ETCF I.7 The Canon of Scripture

From  Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by R.C. Sproul (c) 1992 R. C. Sproul Published by Tyndale ISBN 0-8423-2006-1

Part I. Revelation ~ 7. The Canon of Scripture

Biblical passages for reflection
[Links to the ESV Bible] [Links to All the Audio]:

Luke 24.44-45; 1Corinthians 15.03-08; 2Timothy 03.16-17; 2Peter 01.19-21; 2Peter 03.14-16;

Summary:

1. The term canon is derived from Greek, and it means "norm" or "standard." Canon is used to describe the authoritative list of books that the church acknowledged as sacred Scripture and thus the "rule" for faith and practice.
2. In addition to the sixty-six books of the Bible accepted by Protestants, Roman Catholics also accept the Apocrypha as authoritative Scripture.
3. To combat heresy, the church found it necessary to declare which books had been recognized as authoritative.
4. There were a few books in the Canon that were a matter of dispute(Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, Jude, and Revelation) and some books that were considered for inclusion that were not admitted to the Canon, including 1 Clement , The Shepherd of Hermas , and The Didache .
5. The church did not create the Canon but merely recognized the books that bore the marks of canonicity and were therefore authoritative within the church.

Personal(Micheal.T.Bee) Reflections:

The historic beliefs of Christianity (1Cor 15.03-08) are supported by both the Protestant and Roman Catholic Canons. However, the difference between them is worth more elaboration/review. The Protestant view of Canonicity is based on 'receiving' Scripture. From ETCF (italics mine) : "...The so-called marks of canonicity include... 1. apostolic authorship/endorsement, 2. ...received as authoritative by the early church 3) ...harmony with books about which there is no doubt." In contrast, the Roman Catholic church believes itself infallibile, therefore, they have authority to choose the Canon.

Questions(Michael.T.Bee):

Why use the phrase so-called? This implies there is question or doubt(fallible list of infallible books).

What are the books about which there is no doubt?

Historically, has the Roman Catholic church expanded the Canon to justify/explain some of their dogmas?