How was the Bible formed? (Canonicity – Part Fifth)
“Holy Spirit, Soul of my soul” (Fr. Joseph Kentenich – Founder of the Schoenstatt Movement)
Holy Spirit, you are the soul of my soul. I humbly adore you. Enlighten me, strengthen me, guide me, comfort me. And as far as it corresponds to the eternal plan, Father, God, reveal your desires to me. Let me know what eternal Love desires in me. Please let me know what I need to do. Let me know what I must suffer. Let me know what I must accept, carry, and bear with quiet modesty and prayer. Yes, Holy Spirit, make known to me your will and the will of the Father. For all my life, I do not want to be anything other than a perpetual ‘yes’ to the desires and will of the eternal Father God. Amen.
Introduction
The Bible is a divine collection of books that are a result of various concepts. Inspiration, revelation, oral tradition, written tradition, editing, and canonicity are among the historical processes that have gone into bringing the Bible into existence. Human history, people of God, the means of the Spirit’s communication, and several witnesses have significantly contributed to its inception. In addition to the above historical events that have played a prominent role in shaping the Bible, there is also a need to look at how God’s word has been expressed through the ages.
HOW WAS THE BIBLE FORMED? CANONICITY…
In the course of these five articles in which I try to explain some fundamental points to know what the Bible is. These points already explained in the previous interventions are the events, oral tradition, written tradition, edition and canonicity. They are all intimately linked because they have marked the way to know what the Bible is as we have it today. In this last intervention of this article “What do we know about the Bible?” We will try to explain what is inspiration and divine revelation.
Inspiration:
It is very common to hear that God is the author of the Bible. Of course, this does not mean that God took the pen and wrote directly on the papyrus. Nor, when the word inspiration is used, does it mean that I have dictated letter by letter to the hagiographer or human author. Rather inspiration refers to a much wider context such as referring only to the human author.
Inspiration is the assistant God give us to perceive and understand his plan of salvation. It is claimed to occur in each of the processes (events, oral tradition, written tradition, editing and canonicity) that brought what the Bible is to completion.
In Koine Greek, the word for inspiration (poetic or otherwise) can be translated as θεόπνευστος (theópneustos) which can be literally translated as “God-breathed” or “God-inspired.” This word is used for “inspired by God” in 2 Timothy 3:16[1] in reference to the inspiration of Scripture. Another possible word for inspiration is πνεῦμα (pneûma), which can mean “spirit” or “breath.”
The most common view among theologians and biblical scholars is that inspiration as divine intervention or supernatural influence by the Holy Spirit was in some way involved in every aspect of the development of the Bible, from the events it relates through to the process by which the books we have today were selected and compiled.
This definition of inspiration would encompass:
The events themselves: the Work of God and his revelation in historical contexts the first and all the people passing on of these events and teachings in spoken form by faithful witness before being written.
Written tradition: the putting into writing of these accounts and teachings by human authors but for the solo benefits of the communities in these times.
Editing and compilation: the editing and compilation of the various oral and written traditions into the different books that form what we know as the Bible. The order of the Books of the Sacred Scriptures are product of the editions.
Canonicity: the recognition by the communities of faith that these books were inspired and thus authoritative and so determining which were to be included in the canon of Scriptures.
In this view, the Holy Spirit did not dictate the words, but rather superintended the human authors, in order to preserve their personal styles and characters while guaranteeing the truth and reliability of what God wanted to communicate.
Primarily, the first generations of people who lived these events daily, yes, but in the deep and abiding powerful and present presence of God in them without question, they lived an inspired life. God through these events was revealing himself to his people. Secondly, those in the community who were moved to interpret these events religiously and passed these down into oral tradition were considered to be inspired. The storytellers of each generation who served their contemporaries by growing their faith through oral tradition were inspired. The ones who eventually set about writing tradition down the narratives were inspired. The ones who edited the traditions (oral & written) that were handed down to them were inspired as well. In consequence, all of those of every generation who found themselves with the longing to hear from their God, and that he found that longing fulfilled in the inspired narratives of his ancestors and his contemporaries, were also inspired.
These were the people who received the Word and who were the instrument for it to become canonical. Lately we may consider ourselves inspired. It is only in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and under the guidance of the Church (Magisterium of the Church) that through discerned and scrutinizing (deep study) the Holy Scriptures we can come to understand the revelation they contain.
Now, what is revelation?
Revelation of the way God manifested himself (made himself known to), to the people of Israel in events (facts) and to the newborn Christians in the community by his plan of salvation. Which took place in each of the five processes, events, oral tradition, written tradition, editing and canonicity that were used to bring the completion to, what the Bible is.
The process you give for Revelation is a very important Christian view of how God gradually unfolded his Self-Revelation and his salvation plan over time, by means of interdependent but separate stages that include:
1. Events (Facts)
This pertains to historical and actual happenings when God actively and often miraculously intervened in the affairs of the Israelites and later, in the life of Jesus Christ. These can be seen in the Old Testament events such as the Exodus, the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, the covenant with Abraham, the various prophetic declarations, and more. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are also considered part of this revelatory chain of events.
2. Oral Tradition
These written events, interpretations and explanations were, for a while, handed down orally from one generation to the next within Israelite and early Christian communities. Oral traditions were the means by which these stories, laws, and teachings were preserved and shared, helping to shape the community’s identity and understanding of God’s ways spoken. Worldwide says that the spoken Word from God unified the Israelites (people of God) and allowed ancient people to pass down their culture, heritage, and memory from one generation to the next.
3. Written Tradition
These oral traditions were eventually committed to writing, creating the first drafts and books that would form the Bible. This was a gradual process, as prophets, scribes, and other religious figures wrote down, shaped, and organized these traditions into a written form.
4. Editing and Compilation
The various written materials were edited, compiled, and further shaped, where different accounts and sources were woven together. This stage involved the selection, organization, and sometimes adaptation of texts to form a coherent narrative and theological message.
5. Canonicity
This is the stage of recognizing which books were to be viewed as divinely inspired and authoritative for the Christian faith and practice. The Israelites took time to recognize their Old Testament canon, and later, the Christians established the New Testament.
Revelation from the Christian viewpoint is God’s intentional progressive self-revelation to his people, throughout historical events. It was also carried by the means of initial oral traditions and later written and canonized into what we know today as the Bible. It’s a process that shows God’s nature, attributes, and plan of salvation, particularly revealed through Jesus Christ.
Canonicity of the Bible
Catholic Theology holds that the canonicity of the Bible is not to be discovered by some means of private interpretation. Rather, the Church looks to the books which have been used in and approved in public worship through the age of its history, and which have been approved by the Church Fathers and the whole Christian Community.
The Catholic Church emphasizes the role of the Church in determining the canonicity of the Bible. Catholics believe that the Church, through its magisterium (teaching authority), is guided by the Holy Spirit to discern which books are inspired and authoritative. The Church’s recognition of the canonicity of the Bible is based on its historical usage and acceptance in liturgy and tradition, rather than a simple decision-making process.
In Catholic teaching, the canonicity of a book is not determined by human invention or decision-making, but by God’s prior inspiration. The Church is the recipient of the canon of the Bible and recognizes the canonicity of a book, not as an act of human invention or decision-making, but as a recognition of what God has already inspired.
Let see now the role of Tradition. The Catholic Church’s tradition, particularly the liturgical use of the books, is a key factor in determining canonicity. The books that have been used and accepted in public worship and approved by the Church Fathers are recognized as the canon.
The Council of Trent (1546) formally defined the canon of the Catholic Bible, including the deuterocanonical books (also known as the Apocrypha). The Council’s definition of the canon reaffirmed the Church’s understanding of the canon based on its historical usage and tradition.
The Church did not invent the Bible or simply decide which books to include and exclude by arbitrary criteria. Rather, the Church recognized and affirmed the books that had already been accepted as Scripture. The canon of Scripture is considered closed in the Catholic Church, meaning that no new books can be added to it.
The Catholic view of canonicity underscores the inseparable relationship between Scripture and the Church’s Tradition and the Church’s role as the authoritative interpreter of Scripture. Catholics believe that the Church is the body to whom Jesus gave teaching authority and that the Church, through its magisterium, is the interpreter and custodian of divine revelation, which includes both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.
The Catholic Church believes that the canonicity of the Bible is intrinsically linked to its divine inspiration. The Church’s role in the process is one of discernment and authoritative affirmation based on the belief that Christ entrusted this role to his Church.
The Catholic Church considered several factors when determining the books that should be included in the Bible. It’s important to note that the process was not a matter of deciding which books were included or not. The Church was seeking to identify which books were truly inspired and held apostolic authority.
The key criteria include:
1. Apostolicity
Definition: A book was measured based on whether it originated from an apostle or a close disciple (like Luke and Mark) of an apostle.
Significance: The Apostles were chosen by Jesus to be his representatives on earth. It made sense to give the writings of the Apostles special authority.
Examples: Matthew and John were both apostles, as was the author of the Pauline epistles. Mark was a close associate of Peter, and Luke was a close associate of Paul. All of these books for that reason passed the test of apostolicity.
2. Orthodoxy
Definition: Books were evaluated on their content to ensure they aligned with the “rule of faith.” In other words, they were consistent with other books, teachings, and doctrine.
Significance: This provided a check against any books that might have claimed inspiration but were found to contradict the established teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.
Examples: The various Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are different and written from different perspectives. However, they all teach the same basic things about Jesus and his message.
3. Catholicity (Widespread Usage and Acceptance)
Definition: This criterion considered whether a particular book was widely used and accepted by all major Christian communities throughout the Roman world by the end of the fourth century.
Significance: If the book was known and accepted by all Christians, then the faithful accepted the book as reflecting the apostolic tradition of teaching.
Examples: All New Testament books achieved widespread use and recognition early on. However, a few of them had more limited use and had some minor disputes regarding factors like distribution or authorship.
4. Antiquity
Definition: This criterion considered whether the writing had a direct apostolic influence. Did it come from the apostolic period?
Significance: Apostolic teachings were the bedrock of the Church.
5. Inspiration
Definition: The Holy Spirit used human authors to write the books. This means the authors were divinely inspired as they wrote.
Significance: In a way, this is the foundation of canonicity. The decision about whether a book is canonical rests on whether God inspired the books and the Church recognized that inspiration.
The Catholic Church used these criteria as guidelines to help them to determine which books truly did faithfully pass on the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles and were inspired by the Holy Spirit. The councils of the Church (Hippo, Carthage, Trent) were convened to formally recognize and affirm the biblical canon.
It is the way in which God manifested himself to the people of Israel through events (facts). For Christians, Jesus Christ is the culmination and central axis of all revelation. The Church teaches us that there are two sources of Divine Revelation: the Sacred Scriptures (Bible) and the Apostolic Tradition. These make up the Holy Scriptures in their entire context. Contrary to what many Protestants say and believe that only the Bible contains the revelation of God, let’s see what Saint John tells us in his Gospel; “Jesus also performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not related in this Book. These have been written so that you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and believing, have Life in the Name of him” (John 20:30-31) All those other things that Jesus did and that are not written down have been kept alive by the Church since the very apostles.
Conclusion
God has not ceased to inspire, for His word remains active today. The Bible is the result of human and divine inspiration: God’s revelation of Himself in historical events; the faithful’s traditions by word of mouth; the written tradition for the benefit of the communities of the times, editing of written traditions material has all come together to give us the Bible. It is a book of books because it took a number of other books to become what it is today. The fact that God is the God of history is one of the key elements that shape how we understand the way in which He made the Bible. The divine revelation that took place through historical events, word of mouth, and the editing of written works has continued to be a source of inspiration for present-day readers. It has given the ability for more understanding of God and His salvation plan through the Spirit’s inspiration. The Bible is also a way for every generation to read it again.
I hope that these reflections help us to grow in knowledge and serve as an instrument in the knowledge of our faith. Any doubt or question feel in full confidence to consult this your servant in Jesus Christ.
[1] In this Pauline text, it must be taken into account that the hagiographer was referring to the Old Testament, since the New Testament didn’t existed in terms of its final composition.