L5 Formation of Jewish and Christian Canons

Although Christians interacted with Jewish Scriptures in their earliest writings, the canon formation of the Jewish and Christian Bibles occurred over the same time period of the first centuries of the Common Era. In Judaism, formation of the canon was largely a matter of confirming earlier usage, especially that found among the Pharisaic party. In Christianity, canon formation was more contentious. An early collection of writings was contested as to which ones ought to be considered authoritative. The official Christian Bible was not fully ratified until the end of the 4^th century, but the basic conflict was resolved in principle by the end of the 2^nd century CE.

1. The process of canonization was distinct in Judaism vv Christianity.

   1. No every religious tradition has a canon of Scripture. In Judaism and Christianity, canonization means essentially the writings to be read in worship and regarded as authoritative guides to doctrine and practice.

   2. In Judaism the Pharisaic continued after the fall of the Temple in 70 C.E. and thus their use of Oral Torah and tradition were influential in forming the Jewish canon.

   3. In Christianity, canon formation was marked by conflict and controversy over the identity of the Christian religion.

2. Path to Jewish Scripture canonization confirmed the internal tradition and responded to external developments.

   1. Second-Temple literature shows that by 1^st century C.E. there was a general sense of literature within the traditional worship that reflected the TaNaK texts. The destruction of the temple was a significant milestone. The loss of the sacrificial system made Judaism a more text-centered religion. The loss of competing sects (Zealots, Sadducees, and Essenes) made the Parisaic/Scribal tradition the dominant sect that shaped the canon.

   2. The rise of Christianity and its spread among the Gentiles encouraged a clearer differentiation between it and Judaism. The Jewish authoritative text was in Hebrew; most Christians used the Greek text LXX. The apocryphal writings e.g. Enoch were popular among Christians and extended the “writings” recognized by the Hebrew text.

   3. Between 70-135 C.E. fundamental decisions about the Jewish canon were made: A Rabbinic Council of Jabneh was held in 90 C.E. to begin the selection of texts for the Hebrew canon. Torah scrolls at Wadi Murabba’at (135) testifies to the standardization of the first Hebrew canon. By the middle of the second century, the threefold division of TaNaK was in place. It contained: 5 books of Moses, 8 of the Prophets, 12 minor prophets, and 11 writings.

3. Christian canonization was a more conflicted process.

   1. The first stages of the process were natural: what communities of worship used in their services provided a collection of material proposed for canonization.

   2. In the middle of the second century, debates about Christian identity forced some compositions to be selected and others rejected. On one side authors such as Marcion sought to accept only one gospel (Luke) and a limited amount of what is now within the New Testament. Gnostic teachers wanted a greatly expanded version including some of the recently discovered “other gospels, e.g. Gospel of Peter, Thomas, Bartholomew, and Judas, etc). Fundamental issues of identity especially respect to the creator God and the goodness of the world were debated.

   3. Teachers e.g. Tertullian and Irenaeus pushed for guidelines by which texts would be acceptable within the canon. Irenaeus proposed a threefold strategy of Christian self-definition: the rule of faith, canon of Scripture and apostolic succession. The Old Testament was also affirmed as an authoritative witness to the revelation of God continuous with the revelation of God in Jesus.

   4. In the late 4^th century, writings by the historian, Eusebius, and the Paschal Letter of Athanasius and the Council of Carthage define the Christian Bible: The New Testament consists of 27 writings: The Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John; The Acts of the Apostles, the 14 Letter of Paul (Hebrews is within this list although written anonymously), the Letters of James, Jude, Peter, and John, and the Apocalypse of John. The Old Testament consists of the compositions found in the LXX (TaNaK plus Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch, Letter of Jeremiah, 1, 2 Maccabees).

4. In Judaism and in Christianity, defining the Bible was an act of self-definition.

   1. In Judaism the writings of Torah were read in worship and ritually honored but Scripture was also an essential part of living. By 200 C.E. Judah ha Nasi codified the halakhic interpretations of Torah in the Mishnah. Between 200 and 600 C.E., more commentary was generated that continues to guide Jewish practice in the current epoch: the Babylonian Talmud and the Talmud of the Land of Israel.

   2. In Christianity, the Bible was read liturgically and Scripture also played a role in self-identity. Including the Old Testament within the canon of Scripture raised the question regarding the role of Law within Christianity. The Bible served as a proof-text for every side during long and hostile debates regarding “orthodox” and “heretical” faith.

A few definitions may be helpful:

Midrash means to seek, and refers to biblical interpretation. When applied to legal texts it is called halakhic midrash and when applied to nonlegal texts it is called haggadic midrash.

Mishnah: the collection of legal opinions complied on the basis of the Talmud.

Talmud: The collection of rabbinic learning based on the study of Torah. There are two versions: the Babylonian Talmud, the more authoritative for Jewish life and the Talmud of the Land of Israel. The Talmud itself was the basis for further commentary through time.

How can debates over canonization illustrate the conviction that “you are what you read?”

What are the implications of Jews canonizing the Hebrew text and Christians canonizing the Greek?