How Can We be Certain of the Bible's Canon?

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Hey all, I was contemplating the canon of Scripture, and remembered a great resource concerning the NT canon from Dave Armstrong’s book A Biblical Defense of Catholicism.

The only assurance we can have as to the legitimacy, inspiration, and inerrancy of Scripture comes from the authority of the Catholic Church.

Many non-Catholics either ignore how they got the Bible, or believe in a somewhat fantasy world of total unanimity of acceptance in the early Church regarding the canon.

Here is the truth of the supposed unanimous consent:

Divided into time periods:
 
New Testament Period and Apostolic Fathers
30 a.d. - 160 a.d.

Summary - The New Testament is not clearly distinguished from other Christian writings.
Gospels - Generally accepted by 130
Justin Martyr’s “Gospels” contain apocryphal material
Polycarp was the first to use the four Gospels we have today.
Pauline Writings - Generally accepted by 130, though quotations from them are rarely introduced as scriptural.
Acts - Scarcely known or quoted from
Philippians, 1 Timothy - Rejected as scriptural by Justin Martyr
2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon - Rejected as scriptural by Polycarp and Justin Martyr
Hebrews - Not considered canonical by majority, and expressly rejected as scriptural by Polycarp and Justin Martyr
James - Not considered canonical, and never quoted from; expressly rejected as scriptural by Polycarp and Justin Martyr
1 Peter - Not considered canonical
2 Peter - Not considered canonical and never cited
1,2,3 John - Not considered canonical and rejected as scriptural by Justin Martyr, and partially rejected by Polycarp
Jude - Not considered canonical and rejected as scriptural by Polycarp and Justin Martyr
Revelation - not canonical and rejected as scriptural by Polycarp

Ignatius of Antioch was unaware of half the Gospels and the majority of the Pauline writings.

Irenaeus to Origen
160 a.d.- 250 a.d.

Summary - Awareness of a Canon begins toward the end of the 2nd century. Tertullian and Clement of Alexandria were the first to use the phrase “New Testament” in the 2nd and 3rd century.
Gospels - Accepted
Acts - Gradually accepted
Pauline Writings - Accepted with certain exceptions
2 Timothy - Rejected by Clement
Philemon - Rejected by Irenaeus, Origen, Tertullian, and Clement
Hebrews - Not considered canonical until the 4th century in the West. Disputed by Origen. First accepted by Clement.
James - Not canonical. First mentioned and disputed by Origen. Rejected by Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Clement
1 Peter - Gradual acceptance. First accepted by Irenaeus and Clement
2 Peter - Not canonical. First mentioned and disputed by Origen. Rejected by Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Clement
1 John - Gradual acceptance. First accepted by Irenaeus, and rejected by Origen.
2 John - Not canonical. Disputed by Origen and rejected by Tertullian and Clement
3 John - Not canonical. Disputed by Origen and rejected by Tertullian and Clement
Jude - Gradual acceptance. Accepted by Clement and rejected by Origen.
Revelation - Gradual acceptance. First accepted by Clement and rejected by the Barococcio Canon of 206
Epistle of Barnabas - Accepted by Clement
Shepherd of Hermas - Accepted by Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, and Clement
The Didache - Accepted by Clement
The Apocalypse of Peter - accepted by Clement
The Acts of Paul - Accepted by Clement, and appears in Greek, Latin, Syriac, Armenian, and Arabic translations
Gospel of Hebrews - Accepted by Clement. Accepted by Muratorian Canon of 190 which excluded Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, and included The Apocaplypse of Peter and Wisdom of Solomon
 
Origen to Nicaea
250 a.d. – 325 a.d.

Summary - The “Catholic epistles” and Revelation are still being disputed

The “Catholic,” or general, epistles are the terms sometimes used for the letters written by James, Peter, John, and Jude. They are so called because they are addressed to Christians in general, not to any church or person in particular such as the epistles to the Corinthians, Thessalonians etc. The word “catholic” originated from Greek and then Latin words which simply meant “throughout the whole.”

Gospels, Acts, Pauline Writings - Accepted
Hebrews - Accepted in the East. Disputed and rejected in the West.
James - Disputed and rejected in the East, and rejected in the West.
1 Peter - Fairly well accepted
2 Peter - Still disputed
1 John - Fairly well accepted
2, 3 John, Jude - Still disputed
Revelation - Disputed, especially in the East. Rejected by Dionysius

Council of Nicaea (325 a.d.)

Questions canonicity of James, 2 Peter, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude

From 325 a.d. to Council of Carthage (397 a.d.)

Summary - St. Athanasius first lists our present 27 New Testament books as such in 367 a.d. Disputes still persist concerning several books, almost right up until 397, when Canon is authoritatively closed.
Gospels, Acts, Pauline Writings, 1 Peter, 1 John - Accepted
Hebrews - Eventually accepted in West
James - Slow acceptance. Not even quoted in the West until around 350 a.d.!
2 Peter - Eventually accepted
2, 3 John, Jude - Eventually accepted
Revelation - Eventually accepted. Rejected by Cyril, John Chrysostom, Gregory Nazianzen
Epistle of Barnabas - Accepted by Codex Sinaiticus in late 4th century
Shepherd of Hermas - Accepted by Codex Sinaiticus in late 4th century. Used as a textbook for catechumens (those studying to become Christian).
1 Clement, 2 Clement - Accepted by Codex Alexandrinus in late 5th century!

Of course in the 16th century Martin Luther took it upon himself to remove 7 books from the Old Testament, and certain New Testament books including James, Jude, and Revelation. He later replaced the New Testament books.
 
Good work. More history lesson for Protestants. It shows how much early Christianity went for much of its time for 400 years without what we know now as the Bible. As an addition, this would put a dent to Bible only adherents, as early Christianity did not have the benefit of the Bible as we know now. As well, we see that the some writings of the early Church Fathers had been considered by early Christians to be Scripture itself, which would then need the Protestant to redefine what Scripture actually is as based on the understanding of early Christianity.
 
There is an interesting way to test canonicity, but one must take the trouble to learn it first: Typology.

The Holy Spirit imposed on the language of Scripture a kind of “language” which is best referred to as “types” and “word pictures.”

Types, which for purposes of adopting a uniform language respecting the subject, are words symbolizing aspects of the salvation process, each have essentially the same core meaning from one end of Scripture to the other. The Non-Fig Tree Type, for instance, always somehow refers to the “cross.” The Five Type, a number type, always somehow symbolizes “Christ.”

“Word pictures,” on the other hand, are entities in a verse or group of verses in which the *action *symbolizes an aspect of the salvation process.

Word pictures tend to repeat or develop themes about the salvation process.

So, in the Book of Genesis, when the “dove” returns the first time to Noah, and lands on his “hand” and comes into the ark, a “boat,” in that fashion, that is a picture of the Holy Spirit (“dove”) carrying Jesus (“hand”) to the Church (“boat”) at the time of the Annunciation.

In the Book of Ezekiel, in Chapter 17, when the “eagle” comes the first time, and carries “the uppermost branch of the dedar tree,” and plants it in a “fertile field,” that is a picture of the Holy Spirit (“eagle”) carrying the last of the family of the “cross” (the uppermost branch of the “cedar tree” – the Non-Fig Tree Type) to immaculately conceived Mary (the “fertile field,” the opposite of the Desert Type, which stands for “mankind in need of salvation” – Mary didn’t need salvation, after her immaculate conception).

The concept is that if the work contains types and word pictures consistent with the rest of Scripture, it is probably inspired.
 
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