I was wanting to do a study on the origins of the canon of scripture. Who is the best author on the subject? I see F.F. Bruce touted, but is there anyone else I should be looking at? I don't want too technical of a work though.
Thanks for any advice.
Who's the expert?
Discussion in 'Bible Versions & Translations' started by SolaSaint, Mar 18, 2010.
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Well, I like Norman Geisler's book, General Introduction to the Bible. It's very thorough but it's rather massive. He has a more reader friendly version written with William Nix called From God to Us: How We Got Our Bible.
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A study?
If you read one and only one book on the canon of Scripture, you're only going to get one view. No matter how open and honest and neutral the author wants to be, it will be ultimately one author's best judgement.
I suggest you read several of the books noted. I also suggest you read the Roman Catholic accounts of the canon. If you agree or not, you need to see what others think so you know WHY you disagree.
Also, many newer translations and editions of the Bible itself give introductions to various books, explaining from where the text is derived, possible dates and in the case of some books, what person or group was responsible for the writing or editing.
You should also look into several different commentaries. They all have some information on the subject.
Finally, the late Dr. Issac Assimov, noted scientist and science fiction writer did a history of the Bible from the viewpoint of a non-believer but cultural Jew. He writes well and has some interesting secular history highlights. You probably won't agree with some of his conclusions, but the information is worth reviewing. -
preachinjesus Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
Metzger's The Canon is the best imho.
Also follow it up with his text: The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration. Doesn't get better than that. :) -
Thanks everyone, I was considering Metzger and some of his books, but is he hard to follow or does he come across easy enough for this country boy to understand?
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preachinjesus Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
Here check him out for yourself:
http://books.google.com/books?id=Zi...er&dq=bruce+metzger&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false
That's the only one Google has info for...which is one I recommended. Happy hunting.
Metzger makes sense for me, but I would never suggest that means he'll do the same for anybody else. :) -
I've read both Bruce and Metzger. Bruce is definitely written on more of a layman's level, but he covers all the main bases, is more dogmatic/confessional, and covers the OT canon as well as the New, while Metzger only covers the NT canon and is indeed more technical. Metzger's is good as a reference tool for primary source material. If you are a minister, you need to have Metzger's 3 book series (Canon, Text, Early Versions) on your shelf. Bruce's chapters, if I remember right, were developed from his course lectures, so sometimes you feel like it doesn't flow as well as Metzger's book from chapter to chapter.
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Thank you all, this is great. :wavey: