Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1888 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VIII. THE CHRISTIAN CANON. We now come to the formation of the Christian canon--to the process by which it was evolved. In a preceding chapter I gave a brief outline of the formation of the Old Testament canon among the Hebrews, and left the Old Testament canon among the Christians to be detailed with the New Testament, preferring to give them together, and thus preserve the unity. Beginning with the first two centuries of the Christian Church, we find that there was no New Testament as we now understand that term. More than forty Gospels and a much greater number of Acts, Epistles and Revelations were in use. The writer of the Gospel according to Luke says, "Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of these things,"etc., showing that when he wrote many Gospels were already in existence. From the mass of writings then in circulation the books in our New Testament were taken, and the other books dropped out of use.1 Origen says: "And that not four Gospels, but very many were written, out of which these we have were chosen and delivered to the churches, we may perceive."1 The selection of the books, and the formation of the list, were a very slow process, and it is "impossible to point to any period as marking the date at which our present canon was determined."* 1 Westcott, Canon, 183 (167). s In Pram. Luc, hom. 1, vol. 3, p. 210. I Westcott, Canon, 496 (468). "This result [the formation of the canon] was obtained gradually, spontaneously, silently. There is no evidence to show that at any time tl;e claims of the apostolic writings to be phiced on an equal footing with the Old Testament, which formed the first Christian Bible, were deliberately discussed and admitted Step by step the books which...
