I've heard people quote Revelation 22:18 (...If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book) saying that means the Bible is closed.
I don't know if they realize that chronologically, John wrote Revelation before the gospels of Matthew and John and various epistles attributed to Paul. Should all these books be discarded? Not to mention the same 'don't add, don't take away' scripture is found in the Old Testament (Deut 4:2). Wouldn't that mean that everything after Deuteronomy is false?
So I'm curious, where does the belief come from that scripture cannon is closed?
Obviously Jesus did many things that we don't currently have recorded in the 66 books known as the bible (John 21:25). If new records were discovered, would they be rejected?
2007-01-09 02:47:23 · 18 answers · asked by neil_ritz 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It is generally accepted that Johns warning was about his book, Revelations. That is also the case of Deuteronomy.
Just how common is that belief that scripture canon is closed? I have never heard such.
Scripture is a living growing thing. Each time it is translated it is changed, so unless you could read it in the writers hand you would argue the above.
I am not sure what language they wrote in but a brief supposed chronology would be Aramaic, Greek, Latin, French, Old English, Modern English, Good News, etc. So it is not possible to be totally accurate. Nor is it possible to satisfy a person bent on destruction of beliefs.
2007-01-09 02:55:49 · answer #1 · answered by Jimfix 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
"chronologically, John wrote Revelation before the gospels of Matthew and John and various epistles attributed to Paul." -kind of hard to be true considering John was the only one left alive at the time. Quit stating as fact an obvious lie.
"God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book" -I believe that especially pertains to the book of revelation. Also, it can be interpreted to mean any novel interpretation that would twist the intent of the Holy Spirit when it was authored.
The canon will be open to additions when the age of grace is complete and the world enters the judgment age.
2007-01-09 03:02:19 · answer #2 · answered by Jay Z 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The bible is a set of different writings pasted together in any order that the church wants, to meet their (Church's) own goals. It has little to do with belief. There are other books, Thomas's new Testament for instance, which are deemed heretical by the cannon.
And there are new books, the dead sea scrolls, which describe the life of a Jesus like figure before Christ was born - thus completely undermining the new testament. They are rejected... Get a grip, wake up and smell the roses, God was invented by a lonely man, unable to explain his world.
Some of us have moved on a bit since then, and don't waste our time and energy theorizing over medieval superstitions.
2007-01-09 02:57:55 · answer #3 · answered by DAVID C 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Interesting, I wonder if this is what Protestants use for their use of the Bible alone (as opposed to the Eastern Orthodox and -- I believe -- Catholic use of the writings of the holy fathers in addition to the Bible, as it was done in early Christian churches).
Anyway, you are misinterpreting the phrase. "If any man shall add unto these things ..." is a warning to those copying the Bible. How else were early Christians in far off countries supposed to read the Word of God? It was hand-copied over and over again, so the plague threat was a warning to scribes not to add their own spin and to be careful of mistakes.
I don't remember exactly, but I seem to recall other warnings in other books in the bible and this may be something each writer added as a matter of standard procedure.
2007-01-09 02:59:16 · answer #4 · answered by andy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The orthodox idiot answer is: Because the Authorized Version of the Bible (which means: whichever version your particular sect happens to regard as authoritative) is an inspired translation of texts which were taken down from direct dictation by the Holy Ghost. No other documents in history share this same claim to primacy, and therefore it's not merely wrong, but blasphemous to suggest that the Good Book might actually be supplemented by other scriptures.
There are, of course, exceptions among certain cults, as with the "Book of Mormon."
It doesn't matter anyway. The Bible "as it stands" is really little more than an ink blot test. People find in it exactly what their own capacity and tendencies dictate. "Both read the Bible day & night; But you read black where I read white" - William Blake.
The particular injunction in "Revelations" was simply a warning to scribes to exercize special caution in transcribing its text - quite typical and standard for its day.
2007-01-09 02:53:55 · answer #5 · answered by jonjon418 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because the Bible teaches us to avoid false prophets who contradict the Gospel of Jesus given to us by the original apostles (God would not contradict himself).
You asked this question yesterday, the the answer is still the same: the book of Mormon contradicts the Bible, and has many internal & external errors. It cannot be from God.
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I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
~Galatians 1:6-9 (NIV)
2007-01-09 03:00:37 · answer #6 · answered by Randy G 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Research the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The Bible should include more than the 39 books (Protestant Bible) currently contains. (The Catholic books (7) if memory servesme correctly on the point. I was raised in a Protestant sect). There are presently in the USA other deviations from God's word too.
May you receive a pleasant surprise today to God's glory!
2007-01-09 03:55:22 · answer #7 · answered by jefferyspringer57@sbcglobal.net 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i believe as the years go on ,by the thousands, God will have more Added ,to the bible because, he is performing miracles still to this day ,i am a witness of it ,as this time passes. if' there will be a new earth,or a need to even rememeber theese times and of the pass, in the new world, then it will be added to the bible also ,thats why we have archives and keep records of happenings in the world .the bible will become a place for the rememberence of ,our days and time might be 300,or more yrs who knows,so i believe God will give the command to add
2007-01-09 03:02:48 · answer #8 · answered by Me 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Rev 22:18 only refers to Revelation and it was written in the 90s it was the last book written - as for more scripture - prophesy stopped at the end of the 1st century, that is in scripture, that prophesy would end at some point
so no you cannot add to scripture but people do try to
2007-01-09 02:54:36 · answer #9 · answered by servant FM 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Yes, they would be rejected and the canon (only one "n") is in fact, closed. The Church, the Body of Christ filled with the Holy Spirit at the First Pentecost, makes such decisions in Council. And since the Church has been divided since 1054 A.D. - there is no way for a Council to be called that is truly ecumenical across the board.
The verse in Revelation is specifically for the text of the Apocalypse itself and does not apply to all Scripture.
2007-01-09 02:54:02 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋