The Bible: Formation of the Canon and Different Editions

"Bible" = literally "little books" [Greek biblia = little booklets; biblos = "book" (originally "papyrus")]

 

HEBREW BIBLE "OLD TESTAMENT"

  1. The Hebrew Text.
    (A few passages in Aramaic) Written C. 13th-2nd centuries BCE(The "Documentary Hypothesis" proposes that different strands were organized together around the time of Exile or after. J: Yahwist, lOth-9th century BCE; F: Elohist, 9th-8th century BCE; D: Deuteronomy, 7th-6th cent. BCE; P: Priestly, 6th cent. BCE; R: redactor, 6th-5th cent. BCE)

    Establishment of the Canon of the Hebrew Bible:
    It is believed that the canonical authority of the Law (Torah) was established after the return from Babylonian Exile, perhaps in the 5th century BCE; the other sections, the Prophets and the Writings, gained authority more gradually. The Prophets were probably canonized c. 200 BCE; the Writings were authorized the latest, probably in the 2nd century BCE.

    c. 90 CE: Canon of the entire Hebrew Bible established at the Council of Jamnia

  2. Greek version of the Hebrew Bible called the Septuagint (= seventy; according to legend, this refers to the number of translators who worked on this edition) c. 275 BCE. Prepared by scholars in Alexandria (first the Pentateuch; later parts completed gradually until about 100 BCE). This is the Bible of early Christians.

NEW TESTAMENT:

Written in the common Greek (called "koine") spoken by people of the Roman empire (i.e. different from classical Geek). The Greek of the New Testament was strongly influenced by Hebrew and Aramaic. Jesus and his disciples spoke in Aramaic (a Semitic language related to Hebrew).

"Testament" (Latin testamentum) = Latin translation of the Greek word diatheke (=covenant); therefore New Testament literally means "NewCovenant."

"Gospel" = "Good News" (Greek evangelion "good news"; Anglo-Saxon "Godspell" = "good tidings") The Bible of the early Christians was the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible (the Septuagint). Mark, Luke, Matthew are called the Synoptic Gospels; John is from a different tradition. The author of Luke is also the author of Acts.

Establishment of the New Testament Canon: The Gospels and Letters that now make up the New Testament were only gradually collected together over the course of the second and third centuries.

Some Significant Editions of the Bible: c. 380-420 St. Jerome's Latin edition of the Bible, known as the Vulgate (Lat. = "Common"). This was the standard Bible of medieval Christians.