Is there any reliable information on the formation of the Holy Bible?

[derpytia]

As I understand it, early Christians didn't have a Bible with NT writings to study from (understandable considering that that is the time period in which the NT was written).

I've been doing a bit of digging for information and understand that the Bible as we know it today was compiled (specifically, the NT) into a canonical order that was accepted around 367 AD-ish. I'm wondering if there is more reliable information on how the canon was proclaimed to be canon and what the process for that was (as well as the process for rejected material and why it was rejected). I'm looking for unbiased, "cold hard facts" sources and information.

 

[Tolworth John]

Unbiased cold hard facts.
In your dreams, who ever you read about the bible comes from a bias, either protestant or Roman catholic/orthodox and that heavily influences how they explain the formation of the bible.

Why 66?
Yes AIG, but because of the author and the article. He is a serious pastor who has studied the bible and how it was formed.
He will give you an un biased view as it is possible to have.
Nothing you won't have already read as there arn't any new facts only how people understand them.

 

[solid_core]

There is probably no publicly available internet source that would give you all that in one "volume".

You will have to read some church historians and use multiple (printed and paid) sources.

Materials from theological universities can be a good start, they will give you some summary and next sources for reading.

 

[GreekOrthodox]

Eusebius was a historian in the 4th century so his list shows a slightly different canon but fairly similar to what we have today. There were recognized books (the Gospels, Acts, letters of Paul), disputed books such as James, spurious books such as Acts of Paul and finally heretical books. Part of the dispute was what books should be read during public church services, private reading, and heretical books. The NT canon eventually was made of books that were used in public. Other books such as the Acts of Paul or Apocalypse of Peter remained popular but non-authoritative. It is in the Apocalypse that Peter requests to be crucified upside down. Heretical books such as the Gospel of Thomas contain false teachings such as Jesus told Thomas some secret teachings that was never given to the other disciples.

The Development of the Canon of the New Testament - Eusebius

 

[derpytia]

Unbiased cold hard facts.
In your dreams, who ever you read about the bible comes from a bias, either protestant or Roman catholic/orthodox and that heavily influences how they explain the formation of the bible.

Why 66?
Yes AIG, but because of the author and the article. He is a serious pastor who has studied the bible and how it was formed.
He will give you an un biased view as it is possible to have.
Nothing you won't have already read as there arn't any new facts only how people understand them.

It is completely possible to study history in an unbiased way. This is for academic purposes after all.

 

[derpytia]

There is probably no publicly available internet source that would give you all that in one "volume".

You will have to read some church historians and use multiple (printed and paid) sources.

Materials from theological universities can be a good start, they will give you some summary and next sources for reading.

Which is why I asked for "information" and not "one source" or "one book". Theological universities are out of my reach where I live and the libraries we have here are quite small and don't have what I'm looking for. A lot of the stuff I find online is written in a biased way that detracts from the historical perspective by going on and on about how the compilation of the NT/Bible is all part of God's will, etc, etc.

 

[derpytia]

Eusebius was a historian in the 4th century so his list shows a slightly different canon but fairly similar to what we have today. There were recognized books (the Gospels, Acts, letters of Paul), disputed books such as James, spurious books such as Acts of Paul and finally heretical books. Part of the dispute was what books should be read during public church services, private reading, and heretical books. The NT canon eventually was made of books that were used in public. Other books such as the Acts of Paul or Apocalypse of Peter remained popular but non-authoritative. It is in the Apocalypse that Peter requests to be crucified upside down. Heretical books such as the Gospel of Thomas contain false teachings such as Jesus told Thomas some secret teachings that was never given to the other disciples.

The Development of the Canon of the New Testament - Eusebius

That's a really good start! Thank you!