Canon Revisited : Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books

Ever since German liberalism began to infect the world of New Testament studies in the latter part of the eighteenth century, conservative scholarship has fought valiantly to defend the authority, historicity, and inerrancy of the Scriptures. This battle has been waged on many fronts including textual criticism, biblical theology, and introduction. In the field of introduction, particularly, conservative scholars have defended first century dates for all of the NT books, and they have argued for the authenticity of the authors of those books while denying the possibility of pseudonymous interlopers. Conservatives have fit themselves well in this skirmish with regard to the dating and authorship of the NT books. But another field related to introduction that has not received as much attention is that of the canon. Michael J. Kruger, President and Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC, is seeking to remedy this dearth in canon studies. While he has written a number of books and articles, Canon Revisited is his most important contribution to date. In Kruger’s introductory chapter (15–24) he cites three factors that indicate why a study of the canon should rank high on any pastor’s list. First, “modern critical scholarship has continued to raise doubt about the authorship and date of numerous New Testament books” (17). The point, of course, is that if a book is deemed as a forgery, why would it have been included in an authoritative canon? Second, over the last 150 years many apocryphal materials have been discovered such as the Gospel of Peter and the Gospel of Thomas that have raised questions about the books that should be included in the canon. Third, the continued influence of Walter Bauer’s book