 |
| Saint-in-the-Box |
This fifth century bishop of Toulouse asked for a little help, and in doing so charted the course of Christianity. In his day, lots of texts were floating around that purported to tell stories of Jesus. Even more were claimed to be letters from various apostles. It was becoming increasingly difficult to tell what was consistent with the faith from the heterodoxies of the day.
Exuperius, being a well-meaning bishop, wrote to Pope Innocent I, asking for textual guidance. Innocent sent back a list. The books he chose -- some gospels, but not all; some epistles, but not all; one apocalypse, but not the others -- became the New Testament of the Holy Bible. And the man who might have been famous for selling the gold altar setting in order to feed the victims of Vandal and Suevi attacks instead became famous as the midwife of the Christian Bible.
No comments:
Post a Comment