Podcast Summary: “A Brief Defense of a Self-Authenticating Canon with Michael Kruger”

Podcast: Know What You Believe with Michael Horton
Host: Michael Horton
Guest: Dr. Michael Kruger (President and Professor of New Testament, Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC)
Release Date: August 12, 2025

Overview

This episode features Dr. Michael Kruger, an authority on the New Testament canon, addressing common misconceptions and challenges about how the Bible’s canon was established. Kruger and Horton explore the historical and theological processes behind canon formation, emphasizing a “self-authenticating” or intrinsic model as opposed to one of arbitrary selection by church authority. The conversation aims to equip Christians to confidently engage popular criticisms by tracing the organic emergence of the canon within the early church and dispelling modern myths.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Relationship Between Biblical Studies and Systematic Theology

• Horton and Kruger discuss the perceived divide between Bible reading and theology, challenging the notion that one can or should read Scripture in isolation from historical and theological wisdom.
  • Quote:
    • Kruger (02:09): “There's a lack of real intellectual humility there. To say, I'm just going to sit down with my, you know, college level education and just quick glance this and figure out all the problems. I mean, we need to humbly put ourselves under the place of God's people's reading of this text for a long time.”
• They advocate for a harmonious relationship between biblical studies and systematic theology.
  • (03:32) Horton: “We need each other.”
  • (03:38) Reference to Warfield and Vos symbolizes this partnership.

2. Common Misconceptions About the Canon

• Kruger addresses why criticisms of the Bible’s origins persist, referencing pop culture influences like The Da Vinci Code (04:50).
• Many Christians have a superficial or “romantic” idea that the Bible was spiritually “dropped down from heaven,” unaware of its complex historical development—making them vulnerable to critiques.
  • Quote:
    • Kruger (04:50): “As soon as you have a view that's that one dimensional, it's easy to pick apart.”
• The false narrative that Constantine and a council in the 4th century arbitrarily chose the canon is especially pervasive.
  • Quote:
    • Kruger (05:41): “...this idea in people's mind that some group voted or decided on the canon in some official capacity in the 4th century, usually under the tutelage of Constantine… They sort of pick the books they happen to like and force them on the Church. And that's the canon.”

3. The Organic Emergence and Recognition of the Canon

• Historical evidence shows that most of the New Testament was widely recognized by the mid-2nd century (22 of 27 books).
  • Kruger (06:41): “...there was a canon, what we would call a core canon, present much earlier than that. Even by the middle of the second century, we have about 22 out of 27 of the books well established and well received by the church.”
• The canon was not imposed by vote or council but recognized as having inherent authority by the early Christian community.

4. The Self-Authenticating Canon

• Kruger advances the theological concept that the canon “authenticates itself”—it is recognized, not bestowed, as authoritative.
  • Quote:
    • Kruger (08:14): “God's books, in one sense, authenticate themselves. ... as they're read, they're preached, they're taught, they kind of prove themselves, so to speak, to the audience.”
• The apostolic origin and the internal voice of Christ in the writings allowed the early church to perceive their uniqueness.
  • (09:09) “The canon wasn't voted on. It was recognized and seen for what it already was.”

5. Authority: The Church Receives, Not Creates, Scripture

• The episode addresses the danger in thinking the church “created” the canon—this would make the church superior to Scripture and its authority arbitrary.
  • Kruger (10:24): “Once you make the church create or determine or in one sense infuse authority into books, then you've made the church higher than the books themselves...”
• Both Protestant and Catholic/Orthodox traditions sometimes fall into this misunderstanding.

6. Apostolic Awareness of Authority

• A crucial historical point: New Testament authors were aware they were writing with authority.
  • Kruger (10:46): “...when the New Testament authors wrote, they were aware of their own authority when they wrote.”
• Internal New Testament evidence: Peter refers to Paul’s letters as Scripture, and Paul refers to Luke’s Gospel on par with Deuteronomy.
  • (11:33) Horton: “Peter refers to Paul's writings as Scripture, as Paul refers to Luke's Gospel. On a par with Deuteronomy.”
• Rapid and early recognition of certain works as Scripture suggests an intrinsic, not extrinsic, authority.

7. The Intrinsic (Self-Authenticating) vs. Extrinsic (Church-Imposed) Models

• Kruger distinguishes between “extrinsic” (authority given post-factum by church decision) and “intrinsic” (recognition of apostolic origin and authority from inception) models.
  • (12:41) “The church seemed to recognize their Lord's voice in these books without the help of an official church declaration.”

8. Early Church Unity on Canon Without Central Authority

• Despite lack of institutional structure (no pope or unified bishops), the geographically scattered church showed remarkable consensus on the core canon.
  • (14:19) “The early church was very decentralized... but here's what you find in the midst of all that sort of disassociation: a remarkable amount of unity around this core collection of books.”
• Even heretics respected and referenced the canonical Gospels and Pauline letters in their arguments, underscoring their recognized authority.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• Intellectual humility in studying Scripture:
  • Kruger (02:09): “...we need to humbly put ourselves under the place of God's people's reading of this text for a long time.”
• On common misconceptions:
  • Kruger (04:50): “As soon as you have a view that's that one dimensional, it's easy to pick apart.”
• On the historicity of early canon formation:
  • Kruger (06:41): “Even by the middle of the second century, we have about 22 out of 27 of the books well established and well received by the church.”
• On self-authentication of Scripture:
  • Kruger (08:14): “God’s books, in one sense, authenticate themselves.”
• Dangers of thinking the church creates canonical authority:
  • Kruger (10:24): “Once you make the church create... authority into books, then you've made the church higher than the books themselves...”
• On the decentralized but unified early church:
  • Kruger (14:19): “Wherever you look in the Empire, it seems to be that the gospels that were being valued and read as scripture were Matthew, Mark, Luke and John...”

Important Timestamps

• 01:24-03:10: Relationship of biblical studies and systematic theology; analogy of Warfield and Vos.
• 04:50-06:41: Addressing popular myths about canon formation (e.g., Constantine, councils).
• 08:14-09:09: Explanation of self-authenticating canon.
• 10:24-10:46: Consequences if the church “creates” rather than receives Scripture.
• 11:33-12:46: New Testament evidence for recognition of authority; intrinsic vs. extrinsic models.
• 14:19-15:57: Early church unity despite lack of central authority; corroborating evidence from early heretics.

Conclusion

Dr. Michael Kruger offers a robust defense of a self-authenticating canon, dispelling the myth that the early church arbitrarily imposed a set of books centuries after Christ. Instead, the canon’s authority was rooted in apostolic origin and recognized organically by the Christian community across geographic boundaries. The episode stresses the importance of historical, theological, and cultural awareness in responding to popular misunderstandings, while advocating for careful, humble study in continuity with the tradition of God’s people.

Recommended Resource:

• Canon Revisited by Michael Kruger (as highlighted at 15:57).

For listeners seeking clarity on the origins and authority of the New Testament canon, this episode provides a compelling, nuanced response grounded in both historical scholarship and theological conviction.