Councils of Men, 4th Century
The Bible as we know it was not handed down from heaven. It was assembled over centuries by councils of men, each with political and institutional interests. Understanding how it was put together, and what was left out, changes everything about how you read what remains.
50+
Gospels, epistles, and texts circulating in early Christian communities
27
Books in the New Testament canon, fixed in 397 AD
0
Women present at the councils that decided what you could read
300+
Years after Jesus before the canon was formally fixed
The canon was not fixed by God. It was fixed by men with institutional interests, at a specific moment in history, under imperial pressure. That does not make every text in it false. But it does mean you are allowed to ask what was left out, and why.