[Michael]

One of the most interesting things about the development of the canonical gospels relates to the fact that they were not developed all at once. The word “canon” derives its meaning from Greek meaning a measuring rod (similar to our term yardstick). Christians reference the word in metaphorical terms for a standard of truth that is agreed upon. The word is also utilized in the Roman Catholic Church to demonstrate that a person is worthy of being modeled and is indeed in heaven, i.e. saint canonization. In relation to scripture, a canon is a set of religious writings that are accepted by a particular religious community as being authoritative. The writings set a standard by which to measure truth within the community. Additionally, a canon is considered to be “open” so long as the particular community is still willing to accept new writings as authoritative truth. A canon becomes “closed” when the community determines that all new writings do not contain the same level of authority as previous writings. It is at this point that the community ceases the addition to the cannon and shifts to writing commentaries. Christianity has always been diverse, but it was particularly so in the first and second centuries. There was a long struggle and debate in which a Christian orthodoxy emerged through the development of creeds and canons.