Originally posted by Logan:
This is not an accurate account of history. If you look into it, you will find that the debating over what books should or should'nt be included in the canon, was among Christians, not pagans or atheist.
"Doubtless thousands of infidels today really believe that the Council of Nice by some vote, or trick, or juggle, settled the canon of the Scriptures, and separated what they call the spurious Gospels from the genuine ones. But in fact no such thing was done at the Council of Nice; and in fact no such thing could have been done by any council, with any authority or effect. The votes of councils could no more settle the canon of the New Testament than the vote of a town council could decide what were the laws of a state or nation.
The early Christians read, and believed, and quoted the same books that we read, and believe, and quote, and in the same way that we believe and quote them; and they did this for generations before councils ever meddled with the subject; and the proofs of this fact are abundant and incontrovertible.
Robert Phillip repeats the following incident as received from the lips of John Campbell, the well-known African missionary and explorer, who said:
I remember distinctly an interesting anecdote referring to the late Sir David Dalrymple, better known to literary men abroad by his title of Lord Hailes, a Scottish judge. I had it from the late Rev. W. Buchanan, one of the ministers of Edinburgh. I took such interest in it that, though it must be about fifty years since he told it, I think I can almost relate it in Mr. Buchanans words:
"I was dining some time ago with a literary party at old Mr. Abercrombies, father of General Abercrombie, who was slain in Egypt at the head of the British army, and spending the evening together. A gentleman present put a question which puzzled the whole company. It was this: Supposing all the New Testaments in the world had been destroyed at the end of the third century, could their contents have been recovered from the writings of the first three centuries?
"The question was novel to all, and no one even hazarded a guess in answer to the inquiry. About two months after this meeting, I received a note from Lord Hailes, inviting me to breakfast with him next morning. He had been one of the party. During breakfast he asked me if I recollected the curious question about the possibility of recovering the contents of the New Testament from the writings of the first three centuries.
"I remember it well," said I, "and have thought of it often, without being able to form any opinion or conjecture on the subject."
"Well," said Lord Hailes, "that question quite accorded with the turn or taste of my antiquarian mind. On returning home, as I knew I had all the writings of those centuries, I began immediately to collect them, that I might set to work on the arduous task as soon as possible." Pointing to a table covered with papers, he said, "There have I been busy for these two months, searching for chapters, half-chapters and sentences of the New Testament, and have marked down what I have found, and where I found it, so that any person may examine and see for himself. I have actually discovered the whole New Testament from those writings, except seven (or eleven) verses (I forgot which), which satisfied me that I could discover them also. Now, here was a way in which God concealed or hid the treasure of his Word, that Julian, the apostate emperor, and other enemies of Christ who tried to extirpate the Gospels from the world, never would have thought of; and though they had, they never could have effected their destruction."
(Fundamentalist Baptist Library 2000)
I posted this to show that all the manuscripts were in place, and it was the early believers along with the guidance of the Holy Spirit that canonized the Scriptures. Many of us have a different view of the Church Fathers, and definately of those on the Church Councils, as to their qualifications, even to discern whether a book was inspired or not. By the opening paragraph of this quote it is obvious that David Cloud does. I would rather trust the early believers judgement in these matters than a council that debated it three centuries later.
DHK
