On what basis can the New Testament be trusted as the authoritative word of God (2 Pet. 1:2-3)?[1] After all, wasn’t it simply constructed by the most powerful political and religious leaders of the early fourth century?[2] How can we actually know that the New Testament encapsulates all the writings that God has desired for His people to possess throughout the New Covenant epoch of redemptive history?[3] These are just a sampling of the challenges that have been raised in reference to the origins, development, and trustworthiness of the New Testament canon.[4] With the advent of post-Enlightenment skepticism regarding all things supernatural,[5] and the consequent interest in the textual criticism of Scripture[6], there have been few subjects in Christianity under more attack over the past two centuries than the fidelity of the New Testament. Followers of Jesus Christ live in an era of church history where it is no longer enough to say, “because the Bible teaches X, I believe it.” Indeed, we are long past the generations when a Judeo-Christian worldview pervades most of Western civilization, and when it is largely assumed that the Bible contains God’s self-revelation to mankind. But don’t just take my word for it. In fact, before you charge me with being guilty of pessimistic hyperbole, I want you to consider how these sentiments have been expressed about the New Testament by Christian and non-Christian scholars within just the past twenty years.
Christian Scholar: Daniel Wallace
In the last decade and a half, the cadaver has come back to life and is stronger than ever. Who could have predicted that a book on textual criticism would ever make the New York Times Bestseller list? Yet Bart Ehrman’s Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why, [originally published in 2005], did just that. A large part of the reason it did so was because its thesis was that the proto-orthodox radically changed the [New Testament] text to conform to their views. Misquoting Jesus gave the impression that everything [in the New Testament] was in doubt and nothing was certain. The book was a sensation, creating a Chicken Little effect; countless people abandoned the faith because of it. When Misquoting Jesus hit the stores, questions were raised that many biblical scholars were not prepared to discuss.[7]
Non-Christian Scholar: Philip Jenkins
According to modern revisionist scholars, the rise of orthodoxy was justified by the familiar totalitarian device of rewriting history, and it was in this process that the orthodox church decided what came to be the canon of the New Testament [in the fourth century]… “The myth of orthodoxy” [began] to be shaped by leaders such as Tertullian and Irenaeus in the late second century as they identified this emerging patriarchal and clerical Christianity with the original “apostolic” faith passed down from an established succession of leaders (bishops) from the apostles who possessed the original faith… A canonical New Testament [began] to be shaped that privileged second-century writings reflecting this view and that interprets earlier writings in its own terms and cuts off writings that reflect other perspectives… The New Testament is a highly uneven and biased record of orthodox attempts to invent Christianity.[8]
As evidenced in the aforementioned citations, contemporary Christian and non-Christian Bible scholars are equally convinced that the prevailing societal opinion about the New Testament is that it is a compilation of documents that are inherently untrustworthy and were not solidified as “canonical” until sometime around the fourth century. Both of these contentions will be systematically refuted over the course of four subsequent articles, each of which will elaborate on the following thesis: As decreed from eternity past, the canonicity of the New Testament writings was (1) inextricably linked to the redemptive-historical inauguration of the New Covenant in Jesus Christ’s blood (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25; Heb. 8:6-13; 9:15);[9] (2) immediately recognized by the apostles and earliest Christians during its first-century development (1 Thess. 2:13; 1 Tim. 5:18; 2 Pet. 3:16);[10] (3) progressively received by the universal church over the second, third and fourth centuries.[11] Lastly, the fifth article of this series will illustrate how the trustworthiness of the New Testament canon is further corroborated by a proper understanding of its historical origins and development.
Perhaps now more than ever before, Christians must be equipped to contend earnestly for the faith which has been once for all handed down to the saints (Jude 1:3). Although we will surely face many challenges in our efforts to be good stewards of what God has revealed in His Word, we can ultimately rest assured that Scripture provides us with everything that we need to know God, glorify God, and take God’s revealed truth to every corner of the earth (2 Tim. 3:14-17). As such, may this series of articles provide God’s people with useful tools to assist them in their efforts to defend the origins, development, and trustworthiness of the New Testament canon. Soli Deo Gloria!
[1] Timothy Paul Jones develops the implications associated with this important question in the opening chapter of How We Got the Bible (Peabody, MA: Rose Publishing, 2017), Pages 6-20.
[2] See Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code: A Novel (Anchor Books, A Division of Random House, Inc., 2013), Pages 249 and 267.
[3] Michael J. Kruger specifically addresses these concerns in The Question of Canon: Challenging the Status Quo in the New Testament Debate (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2013), Pages 32-40.
[4] In the article, “Apologetics: FiveReminders to Strengthen Your Defense of the Faith,” Timothy Paul Jones offers a historical and linguistic analysis of what is meant when Christians refer to the concept of canon: “The term ‘canon’ can be traced back to an early Semitic root that meant ‘tube’ or ‘reed.’ Centuries before the birth of Jesus, this loanword developed into kanon, a Greek term that referred to a reed that grows along the Nile River. So how did a word that refers to a tubular reed end up connected to the books in the Bible? It began when the Greeks began cutting the reeds into specific lengths and using them as measuring sticks. Because these reeds functioned as measuring sticks, the Greek word kanon came to denote any tool that set standards and measured limits. In Galatians 6:16, Paul used this term to signify the all-sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice as God’s standard—God’s kanon—for life and faith. By the fourth century A.D., the meaning of the word ‘canon’ had expanded to describe writings that were recognized as the infallible standard for God’s people.” The entire article can be accessed here- https://www.timothypauljones.com/apologetics-five-tips/
[5] This ideological trajectory is succinctly summarized in Tim Dowley, ed., The History of Christianity (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 1995), Page 660.
[6] For a robust treatment on the most up to date developments in New Testament textual criticism, and an overview of how New Testament textual criticism has evolved to its present status, see Peter Gurry and Elijah Hixson, eds., Myths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2019).
[7] See Page 1 of Daniel Wallace’s plenary address at the 60th meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society- https://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/52/52-1/JETS%2052-1%2079-100%20Wallace.pdf
[8] Philip Jenkins, Hidden Gospels: How the Search for Jesus Lost Its Way (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2003), Page 112.
[9] This central argument will be further unpacked in the second article of the series.
[10] This central argument will be thoroughly explained in the third article of the series.
[11] This central argument will be robustly explored in the fourth article of the series.
Dewey is a licensed and ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Convention. He was raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, is happily married to Beall, and is a proud father of Isabelle Ruth. Dewey played college baseball at Western Texas College, receiving the Associate of Arts degree in General Studies. Following his time at Western Texas College, Dewey would continue as a student-athlete at The Master’s University, earning the Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Ministries. Upon completion of his undergraduate work, Dewey went on to acquire the Master of Arts degree in Biblical Studies from The Master’s University, as well as the Master of Theology degree in Historical Theology from Campbellsville University. Dewey is currently a doctoral student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, with an emphasis in Christian Worldview and Apologetics. Over the last decade, Dewey has served local churches in a variety of ways, focusing on next generation ministries. He has experience teaching children in AWANA, serving as youth pastor, as well as leading college students and young adults. He is also passionate about personal evangelism, and has led groups in gospel outreaches in cities around the country. To strengthen his service to the church, and in conjunction with his seminary studies, Dewey has participated in several academic fellowships and cohorts. He specializes in the disciplines of apologetics, biblical theology, historical theology, and systematic theology. Dewey is also actively involved with Covenant Confessions—a ministry of Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary. Today, Dewey serves as the Associate Pastor of Next Generation and Outreach at Metro East Baptist Church (Wichita, Kansas).
You can follow Dewey on Twitter @SlaveofChrist17
