Questions tagged [canonicity]
The study of how a text came to be placed in a Canon of Scripture. Questions about whether a text should be included in the canon are off-topic here.
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Why are Old Testament books like Esther and Songs of Solomon considered scripture?
I understand the typical process of canonization especially for the New Testament (written by an apostle, eyewitness or someone who knew an eye witness). But I’m less clear on the criteria for Old ...
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To what do the "books" refer in 2 Tim 4:13?
In 2 Timothy 4:13, the text says:
Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come—and the books, especially the parchments. (NKJV)
Τὸν φαιλόνην [or φελόνην] ὃν ἀπέλιπον ἐν Τρῳάδι παρὰ ...
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What differentiates the Epistles and books of the Bible from the Books of Our Christian Authors?
Paul says this statement in one of his letters ...
Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I
think that I too have the Spirit of God. 1 Cor 7:40
Can I not also make that ...
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Other than the two testaments, are there any texts that take place in the same universe? [closed]
Other than the two testaments, are there any other texts/works that canonically take place in the same fictional universe/continuity?
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Does the Book of Ruth belong to history (between Judges and Samuel) or sacred literature (between the Song of Songs and Lamentations)?
In Christian bibles the Book of Ruth is placed immediately after the Book of Judges, reflecting the time when the story takes place. In Jewish bibles it is located in the Writings (Ketuvah), among the ...
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Why might Jude tell us in his Letter that N/T Scripture had been fully delivered to the saints (cf. Jude vs. 3)?
In the Letter of Jude we read what seems to be a clear declaration that all Scripture has finally been delivered to the saints:
Jude vs.3: "Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you ...
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What specific set of manuscripts did Peter mean by "prophetic word" and "Scripture" in 2 Peter 1:19-21?
2 Peter 1:19-21 (ESV):
19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning ...
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What is the likelihood that the Apocalypse of John is not inspired? [closed]
Could we just be keeping the Apocalypse of John out of the Traditions of Men?
What are the best arguments for and against this book being Inspired?
Some early Christians claimed it was written by the ...
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Why is there a separation between Luke and Acts?
Even though there are still some discussions on that, Luke is widely recognized as the author of the book of Acts. Wikenhauser-Schmid (Einleitung, 376) list the following modern interpreters who ...
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What prophecies was Paul referring to when he said "do not despise prophecies" in 1 Thessalonians 5:20?
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 (ESV):
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
What prophecies was Paul ...
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Authorship of 2 Peter - evidence in favor of Peter
2 Peter claims to be written by the apostle Peter:
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that
have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of
God and ...
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What was the purpose of the Old Testament prophecies whose contents were not recorded for posterity?
Some examples are:
1) Numbers 11:23-30 (NIV):
23 The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”
24 So Moses went out and ...
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Why is the book of Jasher considered to be non-canonical even though the book is referenced in Joshua 10:13? [closed]
Why is the book of Jasher considered to be non-canonical even though the book is referenced in Joshua 10:13? I always hear the phrase, "must be inspired by God", but all our texts are just visions/...
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Did Malachi understand himself to being writing as the last prophet?
"Malachi", says Wikipedia, "is the last book of the Neviim contained in the Tanakh, the last of the twelve minor prophets (canonically) and the final book of the Neviim." There's a whole lot of last-...
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Does Revelation self-consciously bring a close to the canon?
The Revelation of John is placed in a lot of bibles at the end of the canon. This has always seemed natural to me, but on reflection perhaps it is simply an artifact of the books uniqueness as an ...
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Do any scholars argue a textual theory where the NT text was edited to make the autographa? [closed]
One Textual Creation/Transmission Theory
Michael A. Grisanti in "Inspiration, Inerrancy, and the OT Canon: The Place of Textual Updating in an Inerrant View of Scripture," Journal of the Evangelical ...
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Does Luke 1:1-3 suggest that there are more than four Gospels?
Luke 1:1-3 (NIV)
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have
been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by
those who from the first were eyewitnesses ...
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What were the historical reasons why Revelation was included in most Christian canons? [duplicate]
According to Wikipedia:
Revelation was the last book to be accepted into the Christian biblical canon, and even at the present day some Nestorian churches reject it. It was tainted because the ...
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What historical reasons resulted in Revelation being included in most Christian canons?
As a source, the book of Revelation is something of an outlier for a book of the Bible that got accepted into the canonical New Testament of most branches of Christianity: it is the only explicitly ...
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When was Job written?
My question is when Job was written. I am not necessarily wondering when the events in Job took place, nor am I asking when the bulk of the content was written (in the case of redaction) -- though ...
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Does the Gospel of Marcion attest to Luke's authorship of the Gospel of Luke?
The Gospel of Marcion is said to be evidence that the Gospel of Luke was in fact written by Luke:
Tradition unanimously affirms this author to be Luke. This is attested
by the early heretic ...
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Why is the fact that the Muratorian Fragment included Luke in its canon considered an external evidence for Luke's authorship?
The Muratorian Fragment is said to be evidence that the Gospel of Luke was in fact written by him:
Tradition unanimously affirms this author to be Luke. This is attested
by the early heretic ...
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What were the historical reasons why the Book of Enoch was excluded from most Christian canons?
According to Wikipedia:
By the 4th century, the Book of Enoch was mostly excluded from Christian canons, and it is now regarded as scripture by only the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Eritrean ...
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What were the criteria for evaluating whether a book was included in the canons of scripture?
What criteria were used in collecting the Scriptures (Canon) which we know today as the Holy Bible. I'm not looking for new theological hypotheses here, just established ones. For example, how did ...
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Why does the Septuagint contain non-Tanakh books?
The deuterocanonical books, treated as part of the Bible by the Orthodox and Catholic churches, are accepted because they appear in the Septuagint. However, they are excluded from the Jewish Bible, ...
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Where does the Tanakh differ from the Christian Old Testament?
Relating to this question: Is the Jewish Tanakh same as the 'Old Testament' which Christians use?
Do they contain the same books and is the textual content same? If not where do they differ?
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What are the holy Scriptures that Timothy has known from his youth?
In 2 Timothy 3:14-15 it's written to Timothy:
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy ...
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What about the noncanonical books quoted in Jude?
The book of Jude contains many quotes and references to the Old Testament. However, there are two quotes which seem to be from elsewhere.
The first is attributed to The Assumption of Moses.
Jude ...
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Is 2 Timothy 3:16-7 intended to be inclusive or exclusive?
This text is generally held to be a touchstone of canonicity:
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that ...
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Does Peter intend to identify the Pauline Epistles as canonical?
In 2 Peter 3:15-16, Peters states:
And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his ...
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Who is an authority on what can be called a "Bible"? [closed]
(I'm not entirely sure whether this question is in scope of this SE, but this appears to be the SE closest to the issue)
In Poland, there is a region called Silesia, which is inhabited by people ...
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