Abstract:
The notion of canon has become quite complicated. In textual criticism
it is no longer possible to identify the canon with only one form of the
textual tradition. Canonical texts originate and function in communities
of faith. Childs' canonical approach does not accommodate this aspect
properly. Sanders' canon criticism invites social scientific criticism like
Gottwald's to enable one to understand the canon within a much larger
framework. Even traditional studies of the history of the canon have to
pay attention to a series of socio-cultural factors. In postmodern society
the canon of the Bible works on a multidimensional level, confronting
people with the living God who empowers them to live in God's presence.
