Is Scripture a Gift? Reflections on the Divine-Ecclesial Provision of the Canon

This article investigates whether the canon of Christian Holy Scripture is properly understood as a gift and, if so, what theological implications this might entail. Following the introduction, the article has three main sections. The first section proposes an expanded grammar by which to describe t...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Brad East
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-10-01
Series:Religions
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/10/961
_version_ 1797470102639083520
author Brad East
author_facet Brad East
author_sort Brad East
collection DOAJ
description This article investigates whether the canon of Christian Holy Scripture is properly understood as a gift and, if so, what theological implications this might entail. Following the introduction, the article has three main sections. The first section proposes an expanded grammar by which to describe the production and reception of the canon in and by the church, under the superintending sovereignty of the divine will and action. The second section offers a guide to recent inquiry into “the gift” in the fields of philosophy and theology, particularly those theories that might prove useful for applying the concept of “gift” to Scripture. The third section unfolds a normative account of the Christian canon as a gift of the triune God to his people and through his people, thus making sense of the long-standing liturgical practice of responding to the reading of the sacred page in the public assembly with a cry of thanks to God.
first_indexed 2024-03-09T19:32:58Z
format Article
id doaj.art-b65b3535093840f09786a02a8a0ecf6e
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2077-1444
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-09T19:32:58Z
publishDate 2022-10-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Religions
spelling doaj.art-b65b3535093840f09786a02a8a0ecf6e2023-11-24T02:17:21ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442022-10-01131096110.3390/rel13100961Is Scripture a Gift? Reflections on the Divine-Ecclesial Provision of the CanonBrad East0College of Biblical Studies, Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX 79699, USAThis article investigates whether the canon of Christian Holy Scripture is properly understood as a gift and, if so, what theological implications this might entail. Following the introduction, the article has three main sections. The first section proposes an expanded grammar by which to describe the production and reception of the canon in and by the church, under the superintending sovereignty of the divine will and action. The second section offers a guide to recent inquiry into “the gift” in the fields of philosophy and theology, particularly those theories that might prove useful for applying the concept of “gift” to Scripture. The third section unfolds a normative account of the Christian canon as a gift of the triune God to his people and through his people, thus making sense of the long-standing liturgical practice of responding to the reading of the sacred page in the public assembly with a cry of thanks to God.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/10/961Bibledoctrine of Scripturegiftgratitudetraditioninspiration
spellingShingle Brad East
Is Scripture a Gift? Reflections on the Divine-Ecclesial Provision of the Canon
Religions
Bible
doctrine of Scripture
gift
gratitude
tradition
inspiration
title Is Scripture a Gift? Reflections on the Divine-Ecclesial Provision of the Canon
title_full Is Scripture a Gift? Reflections on the Divine-Ecclesial Provision of the Canon
title_fullStr Is Scripture a Gift? Reflections on the Divine-Ecclesial Provision of the Canon
title_full_unstemmed Is Scripture a Gift? Reflections on the Divine-Ecclesial Provision of the Canon
title_short Is Scripture a Gift? Reflections on the Divine-Ecclesial Provision of the Canon
title_sort is scripture a gift reflections on the divine ecclesial provision of the canon
topic Bible
doctrine of Scripture
gift
gratitude
tradition
inspiration
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/10/961
work_keys_str_mv AT bradeast isscriptureagiftreflectionsonthedivineecclesialprovisionofthecanon