Christians may well ask why we need to spend any time on the origin of the Bible: Wouldn't it be better simply to read and use it to advance the mission of the church? What difference does a background study make now, and why are we focusing on the Bible of the early churches? If, however, the Bible conveys the word of God and clarifies to us who God is, what God's will is for us, who we are as the people of God, and what our mission in this world is, then the question is vital for the Christian faith.
Carefully researched and compellingly reasoned, this explanation of the history of the biblical canon illuminates the origin of the Scriptures for today's church. From the collection of the Hebrew Scriptures to the gathering of the New Testament letters, the story of how the Bible came to be is carried forward by Lee McDonald's wealth of expertise and keen scholarship.
This second edition includes charts with more precise dating, interactions with recent scholarship that elucidates the historical context of the relevant ancient literature, a new chapter on ancient pseudepigrapha in Judaism and early Christianity, and a bibliography bolstered by the addition of new and helpful resources for further study of canon formation.
About the Author:
Lee Martin McDonald (PhD, University of Edinburgh) is president emeritus and professor of New Testament at Acadia Divinity College and the former dean of the Faculty of Theology at Acadia University in Nova Scotia. He has served as the president of the Institute for Biblical Research (2007-2012), and he has authored or co-edited numerous books exploring the topic of canon formation, some of which include The Canon Debate, The Biblical Canon, and Before There Was a Bible: Authorities in Early Christianity.