Religion and Theology

The Making of the New Testament A Critical Review
In general, the book is about the origin, codification, and canonization of the New Testament. It offers information about the validity of some historical claims inherent in the New Testament.

Methodological Criticisms
According to the Catholic Church, the Bible is the authoritative word of God. It is immune from error and malice. As such, it cannot be repealed by human action or by necessity of obligation. The author accepts these claims as true but adds that Biblical codification is the product of theological and historical presuppositions.

Now, to truly understand the nature of the codification process, it is essential for a historian to objectively view historical events apart from given theological claims. The author argues that the essence of any historical method is segregation of contingent facts. In short, a given historical process is neither a product of wishful thinking nor a supernatural phenomenon.

This method is not entirely synonymous with historical relativism. As Toynbee argued

The primary objective of any historical study is to determine the factual nature of historical claims, given that such claims are verifiable. If claims are verifiable, only then can the historian fully understand the nature of things. However, the historian cannot, in any sense, impute personal interpretation of any given periods where such claims are situated.

What is mystifying about the book is that it assumes that the theological truths embedded in the Bible, are by necessity, true. Being true claims, the only work left for the historian is to explain its historic progression. In short, the author assumes that while theological claims are free of error, interpretation of historic events is always questionable. Being free of error, the Bible is therefore self-sufficient and the product of a higher intelligence (note that this contradicts the authors claim which states that the Bible is the product of historic progression).

Now, this practice of assigning truth values to historical claims is part of an intellectual exercise, but not of accepted historical methodologies. As Marsa argued, if we were to take the Bible out of history, then it will stand out, beyond the grasp of human faculty. The author essentially committed the fallacy of edification, or imputing character to a non-living entity.

Content Criticism
The canonization of the New Testament was extensive and intricate. It was a compilation of books considered authoritative by apostolic tradition. In this regard, Patzia states that It appears that the books that finally were canonized are those that enjoyed a special status and were utilized both frequently and universally by the church. He, similar to the other scholars, believed that the canonization of the New Testament was formed over many centuries rather than the misconception that it was decided in large church council meetings.

The book offers a different approach in discussing the origin and formation of the New Testament. Arthur Patzia made a great effort in making this book as the only one which utilizes Christian perspective and accepted historical and textual criticisms. The combination of the Christian viewpoint and Bible scholars view point is one of the challenges that the book has achieved. Patzia did not see any problem between historical truth and Christian faith.

However, the book still suffers from inconsistency. Much of its declarative statements are not still accepted as facts and to this day, as points of debate. One good example is when Patzia wrote without any hesitation that the Gospel of John was written in Ephesus in the late 1st century. The same gospel was in questioned by Powell in his book Fortress Introduction to the Gospels.
Patzia also states that the authorship of some of Pauls letters is in question. Among these letters is 2 Thessalonians. The explanation of the inclusion of the 2 Thessalonians was explained on the latter period of church history.

Though the book suffers from certain criticisms, it is still a meticulous work of letters that deserves wide readers.  Arthur Patzia is a gifted reader of the Bible and at the same time a thoroughgoing expositor that deliberately show his impartiality. Finally, this book is to be known for its good presentation and evaluation of the New Testament history.