Why Constantine Did Not Pick The Canon

How did the New Testament actually come together? Some have argued that is a “chaotically cobbled-together anthology of disjointed documents” that has been revised and ‘improved’ over centuries.

Others have argued it is a deeply political document, created to quell rebellions and placate a growing and agitated movement. 

Millions of people put their trust in the New Testament. It’s time to get to the bottom of how it was created. 

This episode of Undeceptions is brought to you by Zondervan Academic, publishers of 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity by John Lennox. 

LINKS

• Producer Kaley is actually the one who likes Survivor. She thinks you should watch it, too. 
• Richard Dawkin’s quote about the Bible being a cobbled-together anthology was from The God Delusion. 
• If you really have to, you can read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown or watch the movie. 
  • But then listen to this 5-part series with John Dickson on Hope 103.2FM (Sydney Christian radio station), Why the Da Vinci Code is a very novel history​
• ​​​​​​Find out more about our guest Dr Chris Forbes, who has actually just retired from Macquarie University. 
• Find out more about Dr Michael Bird from Ridley College.
  • And check out Michael's latest book The New Testament in It's World (with N.T. Wright) 
• Watch John Dickson talk about the conversion of Constantine the Great from this clip from the Centre For Public Christianity’s documentary For the Love of God
• Learn more about Justin Martyr, the first Christian apologist. 
• What’s with the ending in the gospel of Mark? Check out this article from The Gospel Coalition, written by Elijah Hixson from Tyndale House in Cambridge: Was Mark 16:9-20 originally part of Mark’s Gospel?
• Get to know Irenaeus, bishop of Lyon
• More on the Muratorian Canon
• Here is John’s beloved copy of The Apostolic Fathers
• Read the New York Times report on the discovery of the Gospel of Judas, from 2006 
• Read more about the Gospel of Judas in this article by John Dickson in 2008 from The Centre for Public Christianity 
• For more on the Gnostic Gospels, get your hands on The Christ Files, a documentary with John Dickson. Here’s a preview.
• You can have a look for yourself at the beautiful Codex Sinaiticus at this link. You can scroll through the pages online -- so go check out the Shepherd of Hermas and the Epistle of Barnabas at the back! 
• Get to know Eusebius of Caesarea 
  • And read his Ecclesiastical History too.

Want to send John Dickson a question? He loves them. Just click here to provide a query for our next Q and A show!

Undeceptions is part of the Eternity Podcast Network, an audio collection showcasing the seriously good news of faith today.