2. The catalogue of the books which contain that truth. As there are
two testaments, the old and new, it is necessary to notice the canon
of each separately, answering the question, “How came the Bible in its
present form?”
I. _The Old Testament Canon._—In the growth of the Old Testament we can
trace six stages.
1. _The Oral Period_, extending from the earliest ages down to the
time of the patriarchs, during which the Divine Revelation and the
records of the past were transmitted by tradition, or in a few detached
documents, like Genesis x.
2. _The Mosaic Period_ (1500-1400 B. C.) When from ancient manuscripts,
tradition and revelation were written the book of Job, and the earliest
draft of the Pentateuch, and Joshua.
3. _The Davidic Period_ (1100-1000 B. C.), the age of Samuel, David
and Solomon, when, after the disorders in the time of the Judges,
literature began to flourish anew, and Judges, Ruth, Samuel, the first
draft of Psalms and Proverbs, the Song of Solomon, and perhaps (but by
no means with certainty) Ecclesiastes were written.
4. _The Prophetic Period_ (800-600 B. C.), in the decline of the
monarchy, when the prophets suddenly arose to prominence, and the books
of Kings and most of the prophetical books were written.
5. _The Period of the Restoration_ (500-400 B. C.), after the return
from captivity, when the writings of all the four greater prophets
were arranged, the prophecies of Haggai, Zachariah, and Malachi were
delivered, and the historical books of Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and
Esther were written.
6. _The Period of Arrangement_ (400-150 B. C.). With the time of
Ezra and Nehemiah a new era began. No more books were added, but
the literature was systematized. Ezra made the first compilation of
the Scriptures; Nehemiah formed a library of the recognized works
(according to ancient Jewish history); the work was revised under the
early Maccabean princes, and the writings assumed their present form.
Josephus, the historian, names as authoritative the same works that are
now recognized.
II. _The New Testament Canon._—The Old Testament was in process of
construction more than ten centuries, the New Testament, less than one;
but in it there was also a growth.
1. _The Early Period._—Between the death of Stephen, A. D. 37, and the
council at Jerusalem, A. D. 50, were written the earliest books, the
Gospel of Matthew and the Epistle of James.
2. _The Pauline Period._—Between the council at Jerusalem, A. D. 50,
and the destruction of Jerusalem, A. D. 70, appeared the Gospels of
Mark and Luke, the Epistles of Peter, the Epistles of Paul and Hebrews.
3. _The Closing Period_, after the destruction of Jerusalem, between
70 and 96 A. D., witnessed the Epistle of Jude, and the Epistles and
Gospel of John and the Revelation.
How the systematic canon of New Testament books came to be recognized
can not now be ascertained. The matter was probably determined by the
inherent fitness of the writings themselves. The worthy books lived,
the unworthy dropped out of notice, as may be seen by comparing the
New Testament with the New Testament Apocrypha. The councils voiced
the sentiment of the church in their decisions; and though there were
differences of opinion concerning a few books, extending through the
second and third centuries, by A. D. 300 the list of canonical books in
the New Testament was generally accepted throughout the church, as it
is still held.
III. _The genuineness of the Bible_; that is, the belief that we
have the Bible substantially as it was written, without serious
interpolation or erasure, is supported by the following evidences
(Chautauqua Text-Book No. 18, pp. 26-27):
1. The numerous ancient manuscripts now in existence, which
substantially agree in the text.
2. The quotations from Scripture, and references to it, in the writings
of the early fathers and in the rabbinical paraphrases.