Canon Law and the Canon of Scripture in Early Christianity - CHS 171

Catholic Heritage Show w/ Dr. Erik Estrada

Over a decade ago, a prominent Evangelical Protestant church historian set forth the claim that early Christian councils such as the ones that met Hippo (393), Carthage (397) and elsewhere merely recognized the canon of Scripture. They did not bestow authority, these scholars claim, on the books which are now part of the Bible. Instead, their decision to canonize the Scriptures reflected their larger desire to submit themselves to the authority of Scripture. Their act of canonizing, this scholar argued, reflected their belief in sola scriptura, that is, that Scripture by itself defines the church’s doctrines and morals.

Are these claims true? Did the early councils merely recognize a certain number of books as belonging to the authoritative list of books that now constitute the Scriptures? And, did their canonizing of the Scriptures reflect their belief that their own ecclesial decisions, religious teaching and that of the church as a whole was subject to error?

In this episode I take a second to evaluate this claim about the authority which early councils attributed to their decisions in light of the primary sources. More specifically, we look at the records preserved of the local Council of Laodicea (363). Laodicea, I argue, presents a very different picture of the early councils’ exercise of authority than one given by certain evangelical Protestant church historians. In this council, I believe, one sees a picture of bishops from Asia minor rendering an authoritative declaration on what they believed to be the true list of scriptural books.

Join us today as we talk about the early councils and their perception of their own authority in relation to the authority of the Scriptures. To access the show, download our free app on the iOS or Android stores. I look forward to hearing back from our audience.

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The Catholic Heritage Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Dr. Erik Estrada is a Catholic scholar who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame and specializes in the history of Christianity and historical theology. He also completed a licentiate (S.T.L) in theology and patristic science at the Augustinianum Patristic Institute in Rome and a S.T.B. at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.

If you would like to provide feedback to the show, of if you have any inquiries, you can contact him at [e-mail].

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