The Bible is broken into 2 sections, the Old Testament and New Testament. The Old Testament was mostly completed and considered by Jewish scholars a completed work between the conclusion of Malachi and the birth of Jesus. The New Testament was comprised of writings that were passed around the churches, often times as letters. The deciding factor on whether a writing was accepted was whether the book carried apostolic authority. Many books were written by the apostles or those in the apostolic circle (Mark and Luke). Paul was not in the inner circle, but Peter refers to Paul's letters as scripture (2 Peter 3:15-16 And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.
The writings of the apostles served as inspired and authoritative teachings for the early church and they serve the same purpose for us today.
This is not a question I have a deep desire to dig into. I am ok with basic knowledge and accept that what has been provided is God inspired and true. I don't know that any other book would change the good news story.
There is plenty to dig into. Here is just a little bit of history (borrowed from History site)
Biblical Canon.
Surviving documents from the 4th century show that different councils within the church released lists to guide how various Christian texts should be treated.
The earliest known attempt to create a canon in the same respect as the New Testament was in 2nd century Rome by Marcion, a Turkish businessman and church leader.
Marcion’s work focused on the Gospel of Luke and the letters of Paul. Disapproving of the effort, the Roman church expelled Marcion.
Second-century Syrian writer Tatian attempted to create a canon by weaving the four gospels together as the Diatessaron.
The Muratorian Canon, which is believed to date to 200 A.D., is the earliest compilation of canonical texts resembling the New Testament.
It was not until the 5th century that all the different Christian churches came to a basic agreement on Biblical canon. The books that eventually were considered canon reflect the times they were embraced as much the times of the events they portray.
During the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, books not originally written in Hebrew but Greek, such as Judith and Maccabees, were excluded from the Old Testament. These are known the Apocrypha and are still included in the Catholic Bible.
I think this needs to be continued...
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