The New Testament Canon: Its Making and Meaning

This careful evaluation of the "problem of the New Testament canon" engages historical, literary, and theological questions often not raised by the general reader. How did this collection of writings come into being? What assumptions and intentions contributed to its formation? Who or what determined its contents? On what basis did special authority come to be attached to these writings? How does the character of this collection bear upon its interpretation? In what ways does this collection claim or exercise religious authority? After grappling with these basic questions, Gamble concludes: "The history of the canon indicates clearly enough that the contents of the New Testament were determined by the church on the basis of tradition...one cannot have scripture without also having tradition."

Harry Y. Gamble is Professor and Chair of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia.