Most religions, oriental and western, have their own set of revered writings. But what qualifies a writing as "Scripture?" What criteria mark writings as what Bruce Metzger, The New Testament: Its Background, Growth, and Content (3rd ed. 2003), calls "sacred, authoritative, and worthy of being read in services of worship”? (For the Christian Scriptures Metzger himself said the three criteria were orthodoxy, apostolicity and ecclesiastical consensus.)
I'm not so much interested here in the historical selection process for which Christian writings "made the cut" (e.g., the Letter to the Hebrews is in, the Epistle of Barnabas is out) as I am in what influences may have motivated the selectors -- and what influences should have motivated them. Taking as a given that all Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, etc. (2 Tim. 3:16), how do we identify the "God-breathed" nature of a particular writing so as to be worthy of admission into the Canon?
A secondary question is whether the criteria we settle on -- if indeed we can reach a consensus here -- necessarily close the Canon. (Sorry, Book of Mormon fans!)
So let's take a deep dive. Thoughts????
I'm not so much interested here in the historical selection process for which Christian writings "made the cut" (e.g., the Letter to the Hebrews is in, the Epistle of Barnabas is out) as I am in what influences may have motivated the selectors -- and what influences should have motivated them. Taking as a given that all Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, etc. (2 Tim. 3:16), how do we identify the "God-breathed" nature of a particular writing so as to be worthy of admission into the Canon?
A secondary question is whether the criteria we settle on -- if indeed we can reach a consensus here -- necessarily close the Canon. (Sorry, Book of Mormon fans!)
So let's take a deep dive. Thoughts????