Works by John E. Remsburg
The Bible. A new book about the Bible. The best one of all. Large 12mo. 500 pages. Cloth, $1.25. Postpaid.
Christian Sabbath. A small and valuable tract for promiscuous distribution wherever the Sunday bigots are enforcing their Sunday Laws. 3 cents.
Decline of Faith. 5 cents.
False Claims of the Church. Analyzing and confuting the claims made by churchmen that the Christian church has promoted morality, learning, temperance, science, freedom, and showing how she has opposed progress. Paper, 10 cents.
Image Breaker. 25 cents.
Paine and Wesley. 5 cents.
Piety and the Slave Trade. The Record of Methodism. (Tract.) 5 cents.
Prophets and Prophecies. Future Events Not Predicted. (Tract.) 3 cents.
Protestant Intolerance. (Tract.) 5 cents.
Sabbath Breaking. Giving the origin of Sabbath ideas, examining Sunday arguments, and showing that there is no scriptural authority for the observance of the day: also showing that the Christian “Fathers” did not specially regard the day and that the Reformers opposed its adoption by the church. A book brimful of good reasons why the Sunday laws should be repealed. Paper, 25 cents.
Six Historic Americans. This work consists of two parts, “The Fathers of the Republic,” and “The Saviors of Our Republic.” In regard to Paine’s religious views, Mr. Remsburg establishes the negative of the following: (1) Was Paine an Atheist? (2) Was he a Christian? (3) Did he recant? Page after page of the most radical Freethought sentiments are culled from the correspondence and other writings of Franklin and Jefferson, which show that these men were as pronounced in their rejection of Christianity as Paine and Ingersoll. That Washington was not a church communicant, nor even a believer in Christianity, is affirmed or admitted by more than a score of witnesses, one-half of them eminent clergymen, including the pastors of the churches, which he with his wife attended. In support of Lincoln’s Infidelity, he has collected the testimony of more than one hundred witnesses. These witnesses include Mr. Lincoln’s wife; his three law partners, Maj. Stuart, Judge Logan and W. H. Herndon; his private secretaries. Col. Nicolay and Col. Hay; his executor after death, Judge David Davis; many of his biographers, including his companion and confidant, Col. Lamon; his political advisers, Col. Matheny, Jesse W. Fell, and Dr. Jayne; members of his cabinet, and scores more of his most intimate friends and associates. The refutation of Grant’s alleged Christian belief is complete, and the proofs of his unbelief are full and convincing. Large 12mo. Price, $1.25.
Was Washington a Christian? 8 cents.
THE TRUTH SEEKER CO.
62 Vesey Street, New York
THE BIBLE
I. AUTHENTICITY
II. CREDIBILITY
III. MORALITY
By
JOHN E. REMSBURG
“Somebody ought to tell the truth about the Bible.”
—Ingersoll.
New York
THE TRUTH SEEKER COMPANY
62 Vesey Street
1907
In memory of
my
mother,
Sarah A. Bruner.
PREFACE.
In January, 1901, the following announcement appeared in The Truth Seeker, of New York:
To the Readers of The Truth Seeker: Two years ago that able and sagacious Liberal leader, L. K. Washburn, wrote: “The next great moral revolution of the world will be a crusade against the Christian Bible.” The church expects this and is preparing for it. In an address before the Methodist ministers of Chicago, the Rev. Dr. Curry, a distinguished Methodist divine, said: “We are standing on the eve of the most stupendous revolution in reference to the doctrines of the Bible that the church has ever known.” In this long war with bibliolaters the younger readers of The Truth Seeker will take a prominent part. To call their attention to the impending struggle, and to aid in a small way in fitting them for it, the editor of The Truth Seeker has invited me to open a sort of Bible school in his paper. For nearly a quarter of a century I have been writing and lecturing and debating against the divinity of the Bible. My opposition from the trained defenders of the book has been at times both keen and bitter. I was compelled to become and remain a diligent student of the Bible and of Biblical criticism. As far as possible I collected all of the damaging facts obtainable. I digested and classified them and filed them away in the labeled pigeon-holes of my brain for use when needed. I am growing old. My hair which was black when I began my work will soon be white. I have at the most but a few more years to labor. This arsenal of facts which I have gathered and the arguments that I have formulated from them I wish to place within the reach of others. Whether the thought be a Spiritualistic assurance or an Irish bull, it will be a pleasure to me when I am dead to know that I am still of some service to the cause.
In the next issue of The Truth Seeker I shall begin a series of some thirty lessons or chapters on “The Bible.” The chief purpose of the work will be to combat the dogmas of the divine origin and infallibility of the Christian Bible. The points of attack will be three: 1. Its Authenticity; 2. Its Credibility; 3. Its Morality. I shall endeavor to disprove in a large degree the authenticity of its books, the credibility of its statements, and the morality of its teachings.
John E. Remsburg.
These chapters were published in weekly installments in The Truth Seeker, their publication extending through a period of twenty months. The matter was electrotyped as published and the work will now be given to the public in book form. To those interested in Biblical criticism, and especially to the Freethought propagandist and to the Christian investigator, it is hoped that its contents may be useful.
The facts presented in this volume, while known to many Christian scholars, are, as far as possible, kept from the lower orders of the clergy and from the laity. Divines enjoying high honors and large salaries may be cognizant of them without endangering their faith; but the humbler ministers who receive small pay, and the laity who support the church, are liable to have their faith impaired by a knowledge of them.
In Part II., devoted to the Credibility of the Bible, less space is given to the errors of the New Testament than to those of the Old Testament. This is not because the New contains less errors than the Old, but because the author has prepared another volume on this subject. In “The Christ,” a sequel to “The Bible,” a more exhaustive exposition of the errors of the New Testament, particularly of the Four Gospels, is given.
While denying the infallibility of the writers of the Bible the author is not unconscious of his own fallibility.
CONTENTS.
PART I.
Chapter I.
[Sacred Books of the World], 5
Chapter II.
Chapter III.
Chapter IV.
[Different Versions of the Bible], 39
Chapter V.
Chapter VI.
[The Pentateuch], 50
Chapter VII.
[The Prophets], 76
Chapter VIII.
Chapter IX.
[The Four Gospels], 108
Chapter X.
[Acts, Catholic Epistles, and Revelation], 140
Chapter XI.
[Pauline Epistles], 152
PART II.
Chapter XII.
[Textual Errors], 163
Chapter XIII.
[Two Cosmogonies of Genesis], 181
Chapter XIV.
Chapter XV.
[The Jewish Kings], 198
Chapter XVI.
[When Did Jehoshaphat Die?] 210
Chapter XVII.
[Inspired Numbers], 231
Chapter XVIII.
Chapter XIX.
Chapter XX.
Chapter XXI.
Chapter XXII.
[Prophecies], 293
Chapter XXIII.
[Miracles], 306
Chapter XXIV.
[The Bible God], 317
PART III.
Chapter XXV.
[The Bible Not a Moral Guide], 329
Chapter XXVI.
[Lying—Cheating—Stealing], 339
Chapter XXVII.
[Murder—War], 351
Chapter XXVIII.
[Human Sacrifices—Cannibalism—Witchcraft] 361
Chapter XXIX.
[Slavery—Polygamy], 374
Chapter XXX.
Chapter XXXI.
[Intemperance—Vagrancy—Ignorance], 394
Chapter XXXII.
[Injustice to Women—Unkindness to Children—Cruelty to Animals], 404
Chapter XXXIII.
Chapter XXXIV.
[Conclusion], 423
APPENDIX.
[Arguments Against the Divine Origin and in Support of the Human Origin of the Bible], 433
[Index], 463
THE BIBLE.
PART I.—AUTHENTICITY.
CHAPTER I.
SACRED BOOKS OF THE WORLD.
Asia has been the fruitful source of religions and Bibles. The seven great religions of the world, Brahmanism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Zoroastrianism, Mohammedanism, Judaism, and Christianity—all had their birth in Asia; and the so-called sacred books which are used to uphold and propagate these faiths were nearly all written by Asiatic priests and prophets. A brief description of the most important of these books will be presented in this chapter.
Sacred Books of India.
Vedas.—The Vedas are the oldest Bibles in the world. There are four of them, the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda, and the Atharvaveda. Devout Hindoos believe that these books have always existed—that they are co-eternal with God. Scholars agree that they are very old, that the Rigveda, the oldest of the four, and one of the oldest books extant, was composed between 3,000 and 4,000 years ago. Each Veda is complete in itself, and consists of religious teachings, prayers, and hymns.
Puranas.—The Vedas and Puranas are the most important of the sacred books of the Hindoos. The Puranas, more than any other works, have contributed to mould the doctrines of the popular Brahmanical religion of India. They are eighteen in number, of which the Bhagavata, containing a history of Chrisna, is the one best known.
Tripitaka.—This is the Buddhist Bible. It was compiled 300 years before the Christian era. Self conquest and universal charity are its fundamental teachings.
Upanishads.—These are sacred books which treat of the Creation, of the Supreme Being or Spirit, Brahma, and of the nature of the human soul and its relation to Brahma.
Tantras.—The Tantras are sacred books relating chiefly to the God Siva.
Ramayana.—The Ramayana is one of the great epic poems of the world. It gives the history of Rama, one of the incarnations of the God Vishnu.
Mahabharata.—This is another epic poem, a larger one, containing more than 100,000 verses. Like the Ramayana, it is believed to be of divine origin. It has been described as “the great manual of all that is moral, useful, and agreeable.”
Institutes of Menu.—Menu is regarded as the law-giver of the Hindoos, as Moses is of the Jews. The Institutes of Menu are in many respects similar to the so-called laws of Moses.
Sacred Books of China.
Yih King.—This book contains a cosmological treatise and a compendium on morals. It was written 1143 B.C.
Shu King.—This contains the teachings and maxims of certain ancient Chinese kings. There are documents in it over 4,000 years old.
Shi King.—This is the Chinese hymn book. It contains three hundred sacred songs and poems, some of which are very old.
Le King.—The Le King is a text book on manners, customs, and ceremonies. It has been one of the chief agents in moulding the social and religious life of China.
Chun Tsien.—The Chun Tsien is a historical work compiled by Confucius. It gives a record of his own times and those immediately preceding him.
The above books, called the Five Kings, are the canonical books of Confucianism, the religion of the educated classes of China. With the exceptions noted, they were mostly written or compiled about 500 B.C. They are considered sacred by the Chinese, but not, like other sacred books, a revelation from God. Confucius recognized no God. His religion is preeminently the religion of this world, and is thus summed up by him: “The observance of the three fundamental laws of relation between sovereign and subject, father and child, husband and wife, and the five capital virtues—universal charity, impartial justice, conformity to ceremonies and established usages, rectitude of heart and mind, and pure sincerity.”
Sacred Books of Persia.
Zend Avesta.—This is one of the most important of all the Bibles of the world, although the religion which it teaches numbers but a few adherents. It was written by Zoroaster and his disciples about 3,000 years ago. It was an enormous work in size, covering, it is said, 12,000 parchments. The Zend Avesta proper consisted of twenty-one books. All of these, save one and some fragments of the others, have perished. They dealt chiefly with religion, but touched upon almost every subject of interest to mankind. They were believed to be a faithful record of the words spoken to the great prophet by God himself. Both Jews and Christians borrowed much from the Zend Avesta.
Sadder.—The Sadder is the Bible of the modern Parsees, and contains, in an abridged form, the religious teachings of Zoroaster.
Sacred Books of Islam.
Koran.—The Mohammedans believe that divine revelations were given to Adam, Seth, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, and Mohammed, and that each successive revelation in a measure superseded the preceding one. The books given to Adam, Seth, Enoch, and Abraham have been lost. The Pentateuch, the Psalms, and the Four Gospels are accepted by them, but the interpolations and corruptions of Jews and Christians, they claim, have greatly impaired their value. The Koran is with them the book of books—God’s last and best revelation to man. It was written in rays of light on a tablet before the throne of God. A copy bound in white silk and bedecked with gems was carried by Gabriel to the lowest heaven, where from time to time, during a period of twenty years, portions of it were transmitted to Mohammed until the whole was given to the world. The book is divided into 114 chapters. It is elegant in style, and, like most other Bibles, contains, along with a great deal that is fabulous and puerile, some admirable moral teachings.
Sunna.—The Sunna is a large work containing many thousand legends of Mohammed. It is a sacred book, but of less authority than the Koran.
Sacred Books of the Jews.
Torah.—The Book of the Law, now commonly called the Pentateuch, is the most sacred of all Jewish books. Jews as well as Christians believe that it was written by Moses and dictated by God. It was not divided into five books as we have it. In the oldest Hebrew manuscripts the entire work forms but one book. It was subsequently divided into parshiyoth, or chapters, and these into sedarim, or sections.
Nebiim.—The Law and the Prophets were the chief authorities of the Jews. The books of the Prophets, called Nebiim, were believed by the orthodox Jews to be divinely inspired, but were esteemed of less importance than the Torah.
Cethubim.—This collection of writings comprised the hymns, poems, and other books now known as the Hagiographa.
Talmud.—The Talmud, while not regarded as a divine revelation, like the Law and the Prophets, is in some respects the most important of Jewish works. It is almost a library in itself, and constitutes a vast storehouse of information pertaining to Jewish history and theology.
Sacred Book of Christians.
Holy Bible.—The Christian Bible consists of two collections of small books, one called the Old Testament, the other the New Testament. The Old Testament comprises the Torah, Nebiim, and Cethubim of the Jews. It is divided into 39 books (including the Apocryphal books accepted by the Greek and Roman Catholic churches, about 50). The New Testament is a collection of 27 early Christian writings, which originally appeared in the various churches of Asia, Africa and Europe.
The Bible is but one of many books for which divinity is claimed. Christians deny the divinity of the other books, however, and affirm that they are of human origin—that their book is God’s only revelation to mankind. The orthodox claim respecting its divinity is expressed in the following words:
“Behind the human authors stood the divine Spirit, controlling, guiding, and suggesting every part of their different messages” (Birks).
CHAPTER II.
THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE.
The title Bible, from Ta Biblia, meaning The Book, or more properly The Books, was given to the sacred book of Christians, it is claimed, by Chrysostom in the fifth century.
For a period of one hundred and fifty years the sacred books of the Jews alone constituted the Christian Bible. They consisted of the following three collections of books which form the
Old Testament.
The Law.
| Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, | Numbers, Deuteronomy. |
- Genesis,
- Exodus,
- Leviticus,
- Numbers,
- Deuteronomy.
The Prophets.
| Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, | Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. |
- Joshua,
- Judges,
- 1 Samuel,
- 2 Samuel,
- 1 Kings,
- 2 Kings,
- Isaiah,
- Jeremiah,
- Ezekiel,
- Hosea,
- Joel,
- Amos,
- Obadiah,
- Jonah,
- Micah,
- Nahum,
- Habakkuk,
- Zephaniah,
- Haggai,
- Zechariah,
- Malachi.
Hagiographa.
| Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, | Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles. |
- Psalms,
- Proverbs,
- Job,
- Song of Solomon,
- Ruth,
- Lamentations,
- Ecclesiastes,
- Esther,
- Daniel,
- Ezra,
- Nehemiah,
- 1 Chronicles,
- 2 Chronicles.
To the above thirty-nine books of the Old Testament were subsequently added the following twenty-seven books of the
New Testament.
| Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, | 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation. |
- Matthew,
- Mark,
- Luke,
- John,
- Acts,
- Romans,
- 1 Corinthians,
- 2 Corinthians,
- Galatians,
- Ephesians,
- Philippians,
- Colossians,
- 1 Thessalonians,
- 2 Thessalonians,
- 1 Timothy,
- 2 Timothy,
- Titus,
- Philemon,
- Hebrews,
- James,
- 1 Peter,
- 2 Peter,
- 1 John,
- 2 John,
- 3 John,
- Jude,
- Revelation.
The books of the Old Testament were called The Scripture, or Scriptures, by early Christians. After the books of the New Testament were recognized as canonical and inspired, the terms Old and New Testaments were employed to distinguish the two divisions. Tertullian, at the beginning of the third century, was the first to use the term New Testament.
The proper arrangement of the books of the Old Testament is in the order named in the foregoing list. Both Jews and Christians, however, have varied the order. The books of the Hagiographa, with the exceptions of Ruth which follows Judges, Lamentations which follows Jeremiah, and Daniel which appears among the Prophets, have been placed between the Earlier and Later Prophets. In later Jewish versions the Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, called the five rolls, come immediately after the Pentateuch. In the Christian Bibles of the Eastern churches, including the two most noted ancient manuscripts, the Vatican and Alexandrian, the seven Catholic Epistles, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude, follow Acts and precede the Pauline Epistles.
In the accepted Hebrew the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament formed but twenty-two, corresponding to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Judges and Ruth formed one book, First and Second Samuel one, First and Second Kings one, First and Second Chronicles one, Ezra and Nehemiah one, Jeremiah and Lamentations one, and the twelve Minor Prophets one.
The books of the Pentateuch (Pente, five; teuchos, volume) now bear the Greek names given them by the Septuagint translators, with the exception of the fourth, Arithmoi, which is called by the English name, Numbers. The Hebrew names for these, as well as many other books of the Old Testament, are the initial words of the books. The name of Genesis, as translated, is “In the Beginning;” Exodus, “These Are the Words;” Leviticus, “And He Called;” Numbers, “And He Spake;” Deuteronomy, “These Are the Words.” Joshua originally belonged to this collection, and to the six books modern scholars have given the name Hexateuch.
About one-half of the books of the Bible, Joshua, Isaiah, Matthew, etc., are named after their alleged authors. A few, like Ruth and Esther, take their names from the leading characters of the books. The Pauline Epistles bear the names of the churches, people, or persons to whom they are addressed. The titles of Judges, Kings, Chronicles, Psalms, Proverbs, and a few others, indicate the subjects of the books.
The division of the books of the Bible into chapters was made in the thirteenth century; the division into verses, in the sixteenth century. These divisions are to a great extent mechanical rather than logical. Paragraphs are frequently divided in the formation of chapters, and sentences in the formation of verses.
Canonical and Apocryphal Books of the Old and New Testaments.
In addition to the canonical books of the Bible, there are many Jewish and Christian books known as the Apocryphal books of the Old and New Testaments. A critical review of the Bible demands a consideration of the apocryphal as well as the canonical books, and the subject will be made more intelligible to the reader by giving a list of both. In making a classification of them they will be divided into ten groups, as follows:
1.
Books accepted as canonical and divine by all Jews and Christians.
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
2.
Books accepted as canonical and divine by a part of the Jews and by all Christians.
Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.
3.
Books accepted by a part of the Jews as canonical, but not divine; by most Christians as canonical and divine.
Ruth, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Daniel.
4.
Books accepted as canonical by some Jews, and for most part by the Greek and Roman Catholic churches, but rejected by the Protestants.
Baruch, Tobit, Judith, Book of Wisdom, Song of the Three Children, History of Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, Prayer of Manasseh, Ecclesiasticus, 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, 3 Maccabees, 4 Maccabees, 5 Maccabees.
5.
Lost books cited by writers of the Bible.
Book of the Wars of the Lord, Book of Jasher, Book of the Covenant, Book of Nathan, Book of Gad, Book of Samuel, Prophecy of Ahijah, Visions of Iddo, Acts of Uzziah, Acts of Solomon, Three Thousand Proverbs of Solomon, A Thousand and Five Songs of Solomon, Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, Chronicles of the Kings of Israel, Book of Jehu, Book of Enoch.
6.
Books which formed the original canon of the New Testament and which have always been accepted by Christians.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1 John.
7.
Books which are now generally accepted by Christians, but which were for a time rejected.
Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation.
8.
Books now excluded from the canon, but which are found in some of the older manuscripts of the New Testament.
Shepherd of Hermas, Epistle of Barnabas, 1 Clement, 2 Clement, Paul’s Epistle to Laodiceans, Apostolic Constitutions.
9.
Other Apocryphal books of the New Testament which are extant.
Gospel of the Infancy, Protevangelion of James, Acts of Pilate, Nativity of Mary, Fifteen Epistles of Ignatius, Epistle of Polycarp, Gospel of Marcion (in part), Clementine Recognitions, Clementine Homilies.
10.
Apocryphal books of the New Testament which are lost.
Oracles of Christ, Gospel According to the Hebrews, Gospel According to the Egyptians, Gospel of Peter, Gospel of Paul, Gospel of Philip, Gospel of Matthias, Gospel of Andrew, Gospel of Perfection, Gospel of Tatian, Gospel of Basilides, Gospel of Apelles, Gospel of Cerinthus, Gospel of Bartholomew, Acts of Paul, Acts of Peter, Revelation of Paul, Revelation of Peter, Preaching of Peter, Memoirs of the Apostles.
Here is a list of one hundred and fifty books. In the apocryphal groups have been included only the most important of this class. To these might be added at least one hundred other apocryphal books of the Old and New Testaments. Of these two hundred and fifty Jewish and Christian writings, sixty-six—about one-fourth—have been declared canonical and divine by Protestants.
In the mind of the devout Protestant there is as great a difference between the canonical and apocryphal books of the Old and New Testaments as there is between light and darkness. The former he regards as the work of a wise and good God, the latter, with a few exceptions, as the work of ignorant and wicked men. And yet there is no such difference. The two classes are of much the same character. The worst canonical books are, perhaps, better than the worst apocryphal books; while, on the other hand, the best apocryphal books, if not equal to the best canonical books, are far superior to a majority of them. Circumstances rather than merit determined the fate of these books. Books of real merit and of high authority in some of the early churches were cast aside because these churches either ceased to exist or changed their creeds; while books of little merit survived as authorities because their teachings supported the doctrines which survived. The religion of the primitive churches underwent many radical changes. The Christianity of the second century was not the Christianity of the first. Books teaching the new theology superseded those which taught the old; and thus the earlier writings became obsolete. Of all the Christian books written prior to the middle of the second century only a few epistles have been retained as authorities.
CHAPTER III.
FORMATION OF THE CANON.
Second in interest and importance only to the origin of the individual books composing the Bible are the facts relating to the manner in which these books were collected into one great volume and declared canonical or authoritative. The formation of the canon required centuries of time to complete.
The Jewish Canon.
The Jewish canon, it is claimed, was chiefly the work of Ezra, completed by Nehemiah. “All antiquity,” says Dr. Adam Clarke, “is nearly unanimous in giving Ezra the honor of collecting the different writings of Moses and the prophets and reducing them into the form in which they are now found in the Bible.”
This opinion, shared alike by Jews and Christians, is simply a tradition. There is no conclusive evidence that Ezra founded the canon of the Old Testament. Nehemiah could not have completed it, because a part of the books were written after his time. There is no proof that all the books of the Old Testament existed in a collected form before the beginning of the Christian era. There is no proof that even the Law and the Prophets existed in such a form before the Maccabean period. The Rev. Frederick Myers, an able authority on the Bible, makes this candid admission: “By whom the books of the Old Testament were collected into one volume, and by what authority made canonical, we do not know” (“Catholic Thoughts on the Bible,” p. 56).
Another prevalent belief is that all of the Jewish scriptures were lost during the captivity, and that Ezra was divinely inspired to rewrite them. Irenaeus says: “God ... inspired Esdras, the priest of the tribe of Levi, to compose anew all the discourses of the ancient prophets, and to restore to the people the laws given them by Moses” (“Ecclesiastical History,” Book V., chap. viii).
This is a myth. The books of the Old Testament which were written before the captivity were not lost. Many books, it is true, were written after the captivity, but these books were not reproductions of lost writings. They were original compositions, or compilations of documents which had not been lost.
If Ezra was inspired, as claimed, to rewrite the Hebrew scriptures, he did not complete his task, for the books that were really lost have never been restored, and the Old Testament is but a part of the Hebrew scriptures that once existed. St. Chrysostom says: “The Jews having been at some time careless, and at others profane, they suffered some of the sacred books to be lost through their carelessness, and have burnt and destroyed others.” The list of books given in the preceding chapter, under the head of “Lost Books cited by writers of the Bible,” would nearly all be deemed canonical were they extant. Referring to these books, the Rev. Dr. Campbell, in his “Introduction to Matthew,” says: “The Book of the Wars of the Lord, the Book of Jasher, the Book of Nathan the Prophet, the Book of Gad the Seer, and several others, are referred to in the Old Testament, manifestly as of equal authority with the book which refers to them, and as fuller in point of information. Yet these are to all appearances irrecoverably lost.” God’s revelation in its entirety, then, no longer exists.
The ten Hebrew tribes which formed the kingdom of Israel, and whose remnants were afterwards called Samaritans, accepted only the first six books of the Old Testament. The other Jews generally accepted the Pentateuch and the Prophets, and, in a less degree, the Hagiographa as canonical. Some of them also attached more or less importance to the Apocryphal books.
The Christian Canon.
Respecting the formation of the New Testament canon, the Rev. Dr. Roswell D. Hitchcock says:
“The new book of records was, like the old, set down by eye-witnesses of and actors in its scenes, closely after their occurrence; its successive portions were cautiously scrutinized and clearly distinguished as entitled to reception; when the record, properly so-called, was completed, the new canon was closed” (“Analysis of the Bible,” p. 1149).
“This process was rapid and decisive; it had in all probability become substantially complete before the death of John, the last of the apostles” (Ibid, p. 1158).
That these statements, popularly supposed to be true, are wholly untrue will be demonstrated by the facts presented in this and succeeding chapters. The Christian canon was not completed before the death of the last apostle. The New Testament did not exist in the time of the apostles. It did not exist in the time of the Apostolic Fathers. It was not in existence in the middle of the second century.
There was no New Testament in the time of Papias. Dr. Samuel Davidson, the highest Christian authority on the canon, says: “Papias (150 A.D.) knew nothing, so far as we can learn, of a New Testament canon” (“Canon of the Bible,” p. 123).
Justin Martyr knew nothing of a New Testament canon. I quote again from Dr. Davidson: “Justin Martyr’s canon (150 A.D.), so far as divine authority and inspiration are concerned, was the Old Testament” (Ibid, p. 129).
For nearly two centuries after the beginning of the Christian era, the Old Testament—the Old Testament alone—constituted the Christian canon. No other books were called scripture; no other books were considered inspired; no other books were deemed canonical.
Founding of the Canon.
To Irenaeus, more than to any other man, belongs the credit of founding the Roman Catholic church; and to him also belongs the credit of founding the New Testament canon, which is a Roman Catholic work. No collection of books corresponding to our New Testament existed before the time of Irenaeus. He was the first to make such a collection, and he was the first to claim inspiration and divine authority for its books. Dr. Davidson says:
“The conception of canonicity and inspiration attaching to New Testament books did not exist till the time of Irenaeus” (“Canon,” p. 163).
At the close of the second century the Christian world was divided into a hundred different sects. Irenaeus and others conceived the plan of uniting these sects, or the more orthodox of them, into one great Catholic church, with Rome at the head; for Rome was at this time the largest and most influential of all the Christian churches. “It is a matter of necessity,” says Irenaeus, “that every church should agree with this church on account of its preeminent authority” (“Heresies,” Book 3).
In connection with this work Irenaeus made a collection of books for use in the church. His collection comprised the following: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, First Corinthians, Second Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First Thessalonians, Second Thessalonians, First Timothy, Second Timothy, Titus, Philemon, First John, and Revelation—twenty books in all.
In the work of establishing the Roman Catholic church and the New Testament canon Irenaeus was succeeded, early in the third century, by Tertullian and Clement of Alexandria. They adopted the list of books made by him. The books adopted by these Fathers were selected from a large number of Christian writings then extant—forty or more gospels, nearly as many Acts of Apostles, a score of Revelations, and a hundred epistles. Each church had one or more books which were used in that church. No divine authority, however, was ascribed to any of them.
Why did the Fathers choose these particular books? Above all, why did they choose four gospels instead of one? We never see four biographies of Washington, of Cromwell, or of Napoleon, bound in one volume; yet here we have four different biographies of Jesus in one book. Irenaeus says it is because “there are four quarters of the earth in which we live, and four universal winds.” Instead of this artificial reason he could have given a natural, a rational, and a truthful reason. While primitive Christians, as we have seen, were divided into many sects, the principal sects may be grouped into three divisions: 1. The Petrine churches, comprising the church of Rome and other churches which recognized Peter as the chief of the apostles and the visible head of the church on earth; 2. The Pauline sects, which accepted Paul as the true exponent of Christianity; 3. The Johannine or Eastern churches, which regarded John as their founder. A collection of books to be acceptable to all of these churches must contain the favorite books of each. The First Gospel, written about the time this church union movement was inaugurated, was adopted by the Petrine churches. The Second Gospel was also highly valued by the church of Rome. The Third Gospel, a revised and enlarged edition of the Pauline Gospel of Marcion, had become the standard authority of Pauline Christians. The Fourth Gospel, which had superseded other and older gospels, was generally read in the Johannine churches. The Acts of the Apostles, written for the purpose of healing the dissensions that had arisen between the followers of Peter and Paul, was acceptable to both Petrines and Paulines. The Epistles of Paul were of course received by the Pauline churches, while the First Epistle of John was generally received by the Eastern churches. The collection would not be complete without a Revelation, and the Revelation of John was selected.
The work instituted by Irenaeus was successful. The three divisions of Christendom were united, and the Catholic church was established. But this cementing, although it held for centuries, did not last, as was hoped, for all time. The seams gave way, the divisions separated, and to-day stand out as distinctly as they did in the second century; the Roman Catholic church representing the Petrine, the Greek church the Johannine, and the Protestant churches to a great extent the Pauline Christians of that early age. But while the church separated, each retained all of the sixty-six canonical books, save Revelation, which for a time was rejected by the Greek church.
The New Testament originally contained but twenty books. To First Peter, Second John, and the Shepherd of Hermas Irenaeus attached some importance, but did not place them in his canon. Hebrews, James, Second Peter, Third John, and Jude he ignored. Tertullian placed in an appendix Hebrews, First Peter, Second John, Jude, and the Shepherd of Hermas. Clement of Alexandria classed as having inferior authority, Hebrews, Second John, Jude, First and Second Epistles of Clement (of Rome), Epistle of Barnabas, Shepherd of Hermas, and Revelation of Peter.
Regarding the competency of the founders of the New Testament canon, Davidson says:
“Of the three fathers who contributed most to its early growth, Irenaeus was credulous and blundering, Tertullian passionate and one-sided, and Clement of Alexandria, imbued with the treasures of Greek wisdom, was mainly occupied with ecclesiastical ethics” (Canon, p. 155).
“The three Fathers of whom we are speaking had neither the ability nor the inclination to examine the genesis of documents surrounded with an apostolic halo. No analysis of their authenticity was seriously contemplated” (Ibid, p. 156).
Completion of the Canon.
The Christian canon, including the New Testament canon, assumed something like its present form under the labors of Augustine and Jerome toward the close of the fourth century. St. Augustine’s canon contained all of the books now contained in the Old and New Testaments, excepting Lamentations, which was excluded. It contained, in addition to these, the apocryphal pieces belonging to Daniel, and the books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, and First and Second Maccabees.
St. Jerome’s canon contained Lamentations, which Augustine’s canon excluded, and omitted Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, and First and Second Maccabees, which Augustine’s included. Roman Catholics accept the canon of Augustine, including Lamentations; Protestants, generally, accept the canon of Jerome.
While Jerome included in his canon all the books of the New Testament, he admitted that Philemon, Hebrews, Second Peter, Second and Third John, Jude, and Revelation were of doubtful authority.
Referring to the work of Augustine and Jerome, Davidson, says: “Both were unfitted for the critical examination of such a topic” (Canon, p. 200).
Christian Councils.
Many believe that the Council of Nice, held in 325 A.D., determined what books should constitute the Bible. This council did not determine the canon. So far as is known, the first church council which acted upon this question was the Synod of Laodicea which met in 365. This council rejected the Apocryphal books contained in Augustine’s list, but admitted Baruch and the Epistle of Jeremiah. It excluded Revelation.
Various councils, following this, adopted canonical lists. One council would admit certain books and the next council would reject them. The third council of Carthage in 397 adopted the list of Augustine which admitted the Apocryphal books and Revelation and rejected Lamentations.
The actions of none of these councils were unanimous or decisive. The list of books adopted was adopted simply by a majority vote. A large minority of every council refused to accept the list of the majority. Some advocated the admission of books that were rejected; others opposed the admission of books that were accepted. As late as the seventh century (629), at the sixth Council of Constantinople, many different canonical lists were presented for ratification.
The damaging facts that I have adduced concerning the formation of the Christian canon are admitted in a large degree by one of the most orthodox of authorities, McClintock and Strong’s “Cyclopedia of Biblical and Ecclesiastical Literature.” Dr. McClintock says:
“The New Testament canon presents a remarkable analogy to the canon of the Old Testament. The beginnings of both are obscure.... The history of the canon may be divided into three periods. The first, extending to 170, includes the era of circulation and gradual collection of the apostolic writings. The second is closed in 303, separating the sacred from other ecclesiastical writings. The third may be defined by the third Council of Carthage, 397 A.D., in which a catalogue of the books of the Scriptures was formally ratified by conciliar authority. The first is characteristically a period of tradition, the second of speculation, and the third of authority, and we may trace the features of the successive ages in the course of the history of the canon. But however all this may have been, the complete canon of the New Testament, as we now have it, was ratified by the third Council of Carthage, 397 A.D., from which time it was generally accepted by the Latin church, some of the books remaining in doubt and disputed.”
Concerning the work of these councils, William Penn writes as follows:
“I say how do they know that these men discerned true from spurious? Now, sure it is, that some of the Scriptures taken in by one council were rejected by another for apocryphal, and that which was left out by the former for apocryphal was taken in by the latter for canonical” (Penn’s Works, Vol. I., p. 302).
In regard to the character of these councils, Dean Milman writes:
“It might have been supposed that nowhere would Christianity appear in such commanding majesty as in a council.... History shows the melancholy reverse. Nowhere is Christianity less attractive, and if we look to the ordinary tone and character of the proceedings, less authoritative, than in the councils of the church. It is in general a fierce collision of two rival factions, neither of which will yield, each of which is solemnly pledged against conviction” (History of Latin Christianity, Vol. I., p. 226).
The Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, and Protestant canons, no two of which are alike, were fixed by modern councils. The Council of Trent (1545–1563) determined the Roman Catholic canon. While a majority were in favor of the canon of Augustine they were not agreed in regard to the character and classification of the books. There were four parties. The first advocated two divisions of the books, one to comprise the acknowledged books, the other the disputed books. The second party proposed three divisions—the acknowledged books, the disputed books of the New Testament, and the Apocryphal books of the Old Testament. The third party desired the list of books to be named without determining their authority. The fourth party demanded that all the books, acknowledged, disputed, and apocryphal, be declared canonical. This party triumphed.
At a council of the Greek church held in Jerusalem in 1672, this church, which had always refused to accept Revelation, finally placed it in the canon. The Greek canon contains several apocryphal books not contained in the Roman Catholic canon.
Both divisions of the Protestant church, German and English, declared against the authority of the Apocryphal books. The Westminster Assembly (1647) formally adopted the list of books contained in our Authorized Version of the Bible.
Ancient Christian Scholars.
Most Christians believe that all of the books of the Bible, and only the books of the Bible, have been accepted as canonical by all Christians. And yet, how far from this is the truth! In every age of the church there have been Christians, eminent for their piety and learning, who either rejected some of these books, or who accepted as canonical books not contained in the Bible.
Not one of the five men who contributed most to form the canon, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement, Jerome, and Augustine, accepted all of these books.
Late in the second century Melito, Bishop of Sardis, a contemporary of Irenaeus, was deputed to make a list of the books belonging to the Old Testament. His list omitted Esther and Lamentations.
The Muratori canon, which is supposed to belong to the third century, omitted Hebrews, James, First and Second Peter, and Third John. The Apostolic canon omitted Revelation, and included First and Second Clement and the Apostolic Constitutions.
Of Origen, the great Christian Father of the third century, “Chambers’ Encyclopedia” says: “Origen doubted the authority of the Epistle to the Hebrews, of the Epistle of James, of Jude, of the Second of Peter, and the Second and Third of John; while, at the same time, he was disposed to recognize as canonical certain apocryphal scriptures, such as those of Hermas and Barnabas.” In addition to the apocryphal books named, Origen also accepted as authoritative the Gospel of the Hebrews, Gospel of the Egyptians, Acts of Paul, and Preaching of Peter.
The Rev. Jeremiah Jones, a leading authority on the canon, says: “Justin Martyr, Clemens Alexandrinus, Tertullian, and the rest of the primitive writers were wont to approve and cite books which now all men know to be apocryphal” (Canon, p. 4).
Theodoret says that as late as the fifth century many churches used the Gospel of Tatian instead of the canonical Gospels. Gregory the Great, at the beginning of the seventh, and Alfric, at the close of the tenth century, accepted as canonical Paul’s Epistle to the Laodiceans.
Early in the fourth century the celebrated church historian, Eusebius, gave a list of the acknowledged and disputed books of the New Testament. The disputed books—books which some accepted and others rejected—were Hebrews, James, Second and Third John, Jude, Revelation, Shepherd of Hermas, Epistle of Barnabas, Acts of Paul, and Revelation of Peter.
Athanasius rejected Esther, and Epiphanius accepted the Epistle of Jeremiah. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, and Gregory, Bishop of Constantinople, both rejected Revelation.