Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Canonical Scriptures: Development of Christianity
There were a number of decisions that were made in the forming of the canonical scriptures as they appear today. These decisions were largely based on the events that took place in the first four centuries of the development of Christianity (Noll, 2012, p.66). Additionally, since it was during this time period that the administration, circumscription, and focus of Christianity was actually developing, concerns related to these matters played a profound impact upon the selection of scriptures which reinforced this religion. In this way, the role of the canonical scriptures was designed specifically to reinforce and, in many cases, actually prove some of the key points of Christianity. Thus, the reason and rationale for the canonical scriptures was to both solidify and buttress important ecclesiastical and pragmatic concerns regarding the way Christianity is practiced.
In terms of the ecclesiastic or spiritual elements of Christianity, certain texts were included in the canonical scriptures due to their ability to propagate some of the core principle of Christianity related to God and his ways. Certain texts illustrate God's beneficence, power, and compassion better than others, and therefore possess a great utility in not only establishing the foundation upon which this religion is based but also for converting others to this belief. These scriptures are best described as "truly the Word of God" and "have always exercised, and still exercise, an unparalleled power upon the lives of men" (Noll, 2012, p.61). Therefore, the books that can best convey the spirit of Christianity and of the God that governs this religion were integral to...
In terms of worship, then, a number of texts that were regularly read and utilized in church settings that simply became a part of those proceedings and of how Christians worshiped. The most cogent of these texts inevitably pertained to their relationship with the apostles, since Jesus had a close relationship with these followers who, after the death of Christ, were instrumental in evangelizing his word and works, and in spreading the Christian faith in its early stages. Subsequently, there was a preeminence associated with the writings of the apostles that were influential in including them in the scriptural canon -- especially those that were regularly read during various stages of worship. These were the writings that, "had made their authority felt in the churches. The shape of the New Testament shows that the early churches' primary aim was to submit fully to the teachings of the apostles…that… shaped the character of Christianity" (Noll, 2012 p. 66). Worship was one of the primary practical concerns that impacted the reason and rational for the canonical scriptures.
Of the many important events in the first four centuries of Christianity that lent itself to both ecclesiastical and pragmatic concerns regarding the rationale for the scriptures, one of the most important was the council at Nicaea in which the conception of the trinity was not only fully formed, but also administered as one of…
References
Noll, M. (2012). Turning points: Decisive moments in the history of Christianity. (3rd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. ISBN-13: 9780801039966 (Available as print text only)
Oppenheimer, M. (2011). Focusing on the Jewish story of the New Testament. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/us/a-jewish-edition-of-the-new-testament-beliefs.html?_r=0
Shelley, B. (2008). Church history in plain language (3rd ed.). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. ISBN-13: 9780718025533 (Available as print text only)
Christianity was in its infancy when the New Testament was created, and it would have been important to the leaders of the Christian community to inspire some level - even a lot - of fear of retribution for failing the community and their faith. This is supported by Joseph Gaer (1952), whose book the Lore of the New Testament, provides the insight into the stories of the New Testament, and
The books the researcher would first and foremost include the following books which currently constitute the Old and New Testament of the Bible: Old Testament Pentateuch - 5 books Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy Historical Books - 12 books Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First Samuel, Second Samuel, First Kings, Second Kings, First Chronicles, Second Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. Poetical - 5 books Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon Prophetical - 17 books Major Prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations,
Taoism and Later World Religions Laozi -- the legendary author of the Dao Dejing -- may not have been a real person, since his name is simply the Chinese for "Old Master." Yet the Dao itself would not want this fact to get in our way inquiring what Laozi himself would have thought of something -- after all, the Dao teaches that "the name that can be named is not the
This could prove a difficult task filling in the blanks existing in what he had acquired by then There are instances of inconsistency between Paul's journeys regarding his visits in Jerusalem (as recorded in Galatians 1,2) and those recounted by Luke, which point to Luke's inability to comprehend the perfect sequence of events and their importance accurately. However, the most important thing to note is that the latter chapters of
The Japanese myth partly resembles that of Adam and Eve present in the Bible and in the Quran. However, the first beings in Japan are considered to hold much more power than their equivalents in the west. Another resemblance between the Japanese legends and those in the west is the fact that the kami are considered to live in the high planes of Takamagahara, somewhat resembling mount Olympus, from Greek
There are seven letters by Paul and it is accepted that they were written by Paul, but no one knows clearly who wrote the rest. A critical enquiry into all this started only in the 18th century as there was no critical study of the matter. The accepted authorship of Paul is regarding the Epistles to Romans, First to Corinthians, Second to Corinthians, to Philippians, to Galatians, to Thessalonians