The Formation of the Christian Bible

The Formation of the Christian Bible
By Freiherr von Hans Campenhausen

This book, along with Metzger's classic, is very useful for students of the early Christian traditions, or just Christian armchair enthusiasts who are a little curious how their scriptures came about, since we are not Muslim's with a book coming down from heaven, so to speak, nor are we JWs or Mormons with what appears to be an open canon until their so-called prophets came along not too long ago. There were definitive boundaries for what we term the rule, or canon, by the year 200 for sure, as the author demonstrates. He also details that the early church had a particularly "sweeping confidence in oral tradition" and that "the Bible was never regarded as the sole source of Christian faith." This in no way discounts or weakens the revelation of God in Christ Jesus, only places it in the historical context of the life of the Church, not a book. Such a thesis will come as no surprise to Roman Catholics or Eastern Orthodox, or even some historically-minded Protestants (of which the author was a leading exponent from the Lutheran tradition in Germany). So it's true that the Church came before the NT, but not before the events recorded in the Gospels (obviously, I hope), so in this way the authority of the scriptures is normative and absolute. Even so, there was a process of canonical determination based upon oral tradition that resonated exactly with the written accounts (form which they were produced), and it would be a little too simplistic to maintain that the outcome was "a given". There was a debate. Of course they (we) believe that the Holy Spirit guided them in this process, but our faith should not be based upon fairy tales like sola scriptura of the type that says everything we need to believe is clearly expounded in the bible. It just isn't like that. If God had intended the bible alone to be the rule of faith, outside of the Tradition that produced it, then we can be left wondering why it is not clearer on central issues like baptism, worship, eucharist, ministry among many others. If you doubt this, just put a Baptist, a Lutheran and a Methodist in a room together with their bibles. They will disagree on these central aspects, or one will become non-denominational and say that these are only superficial differences and let's all love Jesus. But which Jesus? It wasn't solved by sola scriptura in the fourth century. It was the tradition, of which scripture is central.The bible has a context and that context is the worshipping community of the Church, expounded upon by the episcopacy (here Campenhausen disagrees, claiming an egalitarian exegetical authority. But I would argue that this is true only to the extent that one reads/prays the scripture with the mind of the worshipping community.)

If you are looking for a letter by letter introduction, use Metzger, but if you are looking for a detailed overview that explains the theological context of the canon in a more sitz im leben approach, I would find this very useful. Other books of interest may include: New Testament: Its Background, Growth and Content, Retrieving the Tradition and Renewing Evangelicalism: A Primer for Suspicious Protestants, A High View of Scripture? The Authority of the Bible and the Formation of the New Testament Canon (Evangelical Ressourcement: Ancient Sources for the Church's Future), Tradition, Scripture, and Interpretation: A Sourcebook of the Ancient Church (Evangelical Ressourcement: Ancient Sources for the Church's Future) and Evangelicals and Tradition: The Formative Influence of the Early Church (Evangelical Ressourcement: Ancient Sources for the Church's Future). With regard to the influence that Bart Erhman has had in making people question the legitimacy of the New Testament, please see The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? and Misquoting Truth: A Guide to the Fallacies of Bart Ehrman's "Misquoting Jesus" and, lastly, Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels. What Ehrman does demonstrate, however, is that the modern evangleical (and synodical Lutheran) veiw of the bible as being whispered into the ears of the authors is untrue. It was based upon an oral tradition and variances are not to be afraid of. But the Traditon is not based upon such a myth as verbal inspiration. On this count, see Common Ground: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity for the American Christian and By What Authority?: An Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition. "The Church is the pillar and ground of truth."

Beyond Torture (DVD)

Beyond Torture

This is a very compelling DVD that most Christians would find inspiring, and for Orthodox in the mid-Michigan area it is especially meaningful because it is in large part the testimony of Fr. Roman Brage, of the Holy Dormition Monastery in Rives Junction.

Communism is at its root nihilistic. Ignoring the dignity of humanity, it seeks to subvert what is unique to the personality and replace it with the bland generality of the prefabricated "new man". This DVD traces the horrible and failed communist experiments on psychlogical manipulation and brings forth the light of human dignity as found in the image of God, the God Who is love. What is most interesting is that such insanity not only produced great evil, but great good. A few of the interviews are those of Orthodox priests who have great love and forgiveness for those who committed such evil against them, recalling the words of Christ, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do."

The DVD's jacket describes it as follows: "When you said, 'I still believe in God,' in five minutes you were full of blood. - Roman Braga. Many of us died, many of us became mad, but in some of us the good triumphed. - George Calciu. These chilling words from two survivors of a brainwashing prison in Pitesti, Romania are sad reminders of the legacy of Stalinist communism. Beyond Torture: The Gulag of Pitesti, Romania documents the persecution of Romanians under the communist regime. Electrical shock, hallucinogenic drugs, near starvation and fatal beatings were daily rituals in the prison of Pitesti, Romania. But this sadistic story goes beyond torture: this was an attempt to totally destroy a people's culture and faith. In 1949, Stalinist Soviets began a systematic sweep of Romanian college campuses. Their purpose was to imprison and transform young Romanians into a communistic way of thinking. One prisoner describes this re-education as the most vile tortures imaginable. Orthodox priest Father George Calcui says, They tried to destroy our souls. But he and others survived this gulag, lived to tell their stories and even forgave their captors. In this documentary, you'll meet three survivors from the prison of Pitesti and see shocking paintings that capture the essence of the extreme torture. This DVD also includes an in-depth one-hour interview with Father Roman Braga: prison survivor and spiritual leader. Outside of Romania, this DVD is the first major historical documentation of the Pitesti experience. Not recommended for young children."

Other books of interest might include: Exploring the Inner Universe, On the way of faith: Faith, freedom, and love, Father Arseny, 1893-1973: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father : Being the Narratives Compiled by the Servant of God Alexander Concerning His Spiritual Father, Father Arseny: A Cloud of Witnesses, and Tortured for Christ (Founder of The Voice of the Martyrs).

Wealth and Poverty in the Teachings of the Church Fathers

Wealth and Poverty in the Teachings of the Church Fathers
By James Thornton

While we often hear of the `social gospel' that seeks to alleviate the poverty and suffering of the citizenry, Fr. James' book reminds us that such a call is simply the perennial call of Christianity. Of course, helping the poor is not the heart of the gospel of Christ, but doing so opens us up to the heart of the gospel of Christ: namely, our God is a God is not far from us, but very near to us in our very own humanity. For, in the words of Jesus, `whatsoever you do unto the least of these my brethren, you do unto me'. There is an ontological, real, substantial unity between humanity and God owing to the incarnation, and this book reminds us that the Faith is not a cerebral exercise, but a lived out reality of that unity between Christ and the world. It is most lived out in actions of love, and those in need of such actions are very often the unwilling poor.

Along with a very thorough treatment of the topic from the patristic sources, I also appreciate Fr. James' review of the impact of Christian charity upon society in the Greco-Roman era as well as the modern age. This slim volume is very much a devotional resource as well as a scholarly trove. I would add that is also demonstrates why it matters that we as Christians affirm our understanding of the trinitarian revelation of God. Our God is not removed as in Islam or mythical as in Hinduism. Our God shows His love by uniting with us in our suffering and life. For the Muslims, law revelas the heart of God, for Christians, it is love incarnate.

Other books of interest may include: On Wealth and PovertyWealth and Poverty in Early Church and Society (Holy Cross Studies in Patristic Theology and History), Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life and Cross of the Son of God for a theological and sociological treatment of the meaning of God incarnating and dying on a cross as a criminal. Very useful.

Mary the Mother of God

Mary the Mother of God
by Carl E. Braaten

In a very real sense, creation is incomplete until the occurrence of the Incarnation. Most theologians from the ancient Church would agree that God would have become incarnate regardless of the fall, our felix culpa. And Mary is a pivotal character and reason for this event. But many Christians have no idea about Mary. I remember growing up as a Lutheran and the only time Mary was hardly ever mentioned was during the Christmas sermon since it is generally hard to ignore her part in the story. Even there it was reiterated, in typical Lutheran fashion, that she was "just as much of a sinner as the rest of us, that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory and that there is only one mediator between God and man, and that is Jesus. So let's talk about Jesus..." As I moved away from that tradition and embraced Eastern Orthodoxy, I was amazed to realize that Christians from the beginning have fulfilled her prophecy that "all generations will call me blessed" by venerating her as the Mother/Birth Giver of God (Theotokos) and that her prayers were asked for in the ancient liturgies and that her image was painted frequently and that she was considered the essential Christian, given her willingness to do the will of God even as it cost her everything.

This fantastic little book is a must read for anyone interested in learning why she has such a profound place in the inner life of the Church from the start, and it is especially recommended for Protestants who are suspicious of the "Mary thing", since many of the contributors are confessing Protestants who are in no way selling the farm to be like Catholics or Orthodox. They simply recognize the full reality of what the Incarnation means, and what it means about Jesus' mom, Mary. Much of the book deals with Christology, or "who is Jesus", and rightly so, since every teaching about Mary is really an affirmation of the full divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ, our one mediator between God and man. (But don't forget that we are obliged to ask each other for prayers, so why not His mom above all others? Which leads me to some other recommendations about that...

On the communion of saints see Any Friend of God's Is a Friend of Mine. More on Mary in the life of the Church and history see Mary: The Untrodden Portal of God - Expanded and Revised Edition with a General Index, Mary Through the Centuries: Her Place in the History of Culture, Celebration of Faith, vol. III: The Virgin Mary and, for how Mary is active on behalf of all Christians, along with the others in Christ, see Father Arseny, 1893-1973: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father : Being the Narratives Compiled by the Servant of God Alexander Concerning His Spiritual Father and The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality.

Credo: Historical and Theological Guide to Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition

Credo: Historical and Theological Guide to Creeds and...
by Jaroslav Pelikan

If the words of my title ring a bell, then I assume that you have been saying the main creed of orthodox Christianity for some time. But what you may not know is the fascinating history behind the creed. Whole empires were torn apart in its development over "one iota" about who Christ is, lone theologians fought "contra mundi" for the truth, and political intrigue weighed heavy upon bishops and kings. After Nicea II, several other ecumenical councils were required to delineate the ground upon which theology could be built in reaction to the various challenges both philosophical and cultural that were presented to the faith's expression. Serving as a floor rather than a limiting ceiling, the creeds and the dogmas serve the Church as a sort of map by which we may travel in our faith without getting too lost in the byways of bizarre speculation or individualism.
Before I actually looked at the book, I thought that it would either be a slim volume of original work, owing to Pelikan's age and seemingly fast publishing schedule, or a large tome of primary sources with his insightful notes adding commentary. Oh how I was wrong on my first count! This book weighs in at a hefty 600+ pages and is chuck full of his elegant and scholarly prose. It is not so intellectually lofty that the novice would be intimidated, but perhaps works such as Kelly's "Early Christian Creeds" or Leo Davis' "The First Seven Ecumenical Councils" would serve as good companions. There is always that other fine work, "Beginning to Read the Creeds".
Pelikan is truly the master historian of doctrinal development, and the whole notion of creed is intimately bound to that development. He touches upon the perennial themes concerning the validity of the creeds both then and now, the meaning of an ecumenical council, the notion of tradition as the vivifying role of the Holy Spirit in the Church, and the interrelation between scripture and dogma. Orthodox, Roman Catholics and Protestants of all varieties would do well to sit at the feet of Pelikan and reconsider and reflect upon their own notions of the foundation of the faith- the natures and person of Christ and his Bride. We do not always follow the premises of our faith to their logical and historical conclusions.
If you are interested in creeds, you may also enjoy Pelikan's five volume set on the development of doctrine, along with his slim "The Vindication of Tradition". One author that I continually reference is Georges Florovsky. He had a firm grasp on the primary sources and spirit of early Christianity and served as one of Pelikan's mentors. His, "Bible, Church and Tradition" is very relevant to the whole notion of doctrinal development and creedal consensus. Of course there are tons of other great books, but those are quite useful in orienting your mind to the historical process involved in formulating eternal truths. Enjoy!