Thoughts for the role of Christian citizens paper
Church History
2/8/05
The Birth of the Christian Scriptures.
It seems that many people, even today, believe that the Bible floated down from the sky into the waiting hands of the apostles as they watched Jesus ascend into heaven. As a written testimony to Jesus of Nazareth, however, the texts which constitute Christian scripture are the product of a dynamic traditioning process that is highly dialogical: at once divine and human; spoken and written; fully inspired and fully ecclesial. The scriptures that emerged from the Church were themselves instrumental in forming and clarifying the structures and beliefs of the Church.
Dei Verbum, the Church’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, describes a threefold traditioning process by which the canon came about. The first stage was the life of Jesus – his teaching and activities. Second, was the commissioning of apostles, “to preach to all men that gospel which is the source of all saving truth.” Finally, these words were committed to writing “under the inspiration of the…Holy Spirit” (7). This is no modern “spin.” In the second century, Irenaeus wrote, “we have known the ‘economy’ for our salvation only through those through whom the gospel came to us; and what they then first preached they later, by God’s will, transmitted to us in the scriptures so that would be the foundation and pillar of our faith (1 Tm 3:15).” (Bk. III, 1.1) As a written record of the gospel, then, scripture is a product of the Church under divine guidance and inspiration.
In this sense, it is not primarily the written word, but the community gathered around the apostolic witness which is efficacious for salvation. Irenaeus reinforces this point by describing, “many barbarian peoples who believe in Christ…and possess salvation, written without paper or ink by the Spirit in their hearts,” and “diligently observe the ancient tradition.” (4.2) To describe scripture merely as a product of the Church, however, does not do justice to the dialogue of the two in their mutual configuration.
The historical silhouette of the nascent Church is brought into focus by scripture. In reflecting on the life of Jesus, his followers “turned to the Hebrew sacred books, the Mosaic law as well as the prophetic writings” (Chadwick, 22). This practice led Justin Martyr to cite Isaiah in describing the activity of the apostolic church, “‘…for the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem…’ We can show you that this has really happened. For a band of twelve men went forth from Jerusalem…” (39).
Once committed to writing, the Gospels became definitive of the Church’s faith. When heresies arose, they were used to refute errors and clarify proper modes of interpretation. Irenaeus recognizes this: “The authority of the Gospels is so great that the heretics themselves bear witness to them and each of them tries to confirm his own teaching out of them” (11.7). Origen, pointing to Paul’s typological interpretation of the Law in Galatians, states: “we must…consider how carefully the apostle said what he did” (2:6). He concludes that “the Holy Spirit …enlightened the ministers of truth, the prophets and the apostles…to understand the mysteries” (2:7). Thus the written word served as a guide, a standard – a canon – for the Church’s emerging self-understanding.
Bibliography
Chadwick, Henry, The Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity, ed. by John McManners, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1990
Dei Verbum, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, The Documents of Vatican II, ed. by Walter M. Abbott, S.J. New York, Guild Press, 1966, p. 111
Irenaeus of Lyons, The Early Church Fathers, ed. by Carol Harrison, Routledge, London.
Justin Martyr, The First Apology of Justin, the Martyr, Early Christian Fathers, ed. by Cyril C. Richardson, Th.D., D.D., Collier Books, NY.
Origen, On First Principles, Book IV, tr. by Rowan A. Greer, New York, Paulist Press
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