The epistles – letters of Paul, James, Peter and others – reflect the daily walking out of the gospel as we learn it in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These books were quickly reproduced and distributed among the early churches. In this episode of Verity podcast, we discuss why the epistles can be trusted as authoritative and their importance to the whole canon of Scripture.
They tell you the rose-colored glasses come off. And the newness you feel now – that excitement of standing on the brink – it will unfold into the new-old of day to day, still novel, yet normal. Don’t let it go.
Moving from the Old to the New Testament in the gospels at last, this episode of Verity podcast delves into the reliability of the gospels, how they were written, why their date of authorship matters, and more!
The gospels build on the Old Testament foundation and rely heavily on the witness of the prophets. Jesus liberally quotes the Old Testament as proof of His own authority. Knowing both is important to appreciating the authority of Scripture.
The Writings are the third portion of the Hebrew Bible, made up of books like Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. These books were believed, by the Jews, to have one level less authority than prophetic books. Some of them were debated regarding canonicity, such as Song of Songs. But interestingly, it is books of Wisdom/Writings (the Ketuvim) that are read at every major Jewish festival.
The Prophets are the second of three sections in the original Hebrew Bible. Now that we know how the canon of Torah was established, it’s important to ask HOW and WHEN the prophetic (and historical) books were deemed authoritative.
In this episode of the Canon Series on Verity, we delve into the canonization process and history behind these books.