Ernie Fitzpatrick asked: Not only do WINNERS write history, but history is constantly being REVISED. As a political science and history major that gave me my BA in college, I have to wonder how much of history is FACTUAL. However, my intent here is about religious history which has a particularly shady approach to the past. Before I launch, let me reiterate that I see the Bible as SACRED and by Bible, I am talking about both the Christian (pick a translation) and Catholic Bible: be it sixty six or seventy two books.
Did I mention I see many of the lost gospels as sacred too?
The road to canonicity was a long one and well traveled. Pope Damasus I isam often considered to be the father of the modern Catholic canon. Thus some 350 years after the death of Jesus twenty seven books are decided on by a combination of several emperors, particularly Constantine and Justinian, and the winners of the \”canonicity battle\”. The players in that battle were primarily as follows:
1-
Jewish-Christian Adoptionists who felt the Bible was the book Hebrews, Matthew without chapters 1 and 2, and the Hebrew Old Testament. They saw Paul as a heretic.
2-
Marcionites who felt the Bible was the Gospel of Luke without chapter 1&2 and ten letters of Paul (less, I, II Timothy and Titus). Paul was their supreme commander.
3-
Gnostic (Valentinian) Christians who preferred John, Gospel of Thomas, Mary, Phillip, and the Gospel Of Truth.
4-
Ebionites who felt the Bible was the Gospel of Ebionites and Hebrews.
5-
Montanists who believe many things from many books including: that the soul was not pre-existent- Jesus totally human, not of virgin birth, and was akin to today\’s Modern day Pentecostals.
6-
Proto-Orthodox who were the forerunners of today’s thinking, creeds and the Bible we now have.
The proto-orthodox won. One can take the position that God decided who would win (where\’s the free will in that?) or we can take the position that the most powerful group won, and that the canon that we have today, while sacred and full of wise spiritual counsel, is in now way infallible nor the final word.
We have the Spirt-Consciousness of God for that. Are you using it?
