Introduction
The earliest division of the Bible, coming from the times of the preeminent Christian Church, was its division into two, far from equal parts, called the Old and New Testaments.
Such a division of the entire composition of the biblical books was due to their attitude to the main subject of the Bible, that is, to the person of the Messiah: those books that were written before the coming of Christ and only prophetically portrayed Him were included in the Old Testament, and those that arose after the coming into the world of the Savior and are dedicated to the history of His redemptive ministry and the presentation of the foundations established by Jesus Christ and His St. the apostles of the Church, formed the "New Testament".
All these terms, that is, both the word "covenant" and its combination with the adjectives "old" and "new" covenant are taken from the Bible itself, in which, in addition to their general meaning, they also have a special one, in which we also use them when talking about famous biblical books.
The word covenant (Hebrew - "berit", Greek διαϑήκη, Latin - testamentum) in the language of Holy Scripture and biblical usage, first of all, means a well-known decree, condition, law on which two contracting parties converge, and hence - this treaty or union itself, as well as those external signs that served as its certificate, a seal, as it were, a seal (testamentum). And since the sacred books, which described this covenant or the union of God with man, were, of course, one of the best means of certifying and consolidating it in the people's memory, the name "covenant" was also transferred to them very early. It already existed in the era of Moses, as can be seen from v. 7. XXIV chap. book Exodus, where the record of the Sinai legislation read by Moses to the Jewish people is called the book of the covenant (“Söfer Hubberit”). Similar expressionsdenoting by themselves not only Sinai legislation, but all the Mosaic Pentateuch, are found in the subsequent Old Testament books (2 Kings XXIII: 2, 21; Ser XXIV: 25; 1 Mac I: 57). The Old Testament also belongs to the first, still prophetic reference to the New Testament, precisely in the well-known prophecy of Jeremiah: “Now the days will come, says the Lord, when I will conclude a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah” (Jer XXXI: 31).
Subsequently, the term New Testament was repeatedly used by Jesus Christ himself and His holy apostles to denote the beginning history of redeemed and blessed mankind (Mt XXVI: 28; Mark XIV: 24; Luke XXII: 20; 1 Cor XI: 25; 2 Cor III: 6, etc..).
Just as the decathology or the entire law was called "covenant", in the same way the expression "new covenant" began to be applied in the Christian Church to the holy books, which contain the teachings of Christ and the apostles [With this meaning we find the term "New Testament" at the end The 2nd and the beginning of the 3rd centuries after the Nativity of Christ, namely with Clement of Alexandria (+ 180), Tertullian (+ 220) and Origen (+ 260)]. However, the composition of the New Testament sacred books had other names in ancient times. So, it was called "The Gospel and the Apostle", as consisting of four books of the Gospel and twenty-three works of the sacred apostolic writing. Finally, like the Old Testament books, the composition of the New Testament books by the Fathers and Teachers of the Church is often called simply "Scripture."
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Composition of the New Testament
In the New Testament, there are a total of 27 holy books, four Gospels, the book of the Acts of the Apostles, seven conciliar epistles, fourteen Epistles of Ap. Paul and the Apocalypse of St. John the Theologian. Two Gospels belong to two of the 12 apostles - Matthew and John, two - to the apostles' co-workers - Mark and Luke. The book of Acts was also written by the employee of Ap. Paul - Luke. Of the seven Epistles of the Council - five belong to the 12 apostles - Peter and John, and two - to the Lord's brothers in the flesh, James and Judas, who also bore the honorary title of apostles, although they did not belong to the 12th person. Fourteen Epistles were written by Paul, who, although he was called late by Christ, but, nevertheless, as called by the Lord himself to ministry, he is an apostle in the highest sense of the word, completely equal in dignity in the Church with 12 apostles. The Apocalypse belongs to the 12 apostle - John the Theologian.
Thus, it can be seen that all the writers of the New Testament books are eight. Most of all, the great teacher of languages Ap. Paul, who founded many churches that demanded written instruction from him, which he taught in his epistles [Some Western theologians suggest that the present composition of the New Testament books is not complete, that it did not include the lost epistles of Ap. Paul - 3rd to the Corinthians (written as if between the 1st and 2nd Epistles to the Corinthians) to the Laodiceans, to the Philippians (2nd). But, as will be shown in the interpretation of the Epistles of Ap. Paul, those passages from the epistles of this apostle, which Western theologians refer to in support of their assumption, can be explained not as indications of the allegedly lost epistles. Moreover, it is impossible to allow the Christian Church,with such respect for the apostles, and in particular for the Apostle. Paul, could have completely lost any of the apostolic writings.].
Division of New Testament Books by Content
According to their content, the sacred books of the New Testament are divided into 3 categories: 1) historical, 2) teaching, and 3) prophetic.
Historical books are the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and the book of the Acts of the Apostles. They give us a historical image of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Gospel) and a historical image of the life and work of the apostles who spread the Church of Christ throughout the world (the book of the Acts of the Apostles).
Teaching books are the epistles of the apostles, which are letters written by the apostles to different churches. In these letters, the apostles clarify various perplexities about the Christian faith and life that arose in the churches, denounce the readers of the epistles for the various disturbances they have committed, convince them to stand firm in the Christian faith devoted to them, and expose the false teachers who disturbed the peace of the primitive Church. In a word, the apostles appear in their epistles as teachers of the flock of Christ entrusted to their care, being, moreover, often the founders of those churches to which they turn. The latter takes place in relation to almost all the Epistles of Ap. Paul.
There is only one prophetic book in the New Testament: This is the Apocalypse of Ap. John the Theologian. It contains various visions and revelations, which this apostle was rewarded with and in which the future fate of the Church of Christ is depicted before her glorification, that is, before the opening of the kingdom of glory on earth.
Since the subject of the content of the Gospels is the life and teachings of the very Founder of our faith - the Lord Jesus Christ, and since, undoubtedly, in the Gospel we have the basis for all our faith and life, it is customary to call the four Gospels books positive in law. This name shows that the Gospels have for Christians the same meaning as the Law of Moses - the Pentateuch had for the Jews.
A Brief History of the Canon Priest books of the New Testament
The word “canon” (κανών) originally meant “reed”, and then it began to be used to designate what should serve as a rule, a pattern of life (eg Gal VI: 16; 2 Cor. X: 13-16). The Church Fathers and Councils used this term to designate a collection of sacred inspired scriptures. Therefore, the canon of the New Testament is a collection of the holy, inspired books of the New Testament in its present form [According to the view of some Protestant theologians, the New Testament canon is something accidental. Some scriptures, even not apostolic ones, were just lucky enough to get into the canon, since for some reason they came into use in worship. And the canon itself, according to the majority of Protestant theologians, is nothing more than a simple catalog or list of books used in worship. On the contrary, Orthodox theologians see in the canon nothing more thanas the composition of the sacred New Testament books transmitted by the Apostolic Church to subsequent generations of Christians, recognized at that time. These books, according to Orthodox theologians, were not known to all churches, perhaps because they had either too particular purpose (for example, the 2nd and 3rd Epistles of St. John), or too general (Epistle to the Hebrews), so it was not known which church to turn to for information regarding the name of the author of this or that epistle. But there is no doubt that these were books that truly belonged to those persons whose names they bore. The Church did not accidentally accept them into the canon, but quite consciously, giving them the meaning that they really had.].according to Orthodox theologians, not all churches were known, perhaps because they had either too particular purpose (for example, the 2nd and 3rd Epistles of St. John), or too general (the Epistle to the Hebrews), so that it was not known which church to turn to for information regarding the name of the author of this or that epistle. But there is no doubt that these were books that truly belonged to those persons whose names they bore. The Church did not accidentally accept them into the canon, but quite consciously, giving them the meaning that they really had.].according to Orthodox theologians, not all churches were known, perhaps because they had either too particular purpose (for example, the 2nd and 3rd Epistles of St. John), or too general (the Epistle to the Hebrews), so that it was not known which church to turn to for information regarding the name of the author of this or that epistle. But there is no doubt that these were books that truly belonged to those persons whose names they bore. The Church did not accidentally accept them into the canon, but quite consciously, giving them the meaning that they really had.]. Which church to turn to for information regarding the name of the author of this or that message. But there is no doubt that these were books that truly belonged to those persons whose names they bore. The Church did not accidentally accept them into the canon, but quite consciously, giving them the meaning that they really had.]. Which church to turn to for information regarding the name of the author of this or that message. But there is no doubt that these were books that truly belonged to those persons whose names they bore. The Church did not accidentally accept them into the canon, but quite consciously, giving them the meaning that they really had.].
What was the leadership of the preeminent Church in accepting this or that sacred New Testament book into the canon? First of all, the so-called historical tradition. They investigated whether this or that book was actually received directly from the apostle or apostolic collaborator, and, according to rigorous research, included this book in the books of the inspired. But at the same time, attention was also paid to whether the teaching contained in the book under consideration, firstly, with the teaching of the whole Church and, secondly, with the teaching of the apostle whose name this book bore. This is the so-called dogmatic tradition. And it never happened that the Church, once recognizing any book as canonical, subsequently changed her view of it and excluded it from the canon. If individual fathers and teachers of the Church even after that still recognized some of the New Testament writings as not authentic, then this was only their private view, which should not be confused with the voice of the Church. In the same way, it never happened that the Church first did not accept a book into the canon, and then included it. If there are no references to some of the canonical books in the writings of the men of the apostles (for example, the epistle of Jude), then this is because the men of the apostles had no reason to quote these books.that the apostolic men had no reason to quote these books.that the apostolic men had no reason to quote these books.
Thus, the Church, through a critical examination, on the one hand, removed from general use those books that, in places, illegally enjoyed the authority of truly apostolic works, on the other, it established as a general rule that in all churches those books should be recognized as truly apostolic. which, perhaps, some private churches were unknown. It is clear from this that from the Orthodox point of view we can speak not about the "formation of the canon", but only about the "establishment of the canon." The Church did not "create anything out of herself" in this case, but only, so to speak, stated precisely verified facts of the origin of the sacred books from the famous God-inspired men of the New Testament.
This "establishment of the canon" went on for a very long time. Even under the apostles, undoubtedly, there was already something like a canon, which can be confirmed by the reference of Ap. Paul on the existence of the collection of the words of Christ (1 Cor. VII: 25) and the indication of Ap. Peter to the collection of Pauline Epistles (2 Pet III: 15-16). According to some ancient interpreters (for example, Theodore of Mopsuet) and new ones, for example, Archpriest. A. V. Gorsky, Ap. John the Theologian (Approx. To the Creator of the Holy Father, vol. 24, p. 297-327). But actually the first period of the history of the canon is the period of the men of the apostolic and Christian apologists, lasting approximately from the end of the 1st century until the 170th year. During this period, we find, for the most part, rather clear indications of the books included in the New Testament canon; but the writers of this period still very rarely directly designatefrom which sacred book they take this or that place, so that we find the so-called "deaf quotes" from them. Moreover, as Barthes says in his "Introduction to the New Testament" (ed. 1903, p. 324), in those days spiritual gifts were still in full bloom, and there were many God-inspired prophets and teachers, so look for your teachings the foundations of the writers of the 2nd century could not be in books, but in the oral teaching of these prophets and, in general, in the oral church tradition.but in the oral teaching of these prophets and in general in the oral church tradition.but in the oral teaching of these prophets and in general in the oral church tradition.
In the second period, which lasts until the end of the third century, there are already more definite indications of the existence of the composition of the New Testament priests adopted by the Church. books. Thus, a fragment found by the scientist Muratorius in the Milan Library and dating from about 200-210. according to R. Chr., gives a historical overview of almost all New Testament books, it is not mentioned only about the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Epistle of James and the 2nd Epistle. Ap. Peter. This fragment, of course, mainly testifies to the composition in which the canon was established by the end of the 2nd c. in the Western Church. The state of the canon in the Eastern Church is evidenced by the Syrian translation of the New Testament, known as Peshito. Almost all of our canonical books are mentioned in this translation, with the exception of the 2nd Epistle. Ap. Peter, 2nd and 3rd post. John, the epistles of Jude and the Apocalypse. Tertullian testifies to the state of the canon in the Church of Carthage. He certifies the authenticity of the Epistle of Jude and the Apocalypse, but does not mention the Epistles of James and 2nd Apocalypse. Peter, and the Epistle to the Hebrews is attributed to Barnabas. St. Irenaeus of Lyons is a witness to the belief of the Church of Gaul. According to him, in this church almost all of our books were recognized as canonical, except for the 2nd Epistle. Ap. Peter and the last. Judas. The letter to Philemon is also not quoted. The belief of the Alexandrian Church is attested to by St. Clement Alex. and Origen. The former used all the New Testament books, and the latter acknowledges the apostolic origin of all our books, although he reports that regarding the 2nd Epistle. Peter, 2nd and 3rd post. John, post. Jacob, post. Jude and the last. there were disagreements towards the Jews in his time. He certifies the authenticity of the Epistle of Jude and the Apocalypse, but does not mention the Epistles of James and 2nd Apocalypse. Peter, and the Epistle to the Hebrews is attributed to Barnabas. St. Irenaeus of Lyons is a witness to the belief of the Church of Gaul. According to him, in this church almost all of our books were recognized as canonical, except for the 2nd Epistle. Ap. Peter and the last. Judas. The letter to Philemon is also not quoted. The belief of the Alexandrian Church is attested to by St. Clement Alex. and Origen. The former used all the New Testament books, and the latter acknowledges the apostolic origin of all our books, although he reports that regarding the 2nd Epistle. Peter, 2nd and 3rd post. John, post. Jacob, post. Jude and the last. there were disagreements towards the Jews in his time. He certifies the authenticity of the Epistle of Jude and the Apocalypse, but does not mention the Epistles of James and 2nd Apocalypse. Peter, and the Epistle to the Hebrews is attributed to Barnabas. St. Irenaeus of Lyons is a witness to the belief of the Church of Gaul. According to him, in this church almost all of our books were recognized as canonical, except for the 2nd Epistle. Ap. Peter and the last. Judas. The letter to Philemon is also not quoted. The belief of the Alexandrian Church is attested to by St. Clement Alex. and Origen. The former used all the New Testament books, and the latter acknowledges the apostolic origin of all our books, although he reports that regarding the 2nd Epistle. Peter, 2nd and 3rd post. John, post. Jacob, post. Jude and the last. there were disagreements towards the Jews in his time. St. Irenaeus of Lyons is a witness to the belief of the Church of Gaul. According to him, in this church almost all of our books were recognized as canonical, except for the 2nd Epistle. Ap. Peter and the last. Judas. The letter to Philemon is also not quoted. The belief of the Alexandrian Church is attested to by St. Clement Alex. and Origen. The former used all the New Testament books, and the latter acknowledges the apostolic origin of all our books, although he reports that regarding the 2nd Epistle. Peter, 2nd and 3rd post. John, post. Jacob, post. Jude and the last. there were disagreements towards the Jews in his time. St. Irenaeus of Lyons is a witness to the belief of the Church of Gaul. According to him, in this church almost all of our books were recognized as canonical, except for the 2nd Epistle. Ap. Peter and the last. Judas. The letter to Philemon is also not quoted. The belief of the Alexandrian Church is attested to by St. Clement Alex. and Origen. The former used all the New Testament books, and the latter acknowledges the apostolic origin of all our books, although he reports that regarding the 2nd Epistle. Peter, 2nd and 3rd post. John, post. Jacob, post. Jude and the last. there were disagreements towards the Jews in his time. Clement Alex. and Origen. The former used all the New Testament books, and the latter acknowledges the apostolic origin of all our books, although he reports that regarding the 2nd Epistle. Peter, 2nd and 3rd post. John, post. Jacob, post. Jude and the last. there were disagreements towards the Jews in his time. Clement Alex. and Origen. The former used all the New Testament books, and the latter acknowledges the apostolic origin of all our books, although he reports that regarding the 2nd Epistle. Peter, 2nd and 3rd post. John, post. Jacob, post. Jude and the last. there were disagreements towards the Jews in his time.
Thus, in the second half of the second century, the following Saints were undoubtedly recognized throughout the Church as divinely inspired apostolic writings. books: the four Gospels, the book of the Acts of the Apostles, 13 Epistles of Ap. Paul, 1 John and 1 Peter. Other books were less common, although they were recognized by the Church as genuine.
In the third period, extending to the second half of the 4th century, the canon is finally established as it is today. The witnesses of the faith of the whole Church are here: Eusebius of Caesarea, Cyril Jerusalem., Gregory the Theologian, Athanasius of Alexandria, Vasily Vel. and others. The first of these witnesses speaks in detail about the canonical books. According to him, in his time, some books were recognized by the whole Church (τὰ ὁμολογούμενα). This is precisely: the four Gospels, Vol. Acts, 14 letters of the Apostle. Paul, 1 Peter and 1 John. Here he ranks, however, with a proviso ("if you will"), and the Apocalypse of John. Then he has a class of controversial books (ἀντιλεγόμενα), which is divided into two categories. In the first category, he places books accepted by many, although argued. These are the epistles of James, Jude, 2 Peter and 2 and 3 John. To the second category, he refers to fake books (νόϑα), which are: the acts of Paul and others, as well as, "if you will," and the Apocalypse of John. He himself considers all our books to be genuine, even the Apocalypse. The list of the books of the New Testament, found in the Easter epistle of St. Athanasius of Alexandria (367). After listing all 27 books of the New Testament, St. Athanasius says that only in these books does the doctrine of piety return and that nothing can be taken away from this collection of books, just as nothing can be added to it. Taking into account the great authority which St. Athanasius, this great fighter against Arianism, we can confidently conclude that the canon of the New Testament proposed by him was accepted by the entire Eastern Church,although after Athanasius there was no conciliar decision regarding the composition of the canon. It should be noted, however, that St. Athanasius points to two books, which, although not canonized by the Church, are intended for reading by those entering the Church. These books are the teaching of the (twelve) apostles and the shepherd (Herma). Everything else is St. Athanasius rejects it as a heretical fabrication (that is, books that bore falsely the names of the apostles). In the Western Church, the canon of the New Testament in its present form was finally established at the councils in Africa - Ippon (393) and two Carthaginian (397 and 419). The canon of the New Testament adopted by these councils was sanctioned by the Roman Church by a decree of Pope Gelasius (492-496).but are intended to be read by those entering the Church. These books are the teaching of the (twelve) apostles and the shepherd (Herma). Everything else is St. Athanasius rejects it as a heretical fabrication (that is, books that bore falsely the names of the apostles). In the Western Church, the canon of the New Testament in its present form was finally established at the councils in Africa - Ippon (393) and two Carthaginian (397 and 419). The canon of the New Testament adopted by these councils was sanctioned by the Roman Church by a decree of Pope Gelasius (492-496).but are intended to be read by those entering the Church. These books are the teaching of the (twelve) apostles and the shepherd (Herma). Everything else is St. Athanasius rejects it as a heretical fabrication (that is, books that bore falsely the names of the apostles). In the Western Church, the canon of the New Testament in its present form was finally established at the councils in Africa - Ippon (393) and two Carthaginian (397 and 419). The canon of the New Testament adopted by these councils was sanctioned by the Roman Church by a decree of Pope Gelasius (492-496).). The canon of the New Testament adopted by these councils was sanctioned by the Roman Church by a decree of Pope Gelasius (492-496).). The canon of the New Testament adopted by these councils was sanctioned by the Roman Church by a decree of Pope Gelasius (492-496).
Those Christian books that were not included in the canon, although they made a claim to this, were recognized as apocryphal and intended almost for complete destruction [The Jews had the word "hanuz", corresponding in meaning to the expression "apocryphal" (from ἀποκρύπτει, hide) and in the synagogue used to designate such books that should not have been used in the performance of worship. However, this term did not contain any censure. But later, when the Gnostics and other heretics began to boast that they had "hidden" books, which supposedly contained the true apostolic teaching, which the apostles did not want to make the property of the crowd, the Church, which was collecting the canon, already reacted with condemnation to these " secret "books and began to look at them as" false, heretical, counterfeit "(decrees of Pope Gelasius). Currently, seven apocryphal Gospels are known, of which six supplement with different decorations the story of the origin, birth and childhood of Jesus Christ, and the seventh - the story of His condemnation. The oldest and most remarkable between them is the First Gospel of James, the brother of the Lord, then there are: the Greek Gospel of Thomas, the Greek Gospel of Nicodemus, the Arab story of Joseph the tree-breeder, the Arab Gospel of the Savior's childhood and, finally, - Latin - the Gospel of the birth of Christ from St. Mary and the story of the birth of Mary of the Lord and the childhood of the Savior. These apocryphal Gospels were translated into Russian by Fr. P. A. Preobrazhensky. In addition, some fragmentary apocryphal legends about the life of Christ are known (for example, Pilate's letter to Tiberius about Christ). In ancient times, it should be noted, in addition to the apocryphal, there were still non-canonical Gospels,that have not come down to our time. They, in all likelihood, contained the same thing that is contained in our canonical Gospels, from which they took information. These were: the Gospel of the Jews - in all likelihood the corrupted Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Peter, the apostolic memorial records of Justin the Martyr, the Tatian Gospel of four (a collection of Gospels), the Gospel of Markion - the distorted Gospel of Luke. Of the recently discovered legends about the life and teachings of Christ, noteworthy are: "Logia", or the words of Christ, - a passage found in Egypt; this passage is a summary of Christ's sayings with a brief opening formula: "Jesus is speaking." This is a fragment of the deepest antiquity. From the history of the apostles, the recently found "Teachings of the Twelve Apostles"the existence of which the ancient church writers already knew and which has now been translated into Russian. In 1886, 34 verses of the Apocalypse of Peter were found, which was known to Clement of Alexandria. It is necessary to mention also the various "acts" of the apostles, for example, Peter, John, Thomas, etc., where information about the preaching work of these apostles was reported. These works, undoubtedly, belong to the category of so-called "pseudo-epigraphs", that is, to the category of forged ones. Nonetheless, these "acts" were highly respected among ordinary godly Christians and were very common. Some of them entered, after a well-known alteration, into the so-called "Acts of the Saints", processed by the Bollandists, and from there St. Dmitry Rostovsky transferred to our Lives of the Saints (Menaion - Chetya). So, this can be said about the life and preaching activity of the Apostle. Thomas.].
The order of the New Testament books in the canon
The New Testament books found their place in the canon according to their importance and the time of their final recognition. In the first place, naturally, were the four Gospels, followed by the book of the Acts of the Apostles, and then the Apocalypse formed the conclusion of the canon. But in some codes, some books occupy a different place than they occupy with us now. So, in the Sinai Codex, the book of Acts of the Apostles stands after the Epistles of Ap. Paul. Until the 4th century, the Greek Church placed conciliar epistles after the epistles of Ap. Paul. The very name of the conciliar epistles originally bore only 1 Peter and 1 John, and only from the time of Eusebius of Caesarea (4th century) this name began to be applied to all seven Epistles. From the time of Athanasius of Alexandria (half of the 4th century), the epistles of the Council in the Greek Church took their present place. Meanwhile, in the west they were still placed after the letters of Ap. Paul. Even the Apocalypse in some codes is earlier than the Epistles of Ap. Paul and even earlier book. Acts. In particular, the Gospels appear in different codes in a different order. So, some, undoubtedly, putting the apostles in the first place, place the Gospels in this order: Matthew, John, Mark and Luke, or, giving special dignity to the Gospel of John, put him in the first place. Others put the Gospel of Mark in last place, as the shortest. From the epistles of Ap. Paul, it seems, initially the first place in the canon was occupied by two to the Corinthians, and the last to the Romans (fragment of Muratorium and Tertullian). Since the time of Eusebius, the Epistle to the Romans has taken the first place, both in its volume and in the importance of the church to which it was written, indeed, deserves this place. In the location of the four private letters (1 Tim, 2 Tim, Titus, Phil), they were obviously guided by their volume, approximately the same. The Epistle to the Hebrews in the East was placed 14th, and in the West - 10th in the series of Epistles of the Apostle. Paul. It is clear that the Western Church has put the Epistles of Ap. Peter. The Eastern Church, placing the Epistle of James in the first place, was probably guided by the enumeration of the apostles by Apostle. Paul (Gal II: 9).was guided by the enumeration of the apostles by Ap. Paul (Gal II: 9).was guided by the enumeration of the apostles by Ap. Paul (Gal II: 9).
History of the New Testament Canon since the Reformation
During the Middle Ages, the canon remained indisputable, especially since the books of the New Testament were relatively little read by private individuals, and during divine services only certain conceptions or sections were read from them. The common people were more interested in reading legends about the lives of saints, and the Catholic Church even looked with some suspicion at the interest that certain societies, like the Waldenses, showed to reading the Bible, sometimes even forbidding the reading of the Bible in the vernacular. But in the late Middle Ages, humanism revived doubts about the writings of the New Testament, which in the first centuries were the subject of controversy. The Reformation began to raise its voice even more against some of the New Testament writings. Luther, in his translation of the New Testament (1522), in the prefaces to the New Testament books, expressed his view of their dignity. So, in his opinion,the epistle to the Hebrews was not written by the apostle, nor was the epistle of James. He also does not recognize the authenticity of the Apocalypse and the message of Ap. Judas. Luther's disciples went even further in the severity with which they treated various New Testament scriptures and even began to directly single out "apocryphal" scriptures from the New Testament canon: until the beginning of the 17th century, the Lutheran Bibles were not even counted among the canonical 2 Peter, 2 -th and 3rd John, Jude and the Apocalypse. Only then did this distinction of scriptures disappear and the ancient Novozav was restored. canon. At the end of the 17th century, however, critical works on Novozav appeared. canon, in which objections were expressed against the authenticity of many New Testament books. The rationalists of the 18th century (Zemler, Michaelis, Eichgorm) wrote in the same spirit, and in the 19th century. Schleiermacher questioned the authenticity of some of Paul's epistles, De Wette rejected the authenticity of five of them, and F. H. Baur recognized only four of the main epistles of the Apostle from the entire New Testament as truly apostolic. Paul and the Apocalypse.
Thus, in the West, Protestantism again came to the same thing that the Christian Church experienced in the first centuries, when some books were recognized as genuine apostolic works, while others were controversial. The New Testament had already been established, there was such a view that it is only a collection of literary works of early Christianity. At the same time, the followers of F. Kh. Bauer - V. Bauer, Lohmann and Steck - did not find it possible to recognize any of the new orders. books as a truly apostolic work … But the best minds of Protestantism saw the full depth of the abyss into which the Protestant school of Baur, or Tübingen, was drawn, and opposed its provisions with weighty objections. So, Ritschl refuted the main thesis of the Tübingen school about the development of early Christianity from the struggle of Petrinism and Peacockism, and Harnack provedthat the New Testament books are to be viewed as truly apostolic writings. The scientists B. Weiss, Gode and T. Tsang did even more to restore the significance of the New Testament books in the view of Protestants. “Thanks to these theologians,” says Barth, “no one can now take away from the New Testament the advantage that in it and only in it we have messages about Jesus and the revelation of God in Him” (Introduction, 1908, p. 400). Barth finds that at the present time, when such confusion reigns in the minds, it is especially important for Protestantism to have a "canon" as a guide given by God for faith and life, and - he ends - we have it in the New Testament (ibid.).- says Barth, - no one can now take away from the New Testament the advantage that in it and only in it we have messages about Jesus and about the revelation of God in Him”(Introduction, 1908, p. 400). Barthes finds that at the present time, when such confusion reigns in the minds, it is especially important for Protestantism to have a "canon" as a guide given from God for faith and life, and - he ends - we have it in the New Testament (ibid.).- says Barth, - no one can now take away from the New Testament the advantage that in it and only in it we have messages about Jesus and about the revelation of God in Him”(Introduction, 1908, p. 400). Barthes finds that at the present time, when such confusion reigns in the minds, it is especially important for Protestantism to have a "canon" as a guide given from God for faith and life, and - he ends - we have it in the New Testament (ibid.).
Indeed, the New Testament canon has tremendous, one might say, incomparable significance for the Christian Church. In it we find, first of all, such scriptures that present Christians in their relation to the Jewish people (the Gospel of Matthew, the Epistle of James and the Epistle to the Hebrews), to the pagan world (1 and 2 to Thessalonians, 1 to Corinthians). Further, we have in the New Testament canon scriptures that have as their purpose to eliminate the dangers that threatened Christianity from the Jewish understanding of Christianity (Epistle to the Galatians), from the Jewish-legalistic asceticism (Epistle to the Colossians), from the pagan desire to understand religious society, as a private circle in which you can live separately from the church society (Epistle to the Ephesians). The Epistle to the Romans indicates the universal purpose of Christianity, while the book of Acts indicates,how this appointment was realized in history. In a word, the books of the New Testament canon give us a complete picture of the primordial Church, depict life and its tasks from all sides. If, for a trial, we wanted to take away from the canon of the New Testament any book, for example, the Epistle to the Romans or to the Galatians, we would thereby do significant harm to the whole. It is clear that the Holy Spirit guided the Church in the gradual establishment of the composition of the canon, so that the Church introduced into it truly apostolic works, which in their existence were caused by the most essential needs of the Church.a letter to the Romans or to the Galatians, we would thereby do significant harm to the whole. It is clear that the Holy Spirit guided the Church in the gradual establishment of the composition of the canon, so that the Church introduced into it truly apostolic works, which in their existence were caused by the most essential needs of the Church.a letter to the Romans or to the Galatians, we would thereby do significant harm to the whole. It is clear that the Holy Spirit guided the Church in the gradual establishment of the composition of the canon, so that the Church introduced into it truly apostolic works, which in their existence were caused by the most essential needs of the Church.
Continuation: "In what language are the sacred books written"
Lopukhin A. P.