What Books Are in the Scriptures?
When were the books included in the scriptures?
It is unknown when the first books were included. The content demonstrates that even the early books claim to be divine.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
What is the earliest writing of scripture that exists?
In 1979, two silver amulets were discovered. They came from an area near Jerusalem called Ketef Hinnom. These amulets are dated around 600 BC. They include texts from Exodus 20:6 and Numbers 6:24-26. They are the earliest physical references to a text in scripture. They demonstrate the early collection of scripture.
What other collections of scripture exist?
The Jewish scriptures reached their current form around 400 BC.
The community at Qumran preserved the scriptures in their present form.
By the second century, bound collections of the Christian scriptures exist. Bound copies of Matthew and John exist. The Chester Beatty manuscripts included a bound copy of Paul's letters. It also included a bound copy of the gospels and Acts.
We possess multiple bound copies of complete scriptures from the fourth century
What ancient lists of scriptures exist?
Josephus described the Jewish scriptures in their present form.
For we have not an innumerable multitude of books among us, disagreeing from and contradicting one another, but only twenty-two books, which contain the records of all the past times; which are justly believed to be divine; and of them five belong to Moses, which contain his laws and the traditions of the origin of mankind till his death. This interval of time was little short of three thousand years; but as to the time from the death of Moses till the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, who reigned after Xerxes, the prophets, who were after Moses, wrote down what was done in their times in thirteen books. The remaining four books contain hymns to God, and precepts for the conduct of human life. (Against Apion 1.8)
In 1740, an ancient text was discovered in an Italian library. It is known as the Muratorian canon. It describes a list of sacred books that is consistent with the Christian scriptures. It is a Latin copy of a Greek manuscript from around 170 AD. It demonstrates that lists and collections occurred early.
… at which he was present, and so he placed it.
The third gospel is from Luke.
Luke was a well-known doctor after Christ rose.
(Paul was also taken afterwards as one zealous for the law.)
He composed it in his own name, according to general belief. Yet he had not
physically seen the Lord. Therefore, since he was able to determine events,
he begins to tell the story from the birth of John.
The fourth gospel is from John, one of the disciples.
To his fellow disciples and elders, who had been urging him,
he said, “Fast with me today for three days. What
is revealed to each one,
let us tell it to one another.” That night it was revealed
to Andrew, one of the apostles,
that John should write down everything in his own name.
Then all of them should review it. And so, though different
things might be taught in the individual gospels,
this makes no difference to the faith of believers.
By one sovereign spirit everything
has been declared in all the gospels. They write oncerning the
birth, concerning the death, concerning the resurrection,
concerning life with his disciples,
and concerning his two comings.
The first was in humility when he was despised, which has already taken place.
The second is glorious in royal power,
which is still in the future. How
wonderful is it, that John consistently
mentions these particular points also in his letters?
He says about himself, “What we have seen with our eyes
and heard with our ears and our hands
have touched—these things we have written to you.”
So he claims to be an eye-witness and hearer.
He also writes about all the wonderful deeds of the Lord, in their order.
The acts of all the apostles
were all written in one book. To the “most excellent Theophilus” Luke compiled
the individual events that took place in his presence.
He clearly omits the death of Peter,
and he does not include the departure of Paul from the city
when he journeyed to Spain. As for the letters of
Paul, (to those want to understand) they make clear
which ones, from what place, and for what reason they were sent.
First of all, to the Corinthians, preventing their splits over false teaching;
next, to the Galatians, against circumcision;
then to the Romans he wrote at length, explaining the order
of the scriptures, and also that Christ is their basis. It is necessary
for us to discuss these one by one. The blessed
apostle Paul, following the example of his predecessor
John, writes by name to only seven churches. He writes in the following sequence: To the Corinthians
first, to the Ephesians second, to the Philippians third,
to the Colossians fourth, to the Galatians fifth,
to the Thessalonians sixth, to the Romans
seventh. He writes once more to the Corinthians
and to the Thessalonians to warn them.
But, it is clear that there is one church.
It is spread throughout the whole world. John also wrote the
Revelation—though he writes to seven churches,
he speaks to everyone. … out of affection and love—
one to Philemon, one to Titus, and two to Timothy. These are held holy.
They are respected by the whole church to regulate church discipline.
There is also a letter to
the Laodiceans, and another to the Alexandrians. Both are forged in Paul's
name to advance the heresy of Marcion. Several others
cannot be received into the general church.
(It is not fitting that gall be mixed with honey.)
Also, the letter of Jude and
two of the above-mentioned John are counted in the general letters.
The book of Wisdom was
written by the friends of Solomon in his honour.
We receive only the revelations of John and Peter,
though some of us are not willing that the second be read in church.
Hermas wrote the Shepherd
recently, in our times, in the city of Rome.
The elder Pius, his brother, lead
the church in the city of Rome.
It should be read. But
it cannot be read publicly in church and included among
the prophets—their number is complete. It also cannot be considered among
the apostles—it is after their time.
We accept nothing from Arsinous or Valentinus or Miltiades.
He composed
a new book of psalms for Marcion,
together with Basilides, the Asian founder of the Cataphrygians …
Do the scriptures themselves discuss their collection?
The distribution and collection of the Christian scriptures began early. It was Paul's intent that his letters be preserved, read, and distributed.
After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea. (Colossians 4:16)
Peter and the churches in Asia had access to Paul's letters. They must have been collected and distributed there. He considered them scripture. He believed that distorting Paul's words could lead to severe consequences.
[Paul] writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:16)
Did a council decide what books are in the scriptures?
No. Councils later recognized what had long before become generally accepted. The process of collecting the scriptures began when the work was produced.
It can be argued that God determined what is in the scriptures.
Look at the next Section.