Ad Fontes, Volume Three: Received, Not Chosen
The Canon and the English Bible for the Laity
You have learned how the biblical text was copied and handed down. Two questions remain: Who decided which books belong in the Bible? And which English Bible should you actually read?
Received, Not Chosen takes up both questions. Part One follows the canon: the Scriptures Jesus received, the apostolic writings the churches read, the books some Christians disputed, and the difference between recognizing God’s Word and claiming authority over it. Part Two follows the English Bible, from Tyndale to the translations on today’s shelf, and offers practical questions for reading and comparing them.
The third Ad Fontes volume continues the plain-language approach of the New Testament and Hebrew-text books. Twelve chapters, comparative canon lists, early witnesses, a glossary, and a translation worksheet help ordinary readers follow the evidence and open their Bibles with confidence.
Who it’s for
Lay readers and adult Bible classes asking how the church recognized its Scriptures, what to make of disputed books and the Apocrypha, and how to choose and compare English Bible translations.
What you’ll find inside
- The difference between receiving the biblical canon and creating it
- The Bible Jesus read, the writings the early churches used, and what happened at Nicaea and Trent
- An honest account of disputed books and the Apocrypha
- The history from Tyndale to today, the King James question, and two questions to ask any translation
- A field guide to the translation shelf, a sacramental test, canon lists, early witnesses, and a translation worksheet
Reading path: For Bible Readers →