https://floramc.org/wp-admin/post.php?postCanon within the Canon
While I was studying in seminary (all through the 80’s), we were told about this concept of the “canon within the canon”. In theology, they call the entire Old and New Testaments (the holy books of Christianity) the “Canon”. I do not know why, but I suspect someone, probably a German theologian, whose name starts with a “B“. All great theologians are German, and their names begin with “B”, like Buber, Bultmann, Barth and Bonhoeffer.
So, the idea of a canon within a canon means that you try to find, in the Bible, the most essential meaning of life, or of God, or of Jesus Christ. The Bible is a complex book, written over a large span of time, with many writers trying to say what they believe is the truth about God or about life. I believe the writers were inspired by God to write down what they thought what was the meaning of life. There are no straight roads to reading, or interpreting the words we have in the Bible from all of these writers. There is history, fictional parables, poetry, personal letters to churches, and one book is like science fiction. With these many different styles of writing, and the many different periods that the words were written, it is not surprising that there is no coherent theology of God.
But, while in school, we were invited to explore and discover this “canon within the canon”. Some people say that the central idea is about covenant. We had one from Abraham (the father of Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths) then from Noah, then from Moses and then from Jeremiah. These are from the Old Testament, and then we have the covenant of Jesus Christ.
Others say that the canon is all about creation and our relationship to it. While others say that the overarching concept is discipleship. It is all about following the ideas, laws and rules, and living a faithful life. This is hard to be a unifying concept because we usually take different rules to live by.
Some also say, that it is all about the “grace” of God. We cannot live well enough to ever gain our own salvation, and God’s grace allows us this knowledge. If I say to God “I believe” is it finished with God? If it is only about what I believe, then I am in charge of my own salvation?
While some would say, it is all about the words, the life and the activity of Jesus of Nazareth, and Jesus the Christ. It is Jesus being human and Jesus being divine. We can understand Jesus as human, but the divine part is beyond my grasp.
Our vision at Floradale, where I serve as pastor, is to love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind… and to love our neighbour as ourself. This comes from the Old Testament and from the words of Jesus in the New Testament. I believe, and think, that it is a good way to live as individuals and as congregations. The first part is about worship of God, and the second part is about acting with justice, mercy and peace to all of the world. Even when you do not believe, the second part invites us to live with our neighbour in mind, in all the things that we do.
So, how do you boil down all that we find in the Bible into a short statement about belief and action? Is it all about you or about me or about God? Christian Century magazine challenged its readers to write down the gospel in seven words. What seven words would do it for you? How about… God, through Jesus Christ, welcomes you anyhow (Martin C. Marty). What do you think?
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