We know that the early Christian church had a variety of Scriptures and other source material that informed their faith and shaped their thinking. We also know that after a few centuries the church decided to keep the twenty-seven books of our present New Testament and to treat them as canonical in faith and practice. But the other books did not simply disappear. In fact, many of them remain valuable for understanding the diversity of the early Christian church and the astounding claims of faith on which the church was founded. Learning about these ancient documents need not threaten the church?s current orthodoxy and authority; in fact, learning about these texts can help today?s Christians form a deeper understanding of the early church.
Before and after the fourth century, Christians circulated varied texts that influenced their faith, doctrine, and worship, but which never became part of the canonical Bible. McDonald, a New Testament scholar and expert on canon formation, provides an impressive overview of these manuscripts, moving from Jewish apocryphal and pseudepigraphal texts to the Essene manuscripts and various writings circulated during the early centuries of Christianity. Along the way, he discusses the challenges of translation, the compilation of the Greek Septuagint, the rise of the codex, and canonical variations within Christianity itself (the Ethiopian church accepts an astounding 81 books). Particularly fascinating is his list of scriptural references from the sayings of Jesus found in the (canonical) New Testament. McDonald documents allusions to the Psalms of Solomon, Tobit, Sirach, Wisdom, Jubilees, and 1 Enoch, leading him to conclude that a fixed Old Testament canon was unknown during Jesus' time. The early church made use of extra-canonical Christian texts as well (the Shepherd of Hermas, Apocalypse of Peter, Didache, Acts of Paul and Thecla, etc.). By placing these works in context, the author demonstrates that they broaden our understanding of the early Church without undermining orthodoxy or biblical authority. After all, 'the Christians who emerged triumphant in the church...were those whose message most closely reflected the story and teachings of Jesus in the four Gospels and in the letters of Paul.'
Before and after the fourth century, Christians circulated varied texts that influenced their faith, doctrine, and worship, but which never became part of the canonical Bible. McDonald, a New Testament scholar and expert on canon formation, provides an impressive overview of these manuscripts, moving from Jewish apocryphal and pseudepigraphal texts to the Essene manuscripts and various writings circulated during the early centuries of Christianity. Along the way, he discusses the challenges of translation, the compilation of the Greek Septuagint, the rise of the codex, and canonical variations within Christianity itself (the Ethiopian church accepts an astounding 81 books). Particularly fascinating is his list of scriptural references from the sayings of Jesus found in the (canonical) New Testament. McDonald documents allusions to the Psalms of Solomon, Tobit, Sirach, Wisdom, Jubilees, and 1 Enoch, leading him to conclude that a fixed Old Testament canon was unknown during Jesus' time. The early church made use of extra-canonical Christian texts as well (the Shepherd of Hermas, Apocalypse of Peter, Didache, Acts of Paul and Thecla, etc.). By placing these works in context, the author demonstrates that they broaden our understanding of the early Church without undermining orthodoxy or biblical authority. After all, 'the Christians who emerged triumphant in the church...were those whose message most closely reflected the story and teachings of Jesus in the four Gospels and in the letters of Paul.'
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