Who Chose the Books of the New Testament? (Questions for Restless Minds)
Who Chose the Books of the New Testament?
You can trust your Bible.
Was the Bible born of a giant conspiracy? Many believe that the Bible was created as an instrument of domination by the Roman emperor Constantine and corrupt bishops seduced by political power. These men were not preserving orthodox Christianity. They were simply the winners—and thus the writers—of history. Is this Christianity’s dirty secret?
In Who Chose the Books of the New Testament?, Charles E. Hill examines the ancient evidence behind the formation of the New Testament. Hill retraces the origins of the canon and why certain books were privileged and others neglected. He concludes that the New Testament was inherited, not chosen. The early church preserved and proclaimed what they received. Learn how you got your Bible.
Order all 17 volumes in the Questions for Restless Minds series.
Top Highlights
“In fact, as the biblical patriarch Joseph told his brothers who had sold him into slavery and abandoned him, ‘You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today’ (Gen 50:20). If this culturally useful narrative about the formation of the Bible turns out to be accurate, the Christian can still look gratefully and joyfully at the saving message preserved in the New Testament and say, ‘Constantine and his army may have meant it for evil, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should hear the life-giving voice of Jesus in the books that made it into the New Testament.’” (Pages 8–9)
“Here is the point: to trade on secret words of Jesus concedes that there are public words already well-known, functioning as a kind of standard or criterion. These alternative voices thus in a backhanded way seem to attest to the mainstream, orthodox tradition.” (Page 53)
“available, would be most useful for meeting the changing needs of their congregations.” (Page 49)
Questions for Restless Minds series
The Questions for Restless Minds series applies God’s word to today’s issues. Each short book faces tough questions honestly and clearly, so you can think wisely, act with conviction, and become more like Christ. Edited by D. A. Carson, the series covers a wide range of topics centered around critical questions many Christians wrestle with today.
Learn more about the other titles in this series.
Praise for the Questions for Restless Minds series
“This generation of Christians inhabit cultures that sometimes reject not only biblical revelation about reality but also the reality of reality itself. The Questions for Restless Minds series poses many of the toughest questions faced by young Christians to some of the world’s foremost Christian thinkers and leaders. Along the way, this series seeks to help the Christian next generation to learn how to think biblically when they face questions in years to come that perhaps no one yet sees coming.”
—Russell Moore, public theologian, Christianity Today
If you’re hungry to go deeper in your faith, wrestle with hard questions, and are dissatisfied with the shallow content on your social media newsfeed, you’ll really appreciate this series of thoughtful deep dives on critically important topics like faith, the Bible, friendship, sexuality, philosophy, and more. As you engage with some world-class Christian scholars, you’ll be encouraged, equipped, challenged, and above all invited to love God more with your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
—Andy Kim, multiethnic resource director, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
- Politics
- Praxis
- Proof
- Conclusion
- Title: Who Chose the Books of the New Testament?
- Author: Charles E. Hill
- Series: Questions for Restless Minds
- Series Editor: D. A. Carson
- Publisher: Lexham Press
- Publication Date: 2022
- Pages: 104
- Format: Logos Digital, Paperback
- Trim Size: 5x7
- ISBN: 9781683595199
Charles E. Hill is professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida, and author of Who Chose the Gospels? Probing the Great Gospel Conspiracy.