dr
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Biblical Canonization and Inspiration
When addressing the issues that pertain to interpreting the biblical texts, one must ask questions about inspiration, canonicity and revelation. Depending on how you answers these questions will lead you to how you interpret the biblical passages, especially the more difficult ones. In her article “The Bible and Feminism,” Sandra M. Schneiders addresses the thinking of the special status of the Bible in the church. She states, “Many people are under the erroneous impression that these two categories are related as cause and effect, [that the inspiration of the biblical texts caused these texts to be considered canonical.] In fact, the situation is virtually the reverse. The church holds that the biblical text is inspired because it has accepted this text as canonical.”[1] Thinking that the inspiration of the biblical text came first before it has been authorized as canonical diminishes the human aspect of the writing of the texts and the process of canonization.
Within the first few centuries of the church, there became a common census about what texts were regarded as authoritative, like the letters written by Paul and the four canonical gospels initially. Then the church councils meet to make an official list of these authoritative texts in the fifth century CE. The church community did not regard the texts as authoritative because the church thought they were inspired by God, these texts were authoritative because of their practical implications in the varying church communities. These tests also became authoritative because of who was considered the author, like an apostle. The apostolic authority led to many texts being canonical. Then once there was a common understanding of what texts were composed of the authoritative texts for the early church, it was a natural assumption that God inspired the writers when they were written. This process of canonization and then inspiration demonstrates how there was a development and process of the church’s approach to canonization and inspiration. The church’s understanding of the biblical cannon and inspiration took centuries to develop, but many Christians today take this for granted. This assumption about how the Bible was put together shapes people’s approach to biblical interpretation and application.
Many uses of the Bible in the church today leads to the thinking that the biblical texts were always regarded as authoritative, inspired and canonical, but that is not simply an accurate understanding of church history. When inspiration is applied first before the canonization, a person assumes that God separated a series of writings to be regarded as canonical, so humanity was passive in receiving what texts were to be regarded as “The Bible.” Then with this understanding of the texts, it is easy to take scriptural passages literal and not question if them as it could be seen as questioning God. This approach of interpretation removes the context of the author and recipients of the writing as all texts have a strict universal application. By understanding that canonization came before inspiration, the theologian is able to ask questions about the contexts of the first century.
[1] Sandra M. Schneiders, “The Bible and Feminism,” in Freeing Theology: The Essentials of Theology in Feminist Perspective, ed. Catherine Mowry Lacugna (1993), 40-1.
dr
Within the first few centuries of the church, there became a common census about what texts were regarded as authoritative, like the letters written by Paul and the four canonical gospels initially. Then the church councils meet to make an official list of these authoritative texts in the fifth century CE. The church community did not regard the texts as authoritative because the church thought they were inspired by God, these texts were authoritative because of their practical implications in the varying church communities. These tests also became authoritative because of who was considered the author, like an apostle. The apostolic authority led to many texts being canonical. Then once there was a common understanding of what texts were composed of the authoritative texts for the early church, it was a natural assumption that God inspired the writers when they were written. This process of canonization and then inspiration demonstrates how there was a development and process of the church’s approach to canonization and inspiration. The church’s understanding of the biblical cannon and inspiration took centuries to develop, but many Christians today take this for granted. This assumption about how the Bible was put together shapes people’s approach to biblical interpretation and application.
Many uses of the Bible in the church today leads to the thinking that the biblical texts were always regarded as authoritative, inspired and canonical, but that is not simply an accurate understanding of church history. When inspiration is applied first before the canonization, a person assumes that God separated a series of writings to be regarded as canonical, so humanity was passive in receiving what texts were to be regarded as “The Bible.” Then with this understanding of the texts, it is easy to take scriptural passages literal and not question if them as it could be seen as questioning God. This approach of interpretation removes the context of the author and recipients of the writing as all texts have a strict universal application. By understanding that canonization came before inspiration, the theologian is able to ask questions about the contexts of the first century.
[1] Sandra M. Schneiders, “The Bible and Feminism,” in Freeing Theology: The Essentials of Theology in Feminist Perspective, ed. Catherine Mowry Lacugna (1993), 40-1.
dr
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