Who Compiled the Bible?
By Joe Moreaux
A debt of gratitude is owed to the Catholic Church, her Councils & Bishops, for us to know with certainty which books belonged in the Bible. There were no Table of Contents which appeared in the sky. No Apostle told us which books belonged there. God revealed it through His Church. All Christians realize that if God has revealed Himself by communicating His Will to man, man must be able to know with certitude where to find that revelation. Thus, the reason for an infallible canon, to know infallibly what the books of the Bible are. An authority must decide.
Since God did not explicitly reveal which books are inspired, and which ones aren’t, to anyone, we look to His guidance in discovering the canon. John 16:13 “The Spirit will lead you into all truth.” 1 Timothy 3:15 “The Church is the pillar and foundation of truth.” God
guided through His Church. In the early centuries, there were many books competing for inclusion in the Canon, & Christians weren’t always sure. Some were Didache, Shepherd of
Hermas, Barnabas, Peter’s Apocalypse, 1st Clement. Others were disputed: Hebrews, Jude,
Apocalypse of John, 2nd and 3rd John, and 2nd Peter.
The Council of Laodicea, 360 A.D. produced a list of books similar to today’s Canon. This was one of the Church's earliest decisions on a Canon. Pope Damasus, 384 AD, listed the books of today's canon. The Council of Rome, 382 AD, was the forum which prompted
Pope Damasus' Decree. Many important doctrinal decisions had to wait until the 4th
century due to persecutions in the first 3 centuries. Including the
doctrines of the Trinity, the Hypostatic Union, Deity of the Holy Spirit, Mary as the Mother of
God, the ancient Creeds, & also the Canon of Scripture.
Bishop Exuperius wrote to Pope Innocent I in 405 requesting a list of canonical books. Innocent gave him the present Canon. The Council of Hippo created a list of books in 393 which is the same as today. The Council of Carthage or created the same list of canonical
books in 397 AD. Since the Church does not define truths unless errors begin to abound. Catholics look to the Council of Florence, Ecumenical Council of 1441, for the first
definitive list of canonical books. The final infallible definition of canonical books came from the Council of Trent, 1556.
In the 13th century, Archbishop Stephen Langton developed the chapters that we use now in all modern Bibles. Dominican Santes Pagnino was the first to incorporate verses in the 15th century. Prior to this, the Bible did not have chapter and verse me breakdowns. Catholics added them. There was no set Canon of Scripture in the early Church. The Church did not invent the Canon. It was the Church, guided by the Spirit, that determined which books were inspired & belonged in the Canon. Why do you trust her in getting that correct, but not her other decisions? Why do you trust the Church in getting the Canon of the Bible right, but not her other decisions? We wouldn't know what belongs in the Bible if not for the Church.
The Council of Florence, Ecumenical Council of 1441
