The Books and Canon of the New Testament.
THE composition of the Books of the Bible was begun by Moses on the plains of Moab in the 15th century B.C.; the subjects of which they treat were completed by Paul during his Roman imprisonment in the latter half of the first Christian century (Col. 1:2525Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; (Colossians 1:25)); while John, the last of the Apostolic band, had those wondrous visions and sights vouchsafed to him in the rocky isle of Patmos, and the whole, known to us as “The Revelation,” committed to writing by the close of the century.
The First and Last Books of the Bible.
If the first book of the Bible unfolds to us the sources of good and evil, the origin of all things, the germ of every truth, the foundation of every divine and human relationship; the last book shows us the final and eternal results, the triumph of good over evil; the issues, whether in glory or of judgment, of the human race—there we behold the pride of man humbled and flesh wither under the hand of God; there too the meek and lowly ones of earth who identified themselves through grace with Christ and His cross, are exalted; the impress of eternity, the touch of God’s hand rests on every person and every subject treated of in the 66th book of Holy Scripture—THE REVELATION.
The Apostles Paul and Peter.
It was during the reign of Nero, the ravening “lion” (2 Tim. 4:1717Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. (2 Timothy 4:17)), that the Apostles Paul and Peter were martyred; the former by beheading, the latter by crucifixion, and, at his own request, with his head down as unworthy to die like his Master. We see no reason to doubt the traditions concerning these beloved Apostles; certain it is that both had special revelations of their near end, although not, perhaps, of the manner of their death. It may be well to remark in passing, that both Apostles firmly insisted on the saints rendering obedience and honor to Nero the Emperor—one of the worst and most cruel of men who ever sat on the throne of the Caesars; not the character of the ruler, but the office he fills, is that which demands the respect and reverence of the saints of God (Rom. 13:1-71Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 5Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. (Romans 13:1‑7); 1 Peter 2:1717Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. (1 Peter 2:17)).
From the Emperor Nero to Domitian.
We dare not defile the minds of our readers nor blot our pages with a recital of the cruelties practiced by Nero during a reign of thirteen years. Suffice it to say that their record is written on high by a pen that faithfully chronicles the deeds and thoughts of men. After the ignominious death of the tyrant, three Emperors in succession assumed the purple and swayed the earthly destinies of mankind, considerably within a period of two years, followed by the prosperous reigns of Vespasian and of his son Titus—the latter being termed by the Romans the “delight of mankind.” It was during the reign of these Emperors that the siege of Jerusalem took place—a siege unexampled in the annals of history. The Gentiles destroyed Jerusalem so completely, that the Roman plow, passed over the city (Mic. 3:1212Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest. (Micah 3:12)), and death or slavery were the appointed portion of her people (Deut. 28:49-5749The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; 50A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young: 51And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. 52And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee. 53And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee: 54So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave: 55So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates. 56The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, 57And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates. (Deuteronomy 28:49‑57)). But again the star of Jacob will rise, and the sons of her destroyers build up her walls, and pour their treasures and wealth into the city of the, Savior’s love and choice (Isa. 60).
Next, we have the reign of Domitian, who had been nominated to the throne of his brother Titus. What a period! We question if the blackest page of history can furnish one equal to it. For about 15 years from A.D. 81 The Roman world lay bleeding at the feet of the despot. The wickedness of this man, who spared neither age, sex, nor rank in the gratification of his avarice and cruelty, is without a parallel. The sufferings of the Christians under the second legal persecution during this dismal reign were truly awful, and the torments to which they were subjected barbarous in the extreme. Domitian not only trod closely in the steps of Nero, but even exceeded that insane tyrant and hater of mankind in glutting himself with the blood and agonies of his subjects and of the saints of God.
The Apostle John and Patmos.
It is traditionally reported that the beloved Apostle John and the then only survivor of “The Twelve,” was brought before the Emperor, and after a brief examination, ordered to be cast into a caldron of flaming oil, but after a few hours came out unhurt. Tertullian, who flourished in the third century, asserts the truth of it, and, it has been asked, which, if any, of the early writers denies it? It is certain, however, that John was doomed to perpetual banishment in the rocky isle of Patmos. In that dreary convict establishment of about 25 miles in circumference, washed by the waves of the Ægean Sea, the worst of criminals were sent to drag out a weary existence by laboring in the mines which then existed in the island. We may be sure that the stern Roman Emperor would allow the prisoner of the Lord no exemption from the hard toil and vicious society of Patmos. There is a Greek monastery in the island, and the lazy monks profess to point out the very cave where John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, where the visions and sights narrated in the Apocalypse were seen, and where the prophecy was written. On the accession of Nerva, the edicts of Domitian were canceled, the banished Christians recalled, and their confiscated property restored. John, on the general authority of antiquity, returned from the inhospitable isle of Patmos to Ephesus, the flourishing capital of Asia, and there peacefully ended his days at the advanced age of 100, full of love and labor for his beloved Master.
The Apostle John and the Canon.
We are not aware that John left any authoritative declaration of what writings were canonical. If each of the 66 books of the Bible do not carry with them their own evidence to the soul and conscience of men, then no external proof will convince. It is an important circumstance that John survived the completed revelation of God by several years. He was there to distinguish, on his Apostolic authority immediately derived from the Lord Jesus Christ, the inspired from the uninspired books then in circulation amongst the Churches. He could be appealed to if necessary on any point involving the divine authority of any book of Holy Scripture.
John’s personal knowledge of the Lord, and his familiar acquaintance with the writings of his fellow Apostles and others, and, we might add, his jealous regard for the glory of his Master, His person and work, fitted the Apostle above all others for the task of handing over to the Church a full Bible. We have positive evidence that no writings subsequent to those of John have ever been admitted into the canon of the New Testament.
Canon of the New Testament.
It is true that numerous Christian books were in circulation, even in the days of Luke, the writer of the third Gospel and of “The Acts” (Luke 1:11Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, (Luke 1:1)), some of them attributed to the Apostles and their companions, but they were not regarded as inspired, however highly esteemed otherwise. So numerous are the quotations from the New Testament in the writings of the fathers of the first seven centuries, that the whole of the New Testament might from thence be recovered, if needs be. We frankly admit, however, that certain Epistles, as Hebrews, 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation were not at first universally received as canonical, owing to the difficulty of communication existing in these early times. It was no easy matter then for Churches or individuals at a distance to hold mutual intercourse, and it must be borne in mind that Epistles were addressed to persons or assemblies in some instances 1000 miles apart; besides which the transcribing of accurate copies of the originals required time and care. These facts remembered, we are thankful for the extreme caution with which the canon of the New Testament was finally accepted.
When the 27 books of the New Testament were first collected, or the principle on which they were arranged, is of little consequence. It is just as evident on moral grounds that “The Revelation” forms a fitting conclusion to the New Testament, as that “Malachi” closes the canon of the Old; and this form of evidence is of far more value than any other, inasmuch as it searches the conscience and carries inward conviction to the soul. If, therefore, the last of the Hebrew prophets leaves Israel under the last pleadings of Jehovah’s love till the advent of the Messiah in grace, so the last of the Apostles leaves the Church under the warning voice of the Spirit of God till the advent of Christ in glory. Malachi and Matthew bridge a period of four centuries and a half, the Spirit uniting them in one common testimony, “for the Scripture cannot be broken;” compare Mal. 3:1; 4:51Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)
5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: (Malachi 4:5), with Matt. 17:11-1311And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 12But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 13Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. (Matthew 17:11‑13). Again, Moses the lawgiver and John the Apostle stretch hands over the gulf of sixteen centuries, “for the Scripture cannot be broken;” compare Gen. 1 with Rev. 21 The Holy Bible may be likened to a noble bridge of 66 arches—only undermine one and the whole system of Revelation goes. Reader, hold fast the inspired Scriptures of our God.
The New Testament: Materials of Original Documents, Manuscripts, etc.
“New Testament” is an expression defining the believer’s new position before God since the work of the Cross and the rending of the veil. It is one no doubt borrowed from Matt. 26:2828For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:28); and we suppose that 2 Cor. 3:1414But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:14) would give title and character to the previous revelation—“Old Testament.” The New Testament was completed during the latter half of the first century. The original documents which came from the pen of inspiration were generally either of parchment or of the brittle papyrus plant.
Had the inspired autographs been preserved, we believe men would have worshipped them. Israel paid divine honors to the brazen serpent (2 Kings 18:44He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. (2 Kings 18:4)), and would have worshipped the body of Moses and reverenced his sepulcher had he died in their midst and his tomb been known (Deut. 34:5-65So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. 6And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. (Deuteronomy 34:5‑6); Jude 99Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. (Jude 9)). Paul seems to have used parchment generally, if not exclusively, in the writing of his epistles (2 Tim. 4:1313The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. (2 Timothy 4:13)), which was very enduring, being prepared from the skins of sheep, antelopes, etc. The manufacture of these skins for preservation of documents of value was perfected in Pergamos. The name of the city gave its name to the article. John wrote on the papyrus (2 John 1212Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. (2 John 12)), which grew plentifully on the banks of the Nile and anciently by the Jordan, from which our word paper is derived.
A few specimens of this Egyptian paper have been found in tombs, but not many, as the material was difficult to preserve, being so brittle. A still more ancient material was linen, which has been found wrapped round their mummies and covered all over with hieroglyphics and writing. The earliest Christian documents we possess date from the fourth century; no classical MSS. are nearly so old. We doubt if any Hebrew MSS. exist of earlier date than the tenth century. The Jews were wont to buy very old, defaced, or mutilated MSS. of value. The Sinaitic MS., discovered by Professor Tischendorff, the eminent Biblical critic, is supposed to date from about the accession of Constantine to the imperial throne, and is regarded as an immediate transcript from those destroyed during the previous reign. Perhaps the original MSS. were destroyed during the baptism of blood under Diocletian—the last and hottest of the pagan persecutions. The first recorded instance of burning any portion of the Word of God will be found noted in Jer. 36:20-3220And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king. 21So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king. 22Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him. 23And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. 24Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words. 25Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them. 26But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the Lord hid them. 27Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, 28Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned. 29And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the Lord; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast? 30Therefore thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost. 31And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not. 32Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words. (Jeremiah 36:20‑32). Jehoiakim in his person and posterity paid a fearful penalty for the impious deed. The reader, however, may rest assured and rejoice in the moral certainty which God has granted him, that he in very deed possesses the Word of God. Although a period of about 280 years from the apostolic age to the earliest copies of these writings now extant exist, yet the gulf is easily abridged. Other and adequate helps are available for our Biblical critics, whose labors in restoring the sacred text to nigh the state in which it left the hands of the inspired penman is truly a cause for unfeigned thankfulness to God.
THE NEW TESTAMENT AND EPISTLES OF PAUL.
The New Testament contains 27 books, the work of eight inspired writers, and all written within a period of fifty years. All close in our version, although not in the Greek copies, with the Spirit’s “Amen” except the epistles of James and Third John. Some of these inspired penman were illiterate men, as Peter and John (Acts 4:1313Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)); others scholarly, as Luke and Paul. These books are not arranged chronologically, save, perhaps, the Gospels and Acts.
The Epistles of Paul, of which there are fourteen, form a distinct group by themselves, and which we might denominate “The Faith”—the first in moral order being “the Romans,” while the last in chronological and moral sequence is “2 Timothy.” The first written of these fourteen Epistles is that addressed to the Thessalonians. The authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews has been long a disputed point. It has been variously ascribed to Peter, Apollos, and Paul. From internal evidence we gather that the great Gentile Apostle was the writer (chap. 13:23); while from 2 Peter 3:1515And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; (2 Peter 3:15), we are certain that Paul was the author. Further, from the circumstance that the writer develops the glory of Him who is “the Apostle and High Priest” of the Christian confession, he was led of the Spirit to withhold the mention of his own name. The Hebrews was placed last of the fourteen Pauline Epistles, as the collector of the sacred books or editor of the New Testament had, it is supposed, doubts as to its authorship. Its inspiration, however, is irrespective altogether of the special penman employed. The first word in each of these inspired Epistles is “Paul,” save in the fourteenth.
DIVISIONS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.
The whole of the 27 books might be advantageously classified thus:—first, the Gospels; second, the Acts; third, the Epistles; fourth, the Revelation.
In the first part is laid the ground work of Christianity in the person and work of the Savior. Levi or Matthew, a sub-Roman collector of the taxes leviable upon the fisheries and merchandise of Capernaum, an odious employment in Jewish estimation, unfolds the Messianic glories of Christ according to Old Testament prediction, and reveals Him in death as God’s sin-offering for Jew and Gentile. John Mark, for some time the minister or servant of Paul, and of Barnabas his near relative, and probably Peter’s child in the faith (1 Peter 5:1313The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son. (1 Peter 5:13)), touchingly records the service of the Lord—noting the hand, the eye, the heart, the look, and the exquisite grace of the perfect workman. It is His death, as the trespass offering, which Mark, under the guiding of the Spirit, presents. The scholarly and accomplished Gentile, the “beloved physician”—Luke—had the delightful task of unfolding the perfection of the manhood of Jesus, of tracing the path of the bruised, dependent, suffering Son of Man from the Jewish circumstances preceding His birth in the manger or stall for cattle, till the heaven of heavens receives Him. In this gospel also Jesus takes the place of both the “flour” (Lev. 2) and “communion” offerings (Lev. 3) John, the special friend of Peter and the bosom companion of the Lord, unfolds those divine and wondrous truths respecting the person and glory of the Lord from eternity and onward. The divine dignities and glories of the Son, if all written down, would constitute a library too vast for the world to contain (chap. 21:25). We commenced with the sin-offering, and here end with the burnt-offering.
In the second part or division of the New Testament we name the Acts—the only historical work of the 27—written by physician Luke to his friend and Christian enquirer, Theophilus, probably a Roman governor over one of the Asiatic provinces of the Empire. We think it highly probable that Theophilus gave up his official position in the Roman service after the perusal of the gospel by his friend Luke. The official “most excellent” (Luke 1:33It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, (Luke 1:3)) is omitted in Acts 1:11The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, (Acts 1:1). The Acts historically traces the progress of Christianity amongst the Jews by Peter (Acts 1-12), and the Gentiles by Paul (Acts 13-28). The missionary zeal and long-continued labors of the Gentile Apostle for about thirty years, his evangelistic tours, his last great journey from Jerusalem to Rome, the historical circumstances under which the Epistles were penned, the rise and progress of the numerous churches planted by the Apostles and others, make up a book of interest unequaled in the annals of missionary enterprise.
Under the third division of the New Testament are embraced the fourteen Epistles by Paul, two by Peter, three by John, one by James, and one by Jude—in all, 21. Christianity or the righteousness of God is the theme of the Romans; the church and ministry, of the Corinthians; grace as opposed, to law, of the Galatians; the heavenly places for blessing, for power, and for conflict, while heaven’s light is thrown upon every earthly relationship in which the Christian is placed, are the main subjects of Ephesians; the personal and relative glories of Christ are unfolded in Colossians; the coming of the Lord for the dead and living saints is treated of in the Thessalonians; the house of God in order and disorder in those to Timothy; Christian walk and order in the world in that to Titus; a purely domestic matter is courteously treated in Christian correspondence in Philemon; the present heavenly position of Christ as Sacrifice, Priest, Minister, and Forerunner, within the veil—we inside as worshippers, outside as His witnesses—are treated of in the Hebrews; the path of practical godliness will be found traced in James; the government of God in time and on to eternity, in the epistles of the Jewish Apostle, Peter; life, love, and light are the themes in John; and an energetic and solemn warning in apostate times in Jude.
The fourth and concluding part of the New Testament is the prophetic book of the Revelation. It was written by John during his imprisonment in the lonely and inhospitable Grecian island of Patmos. JUDGMENT is the great subject of the book. The roar of heaven’s artillery, the crash of falling kingdoms, the wail of impenitent sinners; heaven, earth, hell, eternity, time, God, Christ, angels, Satan, and men, are some of the scenes, actors, and places so vividly and awfully portrayed in this the 66th book of Holy Scripture. The time is at hand, and the effect of every vision.