The Power of a Canon
Posted by Pat Gohn in Faith on Thursday, January 21, 2010 6:00 AM
A canon is not a cannon. But while the canon of Scripture is not a tubular gun fitted to launch heavy projectiles, it just might have explosive powers of a different nature. Recall St. Paul called the Word of God, “the sword of the Spirit, (Eph 6:17)” as he described spiritual armor and weaponry.
By definition, the canon of Scripture is the definitive list of the inspired books of the Bible… the list discerned by the authority of the Catholic Church, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Canon comes from the Greek word kanón that means “a measuring rod, or rule.” So, the canon of Scripture – what we know as the Bible – contains the books that fit the rule, that “measure up,” that meet the criteria of truly being inspired by God.
A side note: The word canon has other applications, like the Code of Canon Law (rules for church governance), or the canon of the Mass (the Eucharistic prayers for thanksgiving and consecration), and the canon of saints (holy men and women recognized as saints, “canonized” by the authority of the Pope.)
Not to trivialize it, but it is as if the books of the Canon of Scripture have a seal of approval. In other words, the Bible’s authenticity is backed by the authority of the Catholic Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
All books of the Bible meet that weighty standard. Each Testament is valid and necessary. The Hebrew Scriptures were written before the time of Jesus Christ. They are more commonly known as the Old Testament or Old Covenant. The Christian Scriptures were written after the Ascension of Jesus. They contain the Gospels and other New Testament or New Covenant writings. There are 46 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament.
It is a heresy to suggest that the coming of Jesus Christ in some way revokes or invalidates the Old Testament. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states in CCC 122 – 123:
The Old Testament is an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture. Its books are divinely inspired and retain a permanent value, for the Old Covenant has never been revoked.
Indeed… the Old Testament…[prepared for the…] coming of Christ, redeemer of all… Even though [it contains] matters imperfect and provisional… the Old Testament bear[s] witness to…God’s saving love… the mystery of our salvation is present in a hidden way.
Christians venerate the Old Testament as true Word of God. The Church has always vigorously opposed the idea of rejecting the Old Testament under the pretext that the New has rendered it void.
Reading the New Testament, we see the centrality of the Gospels. We read about Jesus Christ: his words and actions, especially his passion, death, and resurrection. And how Christ established the Church on earth, with the Holy Spirit to sustain it.
The Gospels were formed in three stages. First, there were the actual words and deeds of Jesus while he lived on earth, until his Ascension. Second was “oral tradition” – apostles enlightened by the Holy Spirit – handing on what Jesus said and did. Finally, came written Gospels. The sacred authors, or evangelists, selected certain elements that had been handed on to them by Christ or his apostles. Each wrote their account “with an eye to the situation of the churches, but always in such a fashion that they have told us the honest truth about Jesus, (CCC 126.)”
History records other written gospel accounts besides Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. (Perhaps you have heard of the “gospel of Thomas” and the “gospel of Peter”? National Geographic recently reported on a “gospel of Judas.”)
While historically fascinating, none of these writings “made the grade.” They were not “inspired.” Some were inaccurate and heterodox or fell outside the accepted apostolic timeline. Others were not accepted as authoritative by the faithful. They are non-canonical; outside of the canon.
CCC 105 explains:
God is the author of Sacred Scripture … Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author, and have been handed on as such to the Church herself.
If we really believe God is the author of Sacred Scripture, we might just begin to trust the mighty power of God’s Word. And if the canon of Scripture really was a cannon, we might just let its Spirit-infused firepower take aim at what it was made for: disarming or destroying any foe that stands between our heart and God’s.
Want to read more?
CCC 133:
The Church forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful. . . to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.
—Pat Gohn is a wife & mother celebrating 27 years of Catholic family life. Her Catholic writing, podcasting, and ministry life are found at PatGohn.com.
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