Course · 6 lectures · 224 min
The Formation of the Biblical Canon
A historical and theological account of how the books of the Old and New Testaments came to be received as scripture.
Taught by Ashby Neterer
Saint Jerome in His Study, Antonello da Messina, c. 1475 — National Gallery, London
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Most Christians are surprised to learn that the canon of Scripture was not handed down at Sinai or at Pentecost. It emerged over centuries, through controversy, prayer, and the steady judgement of the church.
This course tells that story carefully: the Jewish background, the writings of the Apostolic Fathers, the early lists, the role of Marcion, the place of Athanasius's Festal Letter, and the later medieval and Reformation debates over the deuterocanonical books.
We close with the theological question that lies behind the history: what does it mean to call a text "inspired"?
Ashby Neterer is Tutor of Theology at Oriel College, Oxford, where he is completing his DPhil under Mark Edwards. His research examines how the Greek Christian poem Christus Patiens uses classical mythology to contrast Christian and Greek theology. He teaches Greek mythology, Church history, and music theory.