12/18/2014

HowEarlyareListsofNTWritings?|LarryHurtado'sBlog

LarryHurtadosBlog
CommentsontheNewTestamentandEarlyChristianity(andrelatedmatters)
TAGS
Canon,ChristianOrigins,NTtexts

HowEarlyareListsofNTWritings?
December18,2014
MichaelJ.Kruger(formerPhDstudent)contributesasignificantstudyonthequestionofhowearlywe
havelistsofNTwritingstreatedasscripture:OriginsListofNewTestamentBooksinHomilliaeinJosuam
7.1:AFreshLook,inMark,Manuscripts,andMonotheism,ed.ChrisKeith&DieterRoth(London:
BloomsburyT&TClark,2014),99117.
TherearetwosidesofopiniononthequestionofwhenwefindourearliestlistsofNTwritings.Theone
view(championedbySundbergandHahneman)isthattheseappearinitiallyinthefourthcenturyCE.The
otherview(defendedbyothers,includingKruger)isthatwehaveevidenceofsuchlistsfromtheearly
thirdcentury(andthesemayhavehadearlierprecedents).
ThedebatehasfocusedmuchonwhentodatethesocalledMuratorianFragment,aportionofwhatwas
apparentlyalistofChristianwritingsthatwerecomingtoberecognizedasscripture,aswellassomethat
remainedunderdispute.Krugersfocushere,however,isonalistofwritingsinatextbytheearlythird
centuryChristianscholar,Origen,whichhasanumberofsimilaritiestotheMuratorianFragmentlist.
Origenswritings(Greek)cometousviaaLatintranslationbyalaterfigure,Rufinus,andsothefirststep
inKrugersdiscussionistodeterminehowfaithfullyRufinusmayhaverenderedOrigen.Essentially,
Krugercontendsthat,whateverchangesRufinusmayhavemade,thesubstanceofOrigensthoughtwas
faithfullyconveyed.
Then,KrugerturnstothelistofwritingsinOrigenswork,HomiliaeinJosuam7.1.Inthislist,Origenaccepts
thefourGospels,Acts,fourteenepistlesofPaul(Hebrewsincludedhere),1Peter,1John,Jude,and
Revelation.Origenacknowledgesherethat2John&3Johnand2Peteraredoubtedbysome,butKruger
contendsthatOrigenshowedhimselfcontenttotreatthemasscripture.Wehaveasimilarstanceonthe
epistleofJames.
Interestingly,Origenslisthasthreecategories:writingscommonly/widelyacceptedasscripture,writings
notaccepted,andamixedcategory(writingsthatseemedtohavebothwhatheregardedasapostolic
teachingandothercontent).KrugerthenpointsanotherplacewhereOrigenlistsauthorsofNTwritings
(HomiliesonGenesis13.2),whichmatchesfullythelistofbookintheotherOrigentext.Thisthreefold
classificationis,tomymind,anotherearmarkofitsearlydate.
ThenKrugeranalysesacanonlistbyRufinushimself(CommentaryontheApostlesCreed),notingthatit
seemsmorefixedandadvancedthanthetwolistsinOrigen.ThiswouldsuggestthatRufinusdidnt
imposehisownlistonOrigen,butfaithfullyrenderedwhatOrigenhadwritten.
Krugersconclusion,thus,isthatthelistofNTwritingsinHom.Jos7.1isauthenticallyOrigens,which
takesusbacktotheearlythirdcenturyCE,showingthatalreadyatthatpointChristianswereforming
viewsonwhatwritingsshouldbetreatedaspartoftheNTcanon.TogetherwiththeMuratorianFragment
(whichKrugerwithmanyothersassignstotheearlythirdcenturyCE),Origengivesusindicationthatthe
formationofaNTcanonwasaprocessthatbegansurprisinglyearly,evenifitwasnotcompleteduntil
muchlater.

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7Comments
1. wmcoppinspermalink
Thanksforthispost!IguessonequestionformeiswhetherornotitishelpfultorefertoOrigens
discussionasalist,sinceitseemslikethereisroomfordiscussionaboutwhetherOrigenstreatment
ofthestatusofvariousbooksfallsunderthesamegenreascanonliststhatweencounterlater.
Perhapsitdoes.Idontknow.Incaseyouareinterested,hereisarelatedpostthatIdidonthe
Muratoriancanon:http://wp.me/p4dgUFae.
Reply
larryhurtadopermalink
Yes,Wayne,andKrugerdoesntascribeacanonlisttoOrigen,butinsteadhesimplynotesthat
Origenlistsbooksthatheregardsasscripture.
Reply
2. AbidanPaulShahpermalink
RebloggedthisonAbidanPaulShahandcommented:
VerygoodarticleontheearlyrecognitionoftheNewTestamentCanon!AlsoworthreadingisKrugers
CanonRevisited
Reply
3. DonaldJacobspermalink
WhynomentionofDavidTrobischsargumentthatthearrangementoftextsinearlyMSS,nomina
sacra,uniformtitlesandotherpiecesofevidence,indicatethatthecanonwasalreadyestablishedinthe
middleofthesecondcentury.
Reply
larryhurtadopermalink
Well,youdhavetoaskKruger.Butmyguess:BecauseTrobischstheoryhasntwonverymany
adherents,andsoisntreallyapositionheldbysomephalanxofscholars.
Thereasonsarethat(1)thereisntafixedorderofNTwritingsinancientmanuscripts;(2)the
nominasacrahavenothingtodowiththematter;etc.
Reply
4. HughScottpermalink
Averyinterestingblogontheearliestlistsofscripture,butsurelythisneedstobeaccompaniedby
datesfortheearliestknownreferencestoindividualtextsconsideredasscripture,since,asIhaveseenit
stated,almosteverywordoftheentireNewTestamentcouldbereconstitutedbycollatingallthe
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HowEarlyareListsofNTWritings?|LarryHurtado'sBlog

quotationsofindividualbooksconsideredasscripturebytheendofthe2ndcentury(e.g.inJustin,
Irenaeus,etc)..
Reply
larryhurtadopermalink
Hugh:Ihaventseentheclaimthatyoumention,andIratherdoubtthatitsvalid.
Reply

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