The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon (revised and expanded edition)

Written by Lee M. McDonald Reviewed By D.L.E. Anderson

In 1987 the first edition of Lee McDonald’s The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon was published ‘to provide a helpful guide to the origins of the Christian biblical canon for students, pastors and informed laypersons who want to explore the often elusive historical processes of how we got our Bible’ (p. xxiii). This second edition has been produced to incorporate information and works which had been unavailable to the author earlier, particularly with regard to the OT canon.

Helmut Koester, in his foreword to the book, states that the story of the canonization of the Christian Bible ‘must be told in such a way that everyone in the divided Christian churches of our day may share it and learn from it, evangelical Christians as well as those of a more liberal persuasion’ (p. xii). McDonald does this by focusing on the historical aspects of canonization. He approaches the subject by examining ancient biblical and non-biblical writings, using both his own observations and those of other modern writers. Thus the book is a compendium of thought regarding canonization from pre-Christian times to the present. This approach produces a work which is a very useful tool to those studying biblical canonization.

The book is divided into ten chapters and six appendices. The author begins with a general look at the Scripture and canon, dealing with the varying notions of what Scripture is and how it and canon are defined. In Part I he details the issues relating to the OT canon: the three-part canon of the Jews, the differing canons of various Jewish sects and the OT canons of early Christianity. In Part II the author moves to the NT, examining the views of early Christian writers regarding which writings were chosen or rejected. He closes the main text of the book by reviewing the criteria used for acceptance of the canonical books.

The appendices give a great deal of additional information, such as lists of and information on the order of the books which were accepted by the early Christian churches, on Rabbinic writings and on non-canonical works. McDonald ends the book with ‘An Outline of Canon Research’, questions designed to enable the reader to research the subject of canonization for himself.

There is one objection which some readers may have to this book. McDonald states that ‘Many of us were taught in seminary that the early church simply recognized (as opposed to deciding) its own inspired NT Scriptures’ (p. 3). There are many who still hold to this supernatural view of canonization; McDonald essentially omits this aspect and instead limits himself to strictly tangible evidence. Although he does not engage in controversial discussion, he does not shrink from questioning well-accepted positions. Thus he tends to leave the impression that the church should be open to the possibility of changing the canon to fit the needs of present-day or future Christians.

Readers coming from strongly conservative backgrounds may find these ideas problematic.

All in all, the book is an excellent overview of the ancient primary sources and modern scholarly debates on canonization, and should prove a very useful tool to those who desire a resource book on the subject.


D.L.E. Anderson

Morden, Surrey