He Foundation of Orthodoxy and the Canon

Dave Davidson

CHHI 301

Rev. William Hughes

February 6, 2012

The Foundation of Orthodoxy and the Canon

Over the years there has been a continuing discussion about what it means to be Christian and what constitutes the real and true Christian doctrine. Many groups of people have had debates concerning what were divinely inspired words from God. When it comes to these instances that have taken place over the last few centuries there have been key moments throughout history that have confirmed and cemented what works were really inspired by God. As Christians began to establish themselves as a formidable religious group they were confronted by others who questioned their beliefs and doubted the source of their faith. In response to these doubters, Christians saw the need to found the orthodoxy and establish the canons.

Before the events that led to the founding of the orthodoxy and establishment of the canons can be discussed the teachings that were questioned must first be addressed. The teachings that will be talked about are those of the apostles, the human authors that were inspired by God. "God is the Divine Author of a group of books, narratives, letters and songs that were written for the use of man to come closer to Him through Jesus Christ"(McFarland). The apostles took what they were taught by Jesus and wrote that down on paper. The apostolic writings were the basis for all Christian belief. Copies of these writings would be made from the originals and taken from church to church. The writings were so important that they later became the basis for the Bible.

During the time of the churches growth there were members within the Christian that began to question specific parts of the church doctrine. These, and other disagreements between members of the church, are known as heresies. Heresy is "A doctrinal view that deviates from the truth, a false teaching" (Slick). While there have been numerous heresies throughout the history of the church perhaps the most severe has been with regards to the nature of Jesus. Heresies concerning Christ include people who believe Jesus is not God, people that believe He was the son of God but not equal to God, and others who believe the Trinity is three separate Gods, rather than one entity.

"As the early church grew in its scope and influence throughout the Mediterranean area, various teachers proposed controversial ideas about Christ, God, salvation, and other biblical themes. It became necessa...

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