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Selected for inclusion in Preaching magazine’s “Annual Review of Outstanding Books for Preachers 2006”

This is the thoroughly updated and expanded third edition of the successful The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon. It represents a fresh attempt to understand some of the many perplexing questions related to the origins and canonicity of the Bible.

“What is the origin of our Bible? Who chose the books to be included in our Bible? When were the last discussions on the contents of our Bible? How do we find God’s Word and what constitutes ‘the Bible’? Such questions are fascinating to many in western culture. L. M. McDonald is the premiere authority on all these crucial questions. He demonstrates that no early council defined or limited the canon. For Jews discussions of the canon continued long after Jamnia (in the first century CE) and into the sixth century. For many Christians the question of canon and its limits continue unabated. McDonald’s masterpiece is the place to begin exploring informed answers to all these questions.”
—Professor James H. Charlesworth, George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language and Literature, and Director of the Princeton Seminary Dead Sea Scrolls Project, Princeton Theological Seminary

“Lee McDonald’s magnum opus is the fair fruit of a lifetime’s labor. His is an updated and fluent historical reconstruction of the canonical process, marked by the careful consideration of the real evidence that encourages a more precise discussion of the history and idea of a Christian biblical canon. Not only does McDonald seek to understand the complex and variegated phenomena of canon formation within the social worlds of both Judaism and earliest Christianity, he is ever alert to the serious theological and hermeneutical questions his discussion engenders about the nature and role of Scripture within today’s faith community. While McDonald’s conclusions will surely be debated, no scholar or student interested in these important matters will be able to neglect his fine book.”
—Rob Wall, Professor of the Christian Scriptures, Paul T. Walls Chair in Wesleyan Studies, Seattle Pacific University

Reviews

“This thorough introduction to the questions concerning the formation of the Christian canon offers a substantial revision of the author’s useful previous work. McDonald does not seek to answer every question he asks, but he asks nearly every question one can imagine, and he answers many of the central ones by drawing on his years of reflection on the topic. . . .I certainly commend this introduction to the Christian canon to all biblical scholars and to our most diligent students. McDonald helps frame for us the questions we must continue to ponder, and he thoroughly summarizes for us the fruit of his extensive labors in this important field.”
—Review of Biblical Literature

“This book is a ‘long overdue’ revision of the 2nd edition (1995) by the same title. Addressed not least to his evangelical peers, McDonald''s tome takes into account significant recent scholarship, thereby challenging some cherished but untenable assumptions about canon development. Specifically, McDonald follows research which contradicts popular ideas including: (1) the Hebrew Scriptures reached their canonical acceptance among the Jews in a three-stage development beginning in around 400 BCE (Pentateuch), 200 BCE (Prophets) and 90-100 CE (Writings); (2) the early Christians received from Jesus a closed or fixed collection of OT Scriptures; (3) most of the NT collection was fixed by the end of the 2nd century CE; and (4) evidence of the latter is provided by the Muratorian Fragment (allegedly late second-century).
McDonald takes up the challenge of J. A. Sanders: ‘we cannot deal adequately with the question of the structure of canon... until we have explored seriously and extensively the question of the function of canon. It is time to attempt to write a history of the early canonical process.’ Citing Neusner''s dictum, ‘What we cannot show, we do not know,’ McDonald attempts to break free of untested assumptions and thus advance our knowledge in the area of canon development. Similarly, McDonald borrows a definition of canon that is significant: Canon 1 is the authority given to persons (Moses and Jesus, for example), ideas, and certain texts; Canon 2 refers to the fixing of an authoritative collection of books. These levels correspond to Sanders’ categories of a) texts or stories that function authoritatively, and b) sacred texts with a fixed shape. The development from Canon 1 to Canon 2 was not linear, nor was every document of Canon 1 status included in Canon 2. But the distinction helps explain early attitudes to (later) non-canonical texts, and is more precise than referring to ‘canon process.’
The inclusion of R. Timothy McLay''s essay on the use Septuagint in the NT was an unusual but serendipitous decision. The essay holds evangelical feet to the fire on some ideas long held dear, and so doing constitutes an eloquently simple dismantling of mechanistic doctrines of scripture, especially certain ideas of inerrancy. It challenges some time-honored assumptions, including the Protestant Old Testament should be based on the Masoretic Text to the near-total exclusion of the LXX (‘the Protestant OT reflects a Babylonian flavor that was not current or popular in the time of Jesus’). Similarly, given that the early Christians accorded authority and inspiration to their translated texts and showed no apparent concern for the originals, an obsessive commitment to the inerrancy of the original autographs is misplaced.
McDonald walks a fine line between ‘conservative’ and ‘liberal’ attitudes, and avoids doctrinaire positions. He debunks as dogmatic wishful thinking conservative ideas about a first or second century notion of a settled (Protestant!) NT canon. But he also stops short of giving the standard nod to Walter Bauer (Orthodoxy and Heresy), whose heirs are recently claiming that purveyors of non-orthodox versions of early Christianity were victims, simply losers in the struggles for preeminence among early Christian groups in which the winners (incipient Catholics) rewrote the history to favor themselves. But McDonald refuses to treat all early Christian groups as equals: ‘While it may be somewhat in vogue to claim that all theologies of the Bible and all theologies outside of the bible equally represent the proclamation of the earliest Christian community, and that there was no theological core, but rather considerable confusion, this is simply not the case.’
Though not radical, McDonald''s conclusions are far-reaching. Much of the ‘recent’ research brought to bear is not new, but is at long last presented in a comprehensive and compelling manner. McDonald denies past allegations that he wants to change the canon, something that is, after all, a practical impossibility. More importantly, he seems most interested to challenge his evangelical peers at the level of their presuppositions about scripture. McDonald repeatedly mentions the ‘utility’ of scripture as a canonical quality (in 2 Tim 3:16-17, scripture''s ‘God-breathed’ character results in its utility), the recognition of the early Christians that the value of scripture lay in its usefulness and applicability. In terms of function, early Christian ‘canon’ consciousness was characterized by a practical shift away from the Jewish notion of a static body of writings which ‘defile the hands.’ ‘Inspiration’ was thus assumed as a reality but acknowledged as secondary. The documents which later came to be considered Christian scripture were in service to a larger truth, namely the apostolic interpretation of Jesus and his teaching. This remains true today: ‘the final authority of the church is not its bible, but its Lord.’ The open question to evangelicals is whether contemporary doctrines of scripture which emphasize ‘spiritual’ qualities unknown to, or down-played by, the early church are not merely irrelevant, but actually a hindrance to further understanding of canon.
. . . All students of the New Testament and early Christianity can be thankful for this new work on the origins of the canon. It is a ‘must read,’ and will be a resource and a talking point for years to come.
—Chrisendom

"Not all agree with McDonald''s analysis of historical evidence, but the work remains a remarkably comprehensive and vital source for the subject of its title."
—Expository Times

“The book is highly recommended for students and scholars alike as an excellent introduction to the central issues at stake in the formation and reception of Christian scripture.”
—The Catholic Historical Review

From its first, 1988 edition, entitled ‘The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon,’ an already substantial book of 205 Pages, this book has grown to more than double size. It has established itself as a major handbook on the formation of the biblical canon from the biblical period to the early fifth century CE: the time of Jerome and Augustine. In keeping with recent scholarship, McDonald follows Sundberg and others who date the Muratorian canon to the fourth (rather than second) century CE. Overall, the book is more interesting in its discussion of the emerging NT canon and the patristic period than in its sketch of how OT literature came to form a recognizable body of literature.”
—International Review of Biblical Studies

“This book has many strengths, most notably its unflinching look at all relevant evidence and its care in assessing the arguments of previous scholars. While readers occasionally find themselves bogged down in the data . . . the discoveries along the path make the journey worthwhile. McDonald successfully demolishes facile assumptions about a pristine period of biblical origins even as he wards off conspiracy theories such as those that made Dan Brown a millionaire. He helpfully locates the Bible as a collection in its proper place, the ongoing life of the church . . . [and]it does provide those who take theology and history (and their intersection) seriously a better understanding of the origins of the central book of the church. For that, he deserves our appreciation.”
—Restoration Quarterly

“This is a very accessible text that covers its subject with a comprehensive attention to detail. While many scholars interested in the topic will find this book useful, seminary students will likely derive the most benefit from McDonald's work. Not only does McDonald consistently ensure that all technical terms and references are clearly defined and explained (e.g., ‘Septuagint,’ ‘Cairo Genizah’), he also explicitly writes out of an evangelical commitment to scripture as the word of God and a pastoral concern for the student or layperson whose sense of the Bible’s trustworthiness is threatened when they first encounter many of the issues taken up in this text. This is certainly the best ‘first-stop’ for anyone interested in learning more about the historical issues surrounding the origin and transmission of the biblical canon, while also providing stimulating observations and questions for those with concerns regarding the canon’s continued authority in the Christian community of faith.”
—Toronto Journal of Theology

“This third edition of Lee McDonald's critically acclaimed The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon, while constituting an almost complete rewrite, is largely a more robust and supported presentation of his earlier positions. The differences between the second and third editions are immediately apparent, as a glance at the table of contents reveals. What was before two parts, ten chapters, six appendices, and three hundred and twenty pages is now three parts, fifteen chapters, four appendices, and almost five hundred pages.

“McDonald updates and bolsters his work by harvesting research in several fields. Along with subsequent advances in canon studies, he engages recent findings on the Dead Sea Scrolls, rabbinic literature (to which a new chapter is dedicated), Septuagint and textual criticism (which is considered in another new chapter on ancient manuscripts, books and translations). He also considerably amends the contents of chapters from the previous edition. For example, the notion of 'adaptability' is given more attention throughout the book. Indeed, in the chapter on criteria for canonicity, McDonald adds a terse treatment of 'adaptability'. Finally, some of the material is shifted around. Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Clement of Alexandria and Eusebius are removed from the chapter on lists of Scripture and given extended treatment in a new chapter on the movement from Scripture to canon.

“With this edition, McDonald remains one of the leading thinkers on the formation of canon and the historical reception of canonical literature. And this volume is still the best single-source for a grasp of the subject. Those who have older editions of this work will want to acquire this one. The Biblical Canon is a necessary addition to the library of any biblical scholar, theologian or theological student.
—Theological Book Review

Lee Martin McDonald is Professor of New Testament Studies and President of Acadia Divinity College in Nova Scotia, Canada. He is also the co-author of Early Christianity and Its Sacred Literature and The Canon Debate.

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