On this episode of Theology Unplugged we talk about the canon. In this context canon refers to the collection of books that make up the Bible. Did you know that Bibles used by protestants and catholics have slightly different collections of books? Jump to the end of this post to play the podcast or subscribe via iTunes.
The First 5-Min Transcript
Tim Kimberley (TK): Fellas, it’s good to be back in the studio with you guys. It’s great having you join us here on Saturdays on BOTT Radio. And we are talking about not really a problem passage in the Bible but we are zooming way out but I will start it with II Timothy…
(Christopher) Michael Patton (CMP): It is a problem passage.
TK: Well it’s more of just a problem.
CMP: It’s a problem passage that’s not in the Bible.
TK: That’s right. Okay. But let me read II Timothy 3:16 because it says, all scripture is breathed out by God. Okay, all scripture is breathed out by God. But here’s the problem. How do we know what scripture is breathed out by God? How do we know for sure that the 66 books that I have in the Bible that’s in my hands right now was breathed out by God.
CMP: Table of contents. Go to the table of contents.
TK: How do I also know that what if on the nightly news tonight some archeologist in Jerusalem just was digging in the palace of David and just found a whole new collection of writings, should we add that and maybe now there’s 67 books…

Editorial Credit: Renata Sedmakova / Shutterstock.com

CMP: Table of contents.
TK: And then II Timothy 3:16 will apply to those things that were just discovered.
JJ Seid (JJ): Well yea, Paul’s always talking about all these other letters we don’t have. You know what if we find one of them, you know. What about the letter to the Laodiceans he mentions that right? Where’s that? What if someone finds it next week?
CMP: Table of contents. What’s the matter with that?
Sam Storms (SS): Well, I don’t know. I’m just thinking about all the things that I’ve written. I’d like to slide one of my books in after Revelation.
TK: I object. Sam, they were good books but they’re not that good.
JJ: Classics, but I don’t know if they’re timeless classics.
SS: But we can laugh about it but the question is, why or why not. What criteria, to what are we appealing when we exclude Michael’s new book, Now That I’m a Christian. Free advertising there buddy.
JJ: Let’s make this even worse. I walked over to my Roman Catholic friend’s house last week and we were looking up some verses together and he has a different table of contents than I have. Now what do I do with that? We got two different tables of contents?
TK: Well, and let me add this. What do you say, what do you mean when you say “table of contents?” Are you talking about Athanasius’ easter letter from the 365 A.D. where he says here are the books of the Bible and he doesn’t include Esther and he does include Baruch which is in the Roman Catholic table of contents but not in the Bible I have in my hands[1].
CMP: Melito’s table of contents, the table of contents from the council of Hippo.
JJ: We apologize to our listeners. This is a nerd alert.
CMP: The table of contents from the council of Carthage in 389, 393, 402. All of these ones that came together and established a table of contents.
SS: So wait a minute Michael. So are you saying that men in the early church decided what was going to be in the canon? Did the church create the canon that I have sitting on my knee right now called the English Standard Version?
CMP: English Standard Version, where does that table of contents come from? Where does the NIV table of contents come from? Where does the NAS, where does the King James table of contents come from?
JJ: Okay this is starting to sound like a comedy sketch show.
CMP: People may not know this but they are not common… I mean… the table of contents are not inspired.
JJ: Well, and you keep asking questions, we want answers. But now y