How
did the books become part of the BIBLE?
There
were many, many possible books for The Bible. But how did
certain scripture become sacred?
You'll hear the books of the Bible that we
refer to often called the Canon. Canon comes from the
Greek word "kanon"
-- a rod used to measure. The books that were chosen for
the Bible were the books that "measured up" to
a council.
You
can link to some of these findings:
|
 Two
times this century, people have found scrolls hidden in
pottery jars. The discoverer of the Dead Sea Scrolls was
a shepherd boy who was throwing stones into a cave when
he heard a CLUNK! Discoverers found a book of Isaiah 1000
years older than any writings found previously.
|
Let's say the books were
trying out for a sports team, band, or a debate team. Some made
the "Canon team" and some didn't. And some books made
it for some teams (e.g., the Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish,
etc., team) and not others.
What
differences do you see between the canons of different faiths?
Why do
you think that some books were chosen to be part of the canon and
some not?
Why are
the books that were chosen sacred?
More Indepth
You can go more indepth and explore the adult Bible
study pages:
Biblical
Canon
How
the Canon Was Chosen
Does that
mean the other books are bad?
Rumors have it that Michael Jordan was cut from his
high school basketball team. Did that mean Michael Jordan was a
bad player?
Not necessarily. He may have
needed work or to refine some skills. He may not have been as
good as the other players...yet!
Books of the Bible that were "cut" from the
team still may have some redeeming qualities.
- They may explain items of
confusion.
- They may be good stories.
- They include sayings of
Jesus.
- They tell us about early
Christianity.
The books that didn't make the team
Apocrypha - "apocrypha"
comes from a word that means "hidden". These books were
considered valuable, but somewhat different that those chosen for
the Canon team. The reasons: they were written later or in the
Greek language.
Read some of these books, especially these neat stories!
Why are
these stories still interesting to read? Why do you think they
didn't make the canon team?
Pseudepigrapha - this word means "writings under a false
signature." These Jewish documents were written under the
name of an important figure from the past, thereby claiming older
authority for a written book. Read some of these books, especially this one:
Other Christian books --
written by the "Apostolic Fathers," but too late to be
in the new testament.
Gnostic Books found at Nag
Hammadi: "gnosis" in Greek means
"knowledge." Gnostics were a group who claimed to have
secret knowledge for a few spiritual people about life, God,
Jesus and salvation.
Let's move on to look at
Why is the Bible still significant today?
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