The Canon: Why have certain narratives become sacred texts?

• Main Author: Antonio Geraldo Cantarela
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais 2016-06-01
• Series: Horizonte
• Subjects: Narrativa sagradas; Cânon; Bíblia judaica; Bíblia cristã; Palavra de Deus
• Online Access: http://periodicos.pucminas.br/index.php/horizonte/article/view/12024

<p>The paper deals with topics related to the formation of the Jewish - Christian canon. The aim of this piece of work is to discuss widely why and how the Bible is or it became a sacred book. In a more specific way, it highlights some features of the theologies that helped to mark the Jewish and the Christian canon. The paper also discusses the normative nature the canon builds for the followers of Judaism and Christianity. Furthermore, it shows some historical information related to moments when both, first the Hebrew Bible and later the Christian Bible, reached their ultimate canonic status. Some of the elements studied in this approach, that combines theological and historical aspects of the formation of the canon, are the theological concepts of revelation and the Word of God, the theological centrality of the Law (Torah) for the Hebrew community, the loyalty of the Prophets (Nebhi’im) to Mosaic tradition, the rereading of Torah conducted by the wisemen with their Writings (Kethubi’im), by Jesus of Nazareth and by the first Christian communities.</p>