How many 'Books' never made it to the Bible (Old and New Testament)?
score:13
The "books" of the Bible are just that- they are separate works by separate authors in separate contexts. Yes, Luke wrote 2, Moses wrote 5, and Paul wrote somewhere between 7 and 13, but Stephen King has written more than one book, too :)
Matthew, for example, was written by the Apostle Matthew. Luke, by Paul's traveling companion. Mark was written by Peter's close friend. The point is, these are different books by different authors that are just assembled into a library of what, by consensus, has been agreed to be the best of the best.
To ask, "what books dind't make it in?" is answered by a simple statement: everything else.
There were all sorts of Gnostic Gospels at the time, but, of course, the main stream of Christianity rejected that. As such, there was never a "conspiracy" to keep out, say, the 115 proverbs that are the Gospel of Thomas, or the Epistle of Barnabas, or the Gospel of Peter, or Judas, or any of the lot. There was simply a general agreement that all of these books had no more place in the Christian canon than Mitt Romney would in the Democratic Convention.
Additionally, there were several fictional works, in the same way that today people write historical fiction. Google "New Testament Apocrypha" for details.
Finally, one accepted criteria for canonicity was an apostolic claim. As such, important Christian works such as 1 Clement, the martyrdom of Polycarp, The Shepherd of Hermas, or the Didache are highly important and good theology in them. They are worthy of study by Christians, but never made the criteria of canonicity.
In short, the Bible is really a lot like, say, the New York Times best seller list. It is a compilation of what's "best". What's not included isn't trash- its just not in the same league. The same is true of the canon. C.S. Lewis is amazing, but he isn't the agreed upon historical consensus.
More post
- 📝 How do Calvinists argue that limited atonement is just and merciful?
- 📝 What does "son of thy handmaid" means in Psalm 86:16 and Wisdom 9:5?
- 📝 Arguments for and against images of God
- 📝 What is the Catholic position on Exodus 20:4?
- 📝 What are Christian apologetics refutations of the objections posited by the site "Why Won't God Heal Amputees?"?
- 📝 Why are only some predestined?
- 📝 Obligation to get married with partner?
- 📝 How do non-trinitarians interpret Philippians 2:5-8?
- 📝 What significance do Catholics see in the fact that Adam and Eve 'knew each other' only after original sin?
- 📝 The time of Abraham
- 📝 How do Protestants in general respond to these points concerning them?
- 📝 What is the nature of the "Communion of the Saints"?
- 📝 Why did Pope Francis tell atheists "just be good"?
- 📝 Why did the Lord want to kill Moses on the latter's way back to Egypt?
- 📝 Is the Book of Mormon in English as authentic as in the original, or is Joseph Smith's translation imperfect?
- 📝 Catholicism - Is the TULIP Formula more or less true? (Semantics)
- 📝 According to Catholic theology are the Psalms suitable preaching/prayers/songs for Christians?
- 📝 In "take up your cross daily" what does "cross" refer to?
- 📝 Where does the principle of applying the concept of model to the Church come from?
- 📝 Is the Wesleyan Quadrilateral present in Luther or in any other pre-Wesley theologians, Protestant or Catholic?
- 📝 Does the Catholic Church teach that humans are superior to all other creations on Earth?
- 📝 What do we know about Arian liturgy?
- 📝 Did Jesus really go to "hell"?
- 📝 What is the basis for the idiomatic understanding of "three days in the tomb" as two nights and a day?
- 📝 Why does Paul not include murderers (or liars) in First Corinthians 6?
- 📝 What books did Calvin consider canonical?
- 📝 What is God's throne like?
- 📝 What is baptism by Desire?
- 📝 According to Catholicism, did the Temptation(s) of Jesus take place on the same day?
- 📝 What are some uses of the Magnificat, Benedictus and Nunc Dimittis in the Eastern Rites?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 How many 'Books' never made it to the Bible (Old and New Testament)?
- 📝 How many New Testament Manuscripts do we have from the period between the first century and the fourth century?
- 📝 Why is the Bible divided into Old Testament and New Testament?
- 📝 How many times does the New Testament quote the Old Testament?
- 📝 How many authors wrote the Old and New Testament?
- 📝 Why does the Old Testament never mention unclean spirits and demon-posessed people?
- 📝 How does the New Testament define a Christian and a non-Christian, a brother in Christ and not a brother in Christ?
- 📝 How many laws from Old Testament are still valid in New Testament?
- 📝 When did the insertion of title-page for Old Testament and New Testament started?
- 📝 How does the Catholic church deal with the differences between the God described in the old and new Testaments?
- 📝 Does the New Testament have any mention of Kolob and if not, how come?
- 📝 What specific thing in the Bible separates the Old Testament from the New Testament?
- 📝 How do believers in Jesus' deity explain that Jesus is never claimed to be God/divine in the Old Roman Creed and the Didache?
- 📝 How would I juxtapose between the unity of God (Shema) in Deuteronomy 6.4 and the concept of Trinity in the Old Testament
- 📝 How many different people in the New Testament are called or claim to be "Brothers" or "Sisters" of Jesus?
- 📝 How many prophecies in the Old Testament are about Jesus?
- 📝 How many non-decalogue commandments from the Old Testament are still morally binding for Christians?
- 📝 Which monk states that the Old Testament is about the Father and the New Testament about the Holy Ghost
- 📝 Was the division of the Holy Bible into the Old and New Testaments divinely inspired?
- 📝 How has war been justified within Christianity, with respect to the New Testament and preferably the Gospels?
- 📝 What is an overview of the differences between Old Testament and New Testament?
- 📝 How many commandments in the New Testament are in the imperative in the Greek?
- 📝 How were the books of the New Testament chosen?
- 📝 Did God change from a wrathful God to a loving God between Old Testament and New Testament?
- 📝 How can I tell the difference between the Moral law and other laws in the old testament?
- 📝 Into how many languages has the Bible been translated?
- 📝 What is the basis for the claim that the entire New Testament can be reconstructed apart from original and copied manuscripts?
- 📝 When was the New Testament divided into sentences and paragraphs?
- 📝 Does the New Testament override the Old Testament?
- 📝 How do apologists defend against Bart Ehrman's arguments that Church scribes corrected and changed the Bible to fit their theology?