Introduction: Canons, Scriptures, and New Religions

Abstract

Early in 367 CE Athanasius, the bishop of Alexandria in Egypt, issued a “festal epistle” to the churches under his care. In it, he set the date for Easter that year and by extension the dates for the rest of the Christian festivals. That letter is most widely remembered, however, for its inclusion of an inventory of the 27 books of the New Testament that is the first mention of the canonical list as it has been used ever since. It also features the earliest use of a form of the Greek word for “canon” applied to that list.¹ Commenting on the books he has identified, the bishop asserts that “these are the springs of salvation, so that someone who thirsts might be satisfied by the words they contain. In these books alone the teaching of piety is proclaimed. Let no one add to or subtract from them.”² Athanasius’ letter provides information about one point in the long, complex, and politically charged processes through which various Christian communities struggled to arrive at consensus on a set of authoritative scriptures. In a broader sense, the letter is particularly interesting for its clear articulation of one of the principle goals of canon formation: limitation. Athanasius stresses that the books that he lists, alone, are the “springs of salvation.” To underline his point, the bishop provides a warning, “Let no one add to or subtract from them.”³