Biblical and Theological Studies Faculty Works

The Biblical Canon

Document Type

Book Chapter

Abstract

Christianity has, for much of its history, worked with a closed canon of scripture, 'canon' in the sense of a clearly defined and authoritative list of writings considered to be scripture. In such circumstances, every document that is viewed as 'scripture' is at the same time also considered to be 'canonical'. After defining key terms, this article discusses Jewish Scriptures in early Christianity such as the canon of the Septuagint, and the formation of a Second Testament in early Christianity. A significant portion of the Christian scriptures was taken over from the Jewish milieu out of which the Christian movement emerged.

Department(s)

Biblical and Theological Studies

Publication Title

The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Studies

Publication Date

9-2-2009

DOI

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199271566.003.0021

ISBN

9780191577192,9780199271566

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