How were the books of the Bible (NT) chosen?

[Abu]

The books of the NT were written by Catholics and declared to be the inspired Word of God by the Catholic Church.

From Vatican II’s *Dei Verbum *(Dogmatic Constitution On Divine Revelation), 1965
Chapter II
Handing On Divine Revelation
“7. In His gracious goodness, God has seen to it that what He had revealed for the salvation of all nations would abide perpetually in its full integrity and be handed on to all generations. Therefore Christ the Lord in whom the full revelation of the supreme God is brought to completion (see Cor. 1:20; 3:13; 4:6), commissioned the Apostles to preach to all men that Gospel which is the source of all saving truth and moral teaching, (1) and to impart to them heavenly gifts. This Gospel had been promised in former times through the prophets, and Christ Himself had fulfilled it and promulgated it with His lips. This commission was faithfully fulfilled by the Apostles who, by their oral preaching, by example, and by observances handed on what they had received from the lips of Christ, from living with Him, and from what He did, or what they had learned through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The commission was fulfilled, too, by those Apostles and apostolic men who under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit committed the message of salvation to writing. (2)”
Note:
2. cf. Council of Trent, loc. cit.; First Vatican Council, session III, Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith, Chap. 2, “On revelation:” Denzinger 1787 (3005).
vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html

In the 16th century, Martin Luther adopted the Jewish list, putting the Deuterocanonical books in an appendix. He also put the letter of James, the letter to the Hebrews, the letters of John, and the book of Revelation from the New Testament in an appendix. He did this for doctrinal reasons (for example: 2 Maccabees 12:43-46 supports the doctrine of purgatory, Hebrews supports the existence of the priesthood, and James 2:24 supports the Catholic doctrine on merit). Later Lutherans followed Luther’s Old Testament list and rejected the Deuterocanonical books, but they did not follow his rejection of the New Testament books. In 1546, the Council of Trent reaffirmed the traditional list of the Catholic Church.

Most sects leave out NT Books and thus are even further from the truths of faith.

In 1546 the Council of Trent reaffirmed the traditional list of the Catholic Church.

 

[pocohombre]

The books of the NT were written by Catholics and declared to be the inspired Word of God by the Catholic Church.

From Vatican II’s *Dei Verbum *(Dogmatic Constitution On Divine Revelation), 1965
Chapter II
Handing On Divine Revelation
“7. In His gracious goodness, God has seen to it that what He had revealed for the salvation of all nations would abide perpetually in its full integrity and be handed on to all generations. Therefore Christ the Lord in whom the full revelation of the supreme God is brought to completion (see Cor. 1:20; 3:13; 4:6), commissioned the Apostles to preach to all men that Gospel which is the source of all saving truth and moral teaching, (1) and to impart to them heavenly gifts. This Gospel had been promised in former times through the prophets, and Christ Himself had fulfilled it and promulgated it with His lips. This commission was faithfully fulfilled by the Apostles who, by their oral preaching, by example, and by observances handed on what they had received from the lips of Christ, from living with Him, and from what He did, or what they had learned through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The commission was fulfilled, too, by those Apostles and apostolic men who under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit committed the message of salvation to writing. (2)”
Note:
2. cf. Council of Trent, loc. cit.; First Vatican Council, session III, Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith, Chap. 2, “On revelation:” Denzinger 1787 (3005).
vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html

In the 16th century, Martin Luther adopted the Jewish list, putting the Deuterocanonical books in an appendix. He also put the letter of James, the letter to the Hebrews, the letters of John, and the book of Revelation from the New Testament in an appendix. He did this for doctrinal reasons (for example: 2 Maccabees 12:43-46 supports the doctrine of purgatory, Hebrews supports the existence of the priesthood, and James 2:24 supports the Catholic doctrine on merit). Later Lutherans followed Luther’s Old Testament list and rejected the Deuterocanonical books, but they did not follow his rejection of the New Testament books. In 1546, the Council of Trent reaffirmed the traditional list of the Catholic Church.

Most sects leave out NT Books and thus are even further from the truths of faith.

In 1546 the Council of Trent reaffirmed the traditional list of the Catholic Church.

Perhaps that is your opinion that he did it for doctrinal reasons.Actually that is one way to help determine a books authenticity, by it’s content, which of course may contain “doctrine”. I would note however that any reservations he had on appendixed books Jerome also had them for his Vulgate,as did other good Catholic scholars.So I would be careful in judging Luther, for he may have had some of the same thoughts,or agreed with some of the same critical thoughts of his Catholic predecessors. Again, I said some. All(Jerome,Luther and others) did include the 27 books however, despite reluctance,reservation,caution on some books,as stated in their pre-book comments.

 

[Darryl_B]

first of all the NT was written between 50 and 150 A.D. not 50- 150 years after Christ, and some of Paul’s writings were 15 years after the resurrection.

There are some who believe the entire NT was written prior to AD 70.

 

[Abu]

Even Adolf von Harnack, a rationalist historian of high repute among Rationalist and Protestants, wrote that the Synoptic Gospels were written before 70 A.D. – before the fall of Jerusalem, and accepted the tradition that St Luke derived his information on the infancy of Jesus from Mary His Mother. Theologische Quartalsch, Tubingen 1929, IV, p 443-4].
[See *Apologetics and Catholic Doctrine, Sheehan/Joseph, St Austin Press, 2001, p 89, 93]

Very revealing is The Hebrew Christ, Claude Tresmontant, Franciscan Herald Press, 1989, on the origins and dating of the Gospels. As Bishop John Charles Thomas writes in the foreword: “There is nothing in the least unscientific in postulating that there was only a brief period of oral transmission before some of the Gospel materials began to be set down.”