The New Testament Canon: Its Making and Meaning

By Harry Y. Gamble

Book Overview

This careful evaluation of the problem of the New Testament canon engages historical, literary, and theological questions often not raised by the general reader. How did this collection of writings come into being? What assumptions and intentions contributed to its formation? Who or what determined its contents? On what basis did special authority come to be attached to these writings? How does the character of this collection bear upon its interpretation? In what ways does this collection claim or exercise religious authority? After grappling with these basic questions, Gamble concludes: The history of the canon indicates clearly enough that the contents of the New Testament were determined by the church on the basis of tradition...one cannot have scripture without also having tradition.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1579109098
• ISBN13: 9781579109097
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock Publishers
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.9" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Fine Scholarly Work on the Canon

This is a profoundly intelligent and well reasoned investigation of the establishment of the New Testament canon. As Dan O. Via says in the Editor's Forward, this "is a historical analysis of a fundamentally theological problem." The author himself says, "The purpose of this volume is to assess the NT as canon and thus to comprehend the fundamental form of the NT itself." Though the book might prove demanding for mainstream readers, I think it is well worth the effort. I've found it deeply engaging. Also rank and file Christians aren't being served that well by easy popular books on the origins of the Christian bible. These "popular" books are often shallow and full of misinformation. Gamble is great scholar. His "Books and Readers in the Early Church" is greatly respected. I also recommend "The First Edition of the New Testament" by David Trobisch. --- anneobrienrice@mac.com.