How We Got the Bible

Recently, someone asked me for a resource on how the Bible came to us in its present form. They wanted to know, not just who wrote the Bible, but more so, how is it that we have 66 books and not more or less. They were concerned to understand how and why we have the list of books contained in the Bible, and why these became the canon of Scripture.

Couple of books I have found helpful in this regard are How We Got the Bible by Neil Lightfoot and The Canon of Scripture by F.F. Bruce.

Lightfoot is a little lighter (no pun intended) of the two. Bruce is more in-depth as it covers people, places, and councils. Lightfoot is a more reader-friendly overview of the history of the Bible and the development of the canon. If you are new to these thoughts about the canon of Scripture, I would recommend Lightfoot and from there, Bruce.  However, recently I have been made aware of another book coming out in the near future. It is Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of New Testament Books by Michael Kruger.

Dr. Kruger was recently interviewed by the guys at Reformed Forum. You can listen to the interview here.  Hopefully it will interest you in reading and learning more about the wonderfully preserved, God-inspired scriptures we hold so dear.