholarly debate.⁴

The composition of the various NT writings took place starting in the late 40s and proceeded through the latter half of the first century. Subsequently, these books were copied and disseminated among the growing number of Christian congregations all over the Roman Empire, as is attested by the available manuscript evidence. The papyrus fragment 𝔓⁵² contains John 18:31–33, 37–38 and most likely dates to the first half of the second century.⁵ Its discovery in Egypt, many miles from the Gospel’s origin in Asia Minor and only a few short decades after the Gospel was written, bears telling testimony to the speed with which the early Christian writings spread to various locales across a network of churches that one writer has called a “holy internet.”⁶

Generally, the main subject of debate today is not whether the NT canon is closed (i.e., fixed and therefore unchangeable).⁷ The discussion centers rather on the questions of how and when the closing of the canon occurred. The broad time frame during which this process of canonization took place spans from the period of the early church to the ecclesiastical councils of the fourth and fifth centuries that declared the canon closed.⁸ Whether the canon was set earlier or later in this period is disputed. The limited evidence from second-century patristic literature and differing assumptions regarding the nature of Christianity and the Christian canon make the investigation into the process of canonization “a narrow path, roughly paved and poorly lit.”⁹

The Witness of the New Testament

The NT canon can be viewed from both a human and a divine perspective. The traditional evangelical view affirms God’s activity in the formation of the canon. From this vantage point, it can be said that in one sense at least, the NT canon was closed the moment the last NT book was written. According to this view, God, through the agency of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of the NT writers, generated holy Scripture (a phenomenon called “inspiration”; see further below); and the church’s task was not the creation of the canon but merely the recognition of the Scriptures God had previously chosen to inspire. This, in turn, has important ramifications with regard to authority: if the church’s role is primarily passive in determining the Christian canon, then it is inspired Scripture, not the church, which is in the final position of authority.

Traditionally, the second century has been viewed as the pivotal period for the canonization process of the NT writings. By the end of that century, the books of the NT were largely recognized throughout the churches. In the two subsequent centuries, all that remained was a final resolution regarding the canonicity of smaller or disputed books such as James, 2 Peter, 2–3 John, Jude, and Revelation. What is more, the fact that traces of the church’s canonical consciousness appear even in the NT itself suggests that the NT writers were aware that God was inspiring new documents in their day. In two important NT passages, the term “Scripture” (graphē), used about fifty times in the NT to refer to the OT,¹⁰ may refer to the emerging NT writings.

The first such passage is 1 Timothy 5:18: “For the Scripture says: ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and, ‘The worker is worthy of his wages.’” The text uses the word “Scripture” with reference to two quotations. The first, the prohibition against muzzling an ox, is taken from Deuteronomy 25:4. The second, “the worker is worthy of his wages,” is in fact an exact verbal parallel of Luke 10:7.¹¹ While it is debated whether Luke’s Gospel was the source for this quotation, it is clear that (1) the author used a written source (demanded by the word “Scripture,” graphē); and (2) the source was considered to be authoritative on par with Deuteronomy. Whatever one’s view is regarding the Pauline authorship of 1 Timothy, this furnishes a significant piece of evidence regarding the emerging canonical consciousness in NT times.

The same is true of 2 Peter 3:15–16. With reference to the apostle Paul, Peter writes that “[h]e speaks about these things in all his letters. There are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures” (emphasis added). By implication, it follows that Peter viewed Paul’s Letters as “Scripture” on par with the writings of the OT. Strikingly, while NT writings were still being produced, 2 Peter indicates the acceptance of the Pauline Letters as Scripture and hence equally as authoritative as the Hebrew Scriptures.¹²

Given this kind of NT evidence, it is safe to conclude that, almost before the ink was dry, the earliest Christians, including leading figures in the church such as the apostles Paul and Peter, considered contemporaneous Christ...