Creating the Canon: Composition, Controversy, and the Authority of the New Testament

Laird (40 Questions about the Apostle Paul), a biblical studies professor at Liberty University, delivers a spirited take on how the New Testament was written and canonized. Beginning in the first century, Laird explains, Scripture writers didn’t work alone and often consulted with colleagues for guidance, narrative suggestions, and firsthand accounts of Jesus’s miracles. The author debunks ideas that canonical writings had an “original autograph” that became the basis for all future copies—multiple versions were likely produced, each with textual variations (though it wasn’t long before “large, established collections of canonical writings” became popular, decreasing demand for single works). As well, Laird posits that fourth- and fifth-century church councils didn’t play a central role in determining the canon, as previously believed. Rather, he writes, the canon’s formation was a “natural process” in which subcollections of apostolic writings gradually became associated as they circulated with one another. Taking on a broad range of canonical debates, Laird’s arguments are thought-provoking and thorough, and also graspable to those without an academic background in the topic. Armchair theologians should take note. (July)