The Scriptures

March 27, 2020

If you’re Catholic, you’re familiar with the deuterocanonical texts. If you’re Protestant, you probably know these books as the Apocrypha. And if you’re a Christian, regardless of tradition, these books may be worth reading. In this episode, Adam and David discuss what Scripture is and what makes up the different canons.

After discussing the New Testament, David and Adam briefly explain the historical context of and requirements for canonization. This topic generates both agreement and disagreement: although both parties concur that there are that must be excluded, the Catholics accept the deuterocanonical texts and include them in their Bible while Protestants do not and often view them critically. However, Adam offers several reasons why Protestants should at least read this collection of books, especially if the goal is a unified Church.

There’s much more to this episode than debating what texts are Scriptural. Listen to this conversation to hear Adam and David talk about the formation of the New Testament (which is accepted by both traditions), the connection between Jesus and the deuterocanonical books, and what it means for Scripture to be inspired and inerrant.

Jump Through the Conversation

• [1:23] Preview of current and future topics

• [2:16] Vatican II document Die Verbum

• [3:07] Catholic view Scripture as a “mirror to the lived faith of the Church”

  • Example: New Testament

• [7:53] Issue of canonization and defending the Church against heretical texts

  • Agreement on being “Jesus-based Christians”

  • Examples of Gnostic gospels

  • Process of canonization

  • “Almost” canonical books

• [13:45] The Septuagint

  • Explanation of protocanonical and deuterocanonical

  • The Apocrypha

  • The relative importance of different books of different canons

• [18:06] Addressing Protestant sentiments on the deuterocanonical books

  • Unfair accusations leveled at Catholics

  • Jesus’ relationship to these books

  • Protestant arguments

  • Paul’s quotations from Septuagint

  • The issue of fear

• [22:11] Scripture as inspired and inerrant

  • What inerrancy means

  • Dead Sea Scrolls and old arguments against the validity of Scripture

• [29:00] Adam’s summary and outro

Links and Resources

• A Beautiful Church website

• Chattanooga House of Prayer website

• Give today

• David Carter’s ministry

• Dei Verbum (document from Vatican II)