BI Book Review # 3

Book Title

Where Our Bible Came From (How the Old Testament Canon and the New Testament Canon Came Into Being)
By J. Carter Saim

The contents of the book

(1) The Law
(2) The Prophets
(3) The Writings
(4) The Gospels
(5) The Letters of Paul
(6) The Others Books
(7) The Church’s Canon-and Yours

About the Author

The Rev. J. Carter Swaim, a former theology professor in Pittsburgh, an executive with the National Council of Churches in New York and former pastor of the Church of the Covenant on Manhattan's East Side, died on Aug. 7 at the Presbyterian Medical Center in Washington, Pa., where he lived. He was 93. He was a professor emeritus of New Testament literature and exegesis at Western Theological and served in pastorates at Presbyterian churches in Staten Island and St. Louis. He was born in Selma, Ala., and he received degrees from Washington and Jefferson College and Western Theological Seminary (now Pittsburgh Theological), and a doctorate from the University of Edinburgh.

All about the Book

This book is a good introduction to understanding where our Bible came from. It breaks the Bible down into Old and New Testaments then describes how each group of books found their line of attack into the canon. The book tries to explain how the various books were written and at what point in time. Many Old Testament books were in point of fact written down during or after the exile after having been part of an oral tradition for generations. Then the book explains how the various writings and wisdom literature went through challenges as to whether it should be included in the canon or not.

Things did not change much when the New Testament emerged. In fact, the conservative traditionalists did much to leave out Paul's writings or include certain unfamiliar books depending on who was making the decisions. The book ends with a discussion of the early church leaders who debated over the centuries on which books were canonical and which were not. Some reformation figures like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli sought to cut rate Revelation as being too nothing like the other books of the New Testament. The Counter Reformation Council of Trent sought to reinforce Jerome's 4th Century Latin Vulgate Bible.
How we got the Bible? It is the development of the canon of the Scripture. The root meaning comes from Greek (kanwn) meaning rod, and theologically ruler, standard, norm-nominative writing for measure.

The Bible came from God through the people. God used the men, prophets, apostles or an association of an apostle. (Heb. 1:1;2, Peter 1:20-21). The writers were confirmed b an act of God. (18:22; Gal. 1:8).

It has the power of God (Heb. 4:12). It was accepted by the people of God. There are two main reasons we may affirm the Old Testament Canon of 39 books. It was the Canon of Jesus (Luke 24:27, 44). It was the Canon of the first century Jewish community. God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the father by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds Hebrews 1:1-2. Former Days God through the prophets. Last days God spoke through His son.

Posted by Sein Thein