How was the Books of Bible Put Together? | Sam Shamoun

0:00 So um my question basically is uh how do you or how was the canon of the Bible put together? It's it was a process. How do you what are the criterias to identify holy scripture? Basically the canon is a process entrusted to the church. So you got to be careful though. Some people think that the church was debating over every single book of the New Testament. So, let me give you a little history and I'll give you a website, a YouTube channel to go more in depth. From the get-go, the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, no doubt about their authenticity. They're all apostles of Jesus, right?

0:47 Which one? Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Not Not Luke. Not Mark and Luke. Okay. Yeah. So from the beginning, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, no dispute. They were accepted universally as well as Acts because Luke wrote, Luke wrote Acts, no dispute. 13 letters of Paul, no dispute. I say 13 because Hebrews, it was disputed whether it's from Paul or not. So right away from the beginning, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, 13 letters of Paul accepted. So 13 + 5 is what? uh 18 18. So those right away no dispute. Now what was the criteria that the

1:33 Christians look to to determine whether this book was truly from the apostles or the period of the apostles and inspired? Well, some of the criteria first was apostolicity. What does that mean? Do we know this book was written during the time of the apostles under their supervision oposes? Right. That's one. Second criteria or criterion. It's part of criteria was did the major seeds of Christianity the universal church received these books early on as being inspired and handed to them from the apostles. That was the second. So the disciples of the apostles also wrote the canon of the Bible. Right. Yes. So that's why was it something

2:19 passed down from the apostles with their because even if an apostle had a disciple wrote it did that writing of the disciple was it written during the time of the apostles with their approval that's why it's called apostolicity yes it doesn't have to be an apostle but was it written during the time of an apostle with the approval apostle I'm going to give you example unanimous teaching of the church is John Mark wrote the Gospel of Mark with Peter's approval because John Mark traveled with the apostles. He traveled with Paul Barnabas. He traveled with Peter. And when Mark wrote down the gospel in Rome, he was writing down the

3:06 preaching of Peter and it says Peter approved of it being published and passed on. That's called apostolicity. Okay. Okay. So the second is this is the second though you have to remember when they're looking back later they want to look at the early records did the churches the major seas of Christianity major seas is Alexandria Egypt Jerusalem Constantinople Rome right and Antioch Antioch yeah did these major seas where the apostles went and did miracles and established bishops and sabbath churches did they received these books early on as from the apostles meaning the period of the apostles whether it's written by a disciple that was another criteria part

3:52 of the criteria and also if we know these books are from the apostles Matthew Mark Luke and John and Acts that we know and the 13 letters the apostles and those under them will not contradict established teaching so if a book claims to come from them but contradicts the books that we already know to be from them established then it can't be from them unless the apostles and their followers were confused. So it had to be sound in its teaching and in its practice. Okay, I see because there are a lot of forgeries also I heard of like the gospel of Barnabas or something like this. Well, Epistle of Barnabas is different from the Gospel of Barnabas. Epistle of Barnabas was written in the first

4:38 century and attributed Barnabas. Yeah. And also like the nakamadi like the gnostics they have some no crazy gospels no basis to be authentic because nagamadi is gnostic right unless we believe Jesus didn't truly become flesh the Christ only appeared in human form or possessed a human being named Jesus and abandoned him that would not have been the worldview of the Jews of the first century most certainly not so obviously they're not even in consideration why because the world view ofnosticism coming out of Gnostic Greek philosophy. Matter is evil, right? So you want to be liberated from your body because the Greeks believed in immortality of the soul because his body

5:24 is evil. You want to discard it. Matter is evil. So then they mix that philosophy with Christ saying, "See Christ, the divine Christ either just looked human but he went over and became or he entered this man named Jesus and then abandoned him when he got killed." We know for a fact the Jew Jesus even if you don't think he claimed to be God did not share that worldview because as a Jew he shared the worldview of the Old Testament that taught God created the world good though fallen he will restore it and God will raise the dead in their bodies not discard them. Yeah. So nasticism doesn't even have a claim. Nagamari doesn't even have a claim. I see. So I have a second question. May I ask?

6:11 Yeah, you can ask God, bro, if I can answer. So I had this thought that um is it possible in this day and age that there are more prophets or are there no more prophets being born ever again? If you follow the tradition of the churches established by the apostles, the replacement of the apostles are bishops. If you read the apostles, they appointed bishops to take their place. So the bishop is now in the role of an apostle. We don't look to prophets and apostles like Moses and Peter. The bishops were their replacement. Whereas in the Old Testament, you had succession of prophets that would succeed prophets. So this prophet came, another came to

6:58 take his place. In the New Testament, the apostles and the prophets that were with them taught the bishops take our place. They stand in our place. And that's why we talk about apostolic succession. Meaning the apostles laid hand up bishops and trusted them to faith. They were now the leaders who would now take over after the apostles left. Okay. So there are no more prophets being born. Like the cannon is not expanding. It's impossible. You don't believe. finished. Yeah. Once the apostles will always be once the apostles leave the earth and they trust the bishops in their care, that means everything God wants the church to have and know until Christ returns has already been revealed and preserved in the church.

7:45 So, but is it possible to have like prophetic dreams or something like this? Oh, yeah. You can have dreams and visions. Yeah. In fact, in the Catholic church, okay, now you're asking me something different. In the Catholic church and Orthodox church, you have visionaries who actually have visions, dreams that are believed to be from God. But these dreams and visions obviously clarify or confirm what has already been established. Yes, we have. They're mystics, visionaries. There are plenty of them in the Orthodox and Catholic churches. Yes, that is believed. Yep. And on top of that, the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church recognizes that God can even send

8:30 angels, saints, the Holy Mother, what they call apparitions to actually come to individuals, speak to them and announce certain things that will happen in that let's say 20th century or 21st century. Yes, that is that is something accepted by the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Hence, Fatima, our lady of Fatima, bonafideed apparition of the blessed mother, confirmed by the Catholic Church where she appeared to three children, humble children. She didn't appear to a bishop or a priest, humble children. Why? Because God says the kingdom belongs to children. And you must humble yourself as a child if you want to be great in the kingdom. And she revealed to them the mysteries, they

9:16 call them the mysteries of Fatima, which had to do with communism and Russia and the impact it would have on the world. Yes. I see. I see. So, have you ever experienced anything like it yourself? Not on that level. No, I'm not a I'm not a visionary. Nothing supernatural. Supernatural stuff has happened to me all the time, but that's not on the level of where it is now binding upon the faithful because the holy mother told me, "Make sure you reveal this to the pope." And the pope then speaks about it. That is something personal for me and those who are exposed to it. So, I don't want you to think you're a visionary and you've been sent by God to speak to us. Yeah, that's that's the problem because

10:02 sometimes I think the dream might mean something, but like you can never 100% sure tell if it's not some um if I'm not being deceived by Satan, you know? Yeah, you can be. But how you know you're not deceived? You number one, you have to be in solid standing with the church in a submission to the church as well as the leadership of the church. So if you're by yourself sitting at home and you're doing Christianity on your own, number one, you're in violation. You're in sin. Yeah. I've been going to different churches, but I haven't decided to which church I will belong because I'm truly I truly believe only for a year, not even a year. Good. You're getting there. But don't base it on your dreams and visions to

10:48 become a Christian because even Satan can reveal himself to people and demons and convince them that they are prophets but then inspire them to teach false teaching like Muhammad. Be careful because Jesus warned us of that. Satan appears as an angel of light. They'll be false prophets, false Christ. They'll even do miracles, but then they'll contradict the revelation established, preserved by God. And many people who don't know the Bible, are not grounded in the faith, will be deceived and follow them. Like this Mai character who's a fake. Look how many people are following him. So you want to make sure you're not demonized. Find a church. Fast. Submit to the church. Fast. Come under leadership. Fast. And let them pray over you, watch over you and guide