The Formation and Significance of the Christian Biblical Canon: A Study in Text, Ritual and Interpretation

Marc Notes: Originally published: London: Bloomsbury, 2014.; This title offers a fresh cross-disciplinary approach to the current discussion on the Christian canon formation process. By carefully integrating historical, hermeneutical and theological aspects to account for the emergence of the canon, it seeks to offer a more comprehensive picture of the canon development than has previously been achieved. The formation and continuous usage of the Christian biblical canon is here viewed as an act of literary preservation and actualization of the church's apostolic normative tradition - 'the Scriptures and the Lord' - addressing, first of all, the church, but also the wider society. Biographical Note: Tomas Bokedal (Th. D., Lund) is lecturer in New Testament at King's College, University of Aberdeen, UK. His researchinterests include Christian origins and the relation of Scripture and theology. He has authored several articles and books on the biblical canon. Table of Contents: Introduction1. The Question of the Biblical Canon Part A: Linguistic and tradition-related aspects of the canon2. The Concept of Canon Part B: Material and textual aspects of the canon3. The Nomina Sacra - Highlighting the Sacred Figures of the Text4. The Bible Codex - A Material Symbol of Christian Textuality5. Oral and Written Text - Two Media of the Christian Canon6. The Canon as Text Part C: Performative aspects of the canon7. Canon and Ritual Interaction Part D: Ideational aspects of the canon8. The Scriptures and the Rule of Faith - Story, Scope, Scopus9. The Logic of the Christian Canon - Authority, Integrity, Criterion10. The Scriptures and the Lord - General Conclusions BibliographyPublisher Marketing: This book offers a fresh cross-disciplinary approach to the current discussion on the Christian canon formation process. By carefully integrating historical, hermeneutical and theological aspects to account for the emergence of the canon, it seeks to offer a more comprehensive picture of the canon development than has previously been achieved. The formation and continuous usage of the Christian biblical canon is here viewed as an act of literary preservation and actualization of the church's apostolic normative tradition - 'the Scriptures and the Lord' - addressing, first of all, the church, but also the wider society. In order to grasp the complex phenomenon of the biblical canon, the study is divided into four parts, focusing respectively on linguistic and effective-historical, textual and material, performative, and ideational aspects of the canon. Attention is given to the scribal nomina sacra convention, the codex format, oral and written Gospel, early Christian liturgical praxis and the Rule of Faith. Bokedal argues that the canon was formed in a process, with its own particular intention, history, and direction. Throughout the study, history and theology, past and present are considered alongside each other. By using a Gadamerian hermeneutics of tradition, the reader's attention is directed to historical dimensions of the canon and its interpretative possibilities for our time. The notion of effective history (Wirkungsgeschichte), as well as the interaction between text, community and reader are crucial to the argument. The canonical text as text, its interpretation and ritual contextualization are highlighted as unifying elements for the communities being addressed. Contributor Bio:  Bokedal, Tomas Tomas Bokedal (Th. D., Lund) is lecturer in New Testament at King's College, University of Aberdeen, U. K. His researchinterests include Christian origins and the relation of Scripture and theology. He has authored several articles and books on the biblical canon.