Ten Basic Facts about the NT Canon that Every Christian Should Memorize: #3: “The New Testament Books Are Unique Because They Are Apostolic Books”
Note: This is the third installment of a new blog series announced here.
One of the most basic facts about the New Testament canon that all Christians should understand is that the canon is intimately connected to the activities of the apostles.
Jesus had commissioned his apostles “so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority” (Mark 3:14–15). When Jesus sent out the twelve, he reminds them that “For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matt 10:20). Thus, he is able to give a warning to those who reject the apostles’ … Continue reading...
Witherington Reviews “The Early Text of the New Testament”
My recent book (c0-edited with my friend Chuck Hill) is The Early Text of the New Testament (Oxford, 2012). That volume is a collection of essays designed to address the state of the NT text at the earliest observable stages. Unfortunately, one might have to mortgage their home to purchase it at $140 (ouch). Sorry, seminary students.
As a result of the high price, I am particularly grateful when someone takes the time to get a copy and review it. Ben Witherington has recently reviewed the book over at his website and I am appreciative of his kind remarks. Here are some excerpts:
… Continue reading...Technical monographs are important, not least because
Ten Basic Facts about the NT Canon that Every Christian Should Memorize: #2: “Apocryphal Writings are All Written in the Second Century or Later”
Note: This is the second installment of a new blog series announced here.
In the prior post, we discussed the first basic fact about the New Testament canon, namely that the New Testament writings are the earliest Christian texts we possess. We were careful to make clear that the early date of these books does not make them canonical, but the early date does show that these books were written during a time period when eyewitnesses of Jesus were still alive.
In this current post, we address the issue of “apocryphal” New Testament writings. These are writings that were not included in the New Testament, but have a similar … Continue reading...
10 Misconceptions about the NT Canon: #9: “The Canonical Gospels Were Certainly Not Written by the Individuals Named in Their Titles”
Note: this is the ninth installment of a blog series announced here. The full series can be found here.
One of the most commonly made claims regarding the canonical gospels is that they were not written by the individuals named in their titles. Instead, we are told that these gospels were written later in the first century by anonymous individuals outside of Palestine who were not eyewitnesses of any of the events that they record. After all, the text of the gospels themselves offers no indication of their authorship. And the gospel titles, it is argued, were added at a later point—probably the middle of the second century—in … Continue reading...
Review of “The Early Text of the New Testament”
This past year, Charles Hill and I edited a volume for Oxford University Press entitled, The Early Text of the New Testament. This is a compilation of essays from scholars around the world exploring the state of the NT text at its earliest (accessible) stages. Although the book was released in the UK in June, it was not available in the US until around Sept 1st. So, there has been no time for any reviews to be published.
However, my friend Tommy Wasserman has pointed out that there has been an online review over at Rick Brannon’s website, ricoblog. Thanks to Rick for this very positive review! Here … Continue reading...