Why I Don’t Believe the Canon Is Closed

By: J. Daniel Spratlin The term “canon” refers to the accepted books of the Scriptures. The Protestant canon contains 66 books, while other Christiantraditions will vary, adding a few books of the Apocrypha and someadditions to other books. A commonly accepted understanding amongmost Christians of all traditions is that the books that belong in theScripture cannot be added to. In other words, the canon is “closed.”While there is a sense in which I believe the canon is closed, there isalso a sense in which I don’t believe the canon is closed. Allow me toexplain.In order to maintain that the canon is closed, most Christianswould refer to the first few centuries of the church. In particular,councils such as Rome, Hippo, and Carthage, as well as Athanasius’Easter Letter will be referred to as evidence that the canon of the New Testament had closed. The Old Testament, according to most, wasalready established and closed by the time of Christ. For this, referencewould be made to the New Testament itself, as well as the testimonyof Josephus, Philo and some of the inter-testamental works.My contention with this assumption is that to say that the canonis “closed” needs to be understood more in an observational wayrather than an authoritative pronouncement. The term “closed” mightnot be the best word since it implies a necessary finality concerningthe contents of Scripture. This is something that I don’t believe we cansay in the way that we often say it for two primary reasons:

Scripture Itself is Silent

Scripture itself does not limit the canon to 66 books. No matterhow hard you look, one would be hard pressed to find a place thatdefinitely “closes” the canon. Revelation 22:18-19 is often referred toas evidence:I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him theplagues described in this book, and if anyone takes awayfrom the words of the book of this prophecy, God will takeaway his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, whichare described in this book. The problem with using this passage is that it is specific to the book of Revelation. Just because the book of Revelation occurs last in ourcanon does not mean that this warning serves as a bookend for theentire Bible. It is meant to communicate a general statement aboutthose who would be tempted to add to or take away from God’s wordPage

in general, and to the book of Revelation in specific. Yet the samewarning is given in the book of Deuteronomy and the Proverbs:Deuteronomy 4:2: You shall not add to the word that Icommand you, nor take from it, that you may keep thecommandments of the L

ORD

your God that I command you.Proverbs 30:6: Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke youand you be found a liar.Does this mean that once Deuteronomy or Proverbs were completethat no one was supposed to add any other books? I don’t knowanyone who would make that argument.

The Canon Is Self-Regulating.

The idea of canon is simply a way of expressing those books thatare from God, authoritative, and, therefore, part of Scripture. There isno reason to ever “close” it if by “close” you mean it is not possible forGod to add to it. I know that people are simply trying to say that otherpeople cannot add to it, but I think in doing so we have philosophicallyoverstepped our bounds. In other words, we don’t close anything. Godsimply stops adding to it. We have no right to say God cannot add to itbecause it is “closed.” This way, God regulates his own revelation.In short, the argument that I am making is that the canon isclosed only to the degree that God is no longer adding to it. But it isnot closed in the sense that God cannot add to it were he to make anunforeseen movement in the history of revelation. The primary reasonwhy we have not added anything to the canon in the last two thousandyears is simply because God has not used an authenticated apostle orprophet to speak his word and add to it in two thousand years. Only inthis sense is the canon “closed.”Now, to be clear, I don’t think that God will ever add anything tothe canon and I am not meaning to suggest otherwise. I believe thatthe Bible’s primary purpose is to communicate the history of redemption and I believe that we have good reason to believe that thishistory is complete. Listen to the writer of Hebrews:Hebrews 1:1-2: Long ago, at many times and in manyways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but inthese last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom heappointed the heir of all things, through whom also hecreated the world.“In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” contrasts theformer means of revelation through the “prophets.” It suggests finality.God is no longer speaking to us through a mediator who is unlike him,Page