Who Chose the Four Gospels?

Written by Dr. Charles E. Hill | Oct 5, 2016 5:00:00 AM

Some say that the gospels and the entire New Testament canon were not chosen until the fourth century, Constantine the Great. Nicaea did not really deal with questions of the canon explicitly to our knowledge. Others would say that the four Gospels, and really all the books of the New Testament, were being used as Scripture for quite some time before that. They would say that it was Irenaeus, writing in the late second century, who chose the Gospels. I think, when you look around at the evidence, you see that is not really the case. Several of his contemporaries were writing in just about the same time. , and they happened to be the same four Gospels. Earlier than Irenaeus, you had the production of the Diatessaron, which was the first Gospel - harmony attempt to put all four Gospels together. [epq-quote align="align-left"]It is not our job to choose any books for the Bible. The church's task is simply to receive what God has given[/epq-quote] You had another Diatessaron attempt by at least two authors we know in the second century. The funny thing is that they used the same four Gospels and only four Gospels, and they are the same ones that we have. I think this is pretty important. If you go back to the second - century authors and asked them, "Who chose the Gospels?" or "Why did you choose these books for the New Testament?", they would have said something like, "We did not choose anything. These books were not chosen, they were given to us.” It is not our job to choose any books for the Bible. The church's task is simply to receive what God has given”. You have writers like Irenaeus and many others speaking in language of reception. We receive, we recognize, and we affirm these books that are given. That is very much in fitting with what we see in Scripture itself: that God's word is something that is delivered to us, and it is the job of God's people not to pick and choose, but to receive what is given. It is a very different mindset from when we ask who chose Gospels. The early church would have said, "Nobody chose them except God."

A quick glance at the subject and the table of contents (including the impressive array of contributors) is about all that is necessary to commend this book. If you are interested in Luther (and if you are not, you should be), and if you are looking to learn more about him, his life and ministry, the larger Reformation context, and his influence, then add The Legacy of Luther to your required reading list for the five-hundredth anniversary of the Reformation. This is a good time for the evangelical Protestant world to remember what the Reformation was all about. This book will help.

Ligon Duncan, Chancellor and CEO

Five hundred years after Luther's nailing of the Ninety-Five Theses, the message of the Reformation is needed now more than ever. Not only has the culture drifted away from the truth, but it seems that much of the church has gone with it. The Legacy of Luther offers a clear, bold, and much-needed call to a new Reformation. May God use it to bring renewal to both the church and the world.

Michael Kruger, President and the Samuel C. Patterson Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity

Martin Luther was very insistent that the Reformation was not his work nor the work of any man but a great work of God brought about by His powerful Word. Thus, Luther wouldn't have wanted us to celebrate him and his work but for us to share his biblical convictions and his commitment to Word ministry, so that God can accomplish His work today just as he did five hundred years ago. For this reason, The Legacy of Luther is a much-needed book. It helps us learn more about this great servant of God, but even more importantly, it reminds us of the biblical foundation of Luther's work. And most importantly, this book challenges us not just to be admirers of Luther but to follow in his footsteps. Surely, this is the great need of Luther's Germany today as it is a need of the church in all places at all times until Christ returns.

Matthias Lohmann, Pastor

Among all the servants the Lord has given his church, none has encouraged me more directly, more consistently, and with greater challenge than Martin Luther. He is one of the titanic figures on the world scene--a man without whom the history of the world as we know it could not be told. He has been for me an example of Christian faithfulness and courage in the face of trial, of steadfastness in the truth, and of a Christian man in full. Luther was a passionate follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, a happy husband and an eager father, a man whose pastor's heart should humble us all, and a man who was ready to stand, at risk of his life, on the word of God and not be moved. This new book by R.C. Sproul and Stephen Nichols is a wonderful introduction to Luther and to his theology. To know Luther the man is to know Luther the theologian. In this important book, Dr. Sproul and Dr. Nichols help us to meet Luther and to come to our own deeper commitment to the authority of Scripture and the sufficiency of Christ alone.

R. Albert Mohler Jr., President

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