Grouping writings together

When did religious writings become important for the Jewish community as a

whole? The next important event in the evolution of the Jewish canon comes

almost 200 years after King Josiah (but still about 450 years before Jesus) and

involves Ezra.

Ezra and Nehemiah were both Jewish officials and descendents of the exiles

that the Babylonians led away from the destroyed Jerusalem back in 587 BCE.

After the Babylonians, the Persian Empire took over, and they allowed some

of the Jewish captive exiles to return to the land of Palestine. Nehemiah and

Ezra were allowed to visit back in Jerusalem. The Book of Nehemiah 8:1–6

says that the Priest who was also described as a “scribe,” Ezra, brings some

very special things with him on his visit back to Jerusalem:

All the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They

told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord

had given to Israel. Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the

assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding.

—Nehemiah 8:1–2

As we mention earlier, this was 200 years later than King Josiah, and look

how things were changing! “Reading the Law” was a big event — part of a

religious service, even! People stood to listen to it. Clearly, the “book of the

Law of Moses” was becoming a centrally important writing. In short, the

people were now acting like they had a scripture that was important. No

specific books are mentioned, and it’s still too early to talk about a canon,

but things were definitely progressing toward the importance of religious

writings.The rise of the Montanists

If Marcion wanted to cut too much from inclusion in the Christian canon,

arguably Montanism would have potentially added too much. Montanism’s

challenge was really more for a New Testament than an Old Testament, but

when you start talking about lists, you find that the Christians talked about

both parts.

Montanism was a fascinating early Christian movement founded by Montanus,

who was from Phrygia (in modern Turkey). In 170 CE, he began to preach

about the near return of Jesus. He seemed to have that certain something —

a very attractive personality that apparently had a particularly strong impact

on women (not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course).

Montanus claimed to be a prophet and therefore able to add new messages

and the possibility of new writings to the body of existing religious texts.

Montanus defended his idea of “new revelations from God,” but he also

taught a strict regimen of self-control, fasting, and even seeking martyrdom.

Some thought that the Montanists were crazy, but others were impressed;

Tertullian became a “convert” to the Montanist perspective, perhaps because

he was always rather a strict kind of guy and liked the Montanist rules of per-

sonal discipline!