The Bible​—Do We Have All of It?

IT WAS winter in Upper Egypt 40 years ago. An Arab peasant was digging for crop-fertilizing soil. Instead, he made a startling discovery. His pick hit something hard​—a clay jar. Inside he found 13 leather-bound volumes dating back to the second century C.E. But not until 1955 did this archaeological discovery begin making big headlines. And it still makes waves among Bible readers because it is claimed by some that the discovered volumes contain the secret sayings of Jesus.

“These are the secret words which the Living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas wrote.” So begins The Gospel According to Thomas, one of 48 different Gnostic religious documents found on that Egyptian hillside. Commenting on this, Helmut Koester of Harvard Divinity School said that the gospel of Thomas would provide important new material for discerning the teachings of Jesus. But does it? Is some secret wisdom that is important to your faith missing from the Bible? Or is the Bible complete? Faced with these questions, how would you answer?

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the Bible is complete. The apostle Paul’s second letter to 2 Timothy chapter 3, verses 16 and 17, well states their conviction. There we read: “All scripture is inspired by God and can profitably be used for teaching, for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be holy. This is how the man who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work.”​—The Jerusalem Bible.

Experience has taught the Witnesses that the Bible has no gaps in stating God’s purpose or in providing needed counsel for day-to-day living. It tells them why we are here and where we are going. In brief​—the Bible is complete.

Bible Canon​—A Complete Catalog

Why can Jehovah’s Witnesses be sure that no vital book is missing from the Bible? Because the inspired writings that are “beneficial for teaching” have a set catalog, often called a canon. (2 Timothy 3:16) Originally, the word “canon” referred to a reed used as a measuring rod. The Bible canon came to mean the set of books accepted as genuine, inspired of God and worthy of being used as a straightedge for measuring faith, doctrine, and conduct.

The official listing for the Hebrew Scriptures (often called the Old Testament) was fixed by the end of the fifth century B.C.E. Jesus Christ and his apostles used only books from this catalog when quoting Scripture. Therefore, Jehovah’s Witnesses follow this same pattern for the Hebrew Scriptures. But what about the so-called New Testament, or the Christian Greek Scriptures?

Evidence for an authorized listing of writings for the Christian Greek Scriptures began piling up as early as 90-100 C.E. And by the end of the second century, there was no question that the canon of the Christian Greek Scriptures had been closed. There are at least 16 outstanding early catalogs of the Christian Greek Scriptures, from the Muratorian Fragment of 170 C.E. to the Third Council of Carthage of 397 C.E. Additionally, manuscripts of this part of the Bible in the original language (Greek) total more than 5,200. No other ancient document is so well supported. Hence, Jehovah’s Witnesses look upon the Christian Greek Scriptures as being complete.a But more evidence than this is needed to satisfy Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Human listings are not the main reason that Jehovah’s Witnesses accept a book as being canonical. They look for internal evidence. Here is what they look for:

◻ Contents that give evidence of inspiration by God’s holy spirit.

◻ Counsel against superstitions, demonism, and creature worship.

◻ Total unity with the rest of the Bible.

◻ A message that turns people to the worship of Jehovah and stimulates deep respect for his work and purpose.

◻ An appeal to love and to serve God.

◻ Conformity with the divine “pattern of healthful words” and harmony with the teachings of Jesus Christ.​—2 Timothy 1:13.

Gnostic Writings Conflict With the Bible

Jehovah’s Witnesses find none of this evidence in Gnostic writings. The mystical Gnostics flourished during the first two centuries C.E. and claimed secret divine knowledge, or gnosis. They challenged genuine Christians about who had the true teachings and writings of Jesus and his disciples. Do the Gnostic books reveal pertinent information to strengthen a Christian’s faith? No.

Encyclopedias and most Bible scholars label these Gnostic writings as not only apocryphal (noncanonical) but also as pseudepigraphic (falsely attributed to Bible writers). As reported in Psychology Today, Andrew M. Greeley, a Roman Catholic priest and professor of sociology at the University of Arizona, said of these books: “They could have no appeal to the ordinary person who looked to religion for help with life problems and not negation of the importance of life.” And when Greeley compared the Gnostic gospels with those of the Bible, he concluded: “The Jesus of the Gnostics is sometimes incoherent, sometimes unintelligible, and sometimes more than a little creepy.”

A great chasm exists between the teachings of the Gnostic gospels and the Bible Gospels. This gap is especially noted when you compare Gnostic and Bible teachings regarding God, the resurrection, and salvation. Yet, a similarity can be seen between Gnosticism and ancient Greek philosophy, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

Gnostic writers depict a Jesus shockingly different from the one portrayed by Bible writers. The Gnostic Gospel of Philip characterizes Mary Magdalene as the most intimate of Jesus’ companions and states that he “used to kiss her [often] on her [mouth].” No wonder the Encyclopædia Britannica states: “Gnostic ethics ran the gamut from compulsive promiscuity to extreme asceticism.”

No Gaps in Stating God’s Purpose

From the Bible’s opening chapter to its concluding one, God’s purpose for the earth and its inhabitants is clearly unfolded. The account begins with God’s blessing two people living in a regional paradise and ends with his blessing untold millions living in a global paradise. And the 1,187 chapters in between progressively reveal how God will bless mankind and how we can fit into the divine purpose. The Bible does this without leaving a single gap of vital information that needs to be plugged by other documents.

‘All of this is well and good,’ you may say, ‘but is the Bible’s advice complete and practical for my life right now?’

No Gaps in Providing Needed Counsel

Jehovah’s Witnesses view the Bible as a complete guide for day-to-day living. The basic needs of people are the same today as during Bible times. How does the Bible satisfy these needs? Let us have a look:

FAMILY​—“You wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as it is becoming in the Lord. You husbands, keep on loving your wives and do not be bitterly angry with them. You children, be obedient to your parents in everything, for this is well-pleasing in the Lord. You fathers, do not be exasperating your children, so that they do not become downhearted.”​—Colossians 3:18-21.

DECISIONS​—“Have you beheld a man hasty with his words? There is more hope for someone stupid than for him.” “In all your ways take notice of [God], and he himself will make your paths straight. Do not become wise in your own eyes. Fear Jehovah and turn away from bad.”​—Proverbs 29:20; 3:6, 7.

DEPRESSION​—“Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving let your petitions be made known to God; and the peace of God that excels all thought will guard your hearts and your mental powers by means of Christ Jesus.”​—Philippians 4:6, 7.

CONTENTMENT​—“To be sure, it is a means of great gain, this godly devotion along with self-sufficiency. For we have brought nothing into the world, and neither can we carry anything out. So, having sustenance and covering, we shall be content with these things.”​—1 Timothy 6:6-8.

FRIENDSHIP​—“There exist companions disposed to break one another to pieces, but there exists a friend sticking closer than a brother.” “But become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as God also by Christ freely forgave you.”​—Proverbs 18:24; Ephesians 4:32.

From this brief survey, can you see why Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the Bible is perfect in providing guiding principles for life? Many do. For instance, here is the conclusion reached by one man after an investigation of the Bible:

“I feel that the Bible, and its counsel, is more practical and far superior to anything that I had ever studied in college. Although being a high-school counselor with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and having read a large number of books on mental health and psychology, I discovered that the Bible’s counsel on such things as having a successful marriage, preventing juvenile delinquency, and how to gain and keep friends is far superior to anything I had read or studied in college.”

Why do many question the Bible’s completeness? For some, it may be a matter of not making a healthy investigation of the facts. For others, it may be a secret desire to flee from accountability. Hence, it is important to heed the apostle Paul’s counsel to Timothy: “Guard what is laid up in trust with you, turning away from . . . the falsely called ‘knowledge.’ For making a show of such knowledge some have deviated from the faith.”​—1 Timothy 6:20, 21.

Archaeological discoveries will continue, and some may add to our understanding of Bible history. But no one discovery can verify or deny the Bible’s truthfulness. The Bible stands on its own merits. Of course, each one of us must decide whether to believe what Paul wrote: “Even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to you as good news something beyond what we declared to you as good news, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8) As for Jehovah’s Witnesses, their mind is made up. For them the Bible is complete.

[Footnotes]

[Blurb on page 17]

Do Gnostic gospels really contain the secret sayings of Jesus?

[Box on page 19]

God’s Stated Purpose

Why we are here

Manage Paradise earth; obey and worship Jehovah God; love neighbors.​—Genesis 1:28; Ecclesiastes 12:13; Luke 10:27

Where we are going

Live forever in perfect health on peaceful Paradise earth; reunited with dead loved ones.​—Revelation 20:12, 13; 21:3, 4

How God will do it

Righteous government under Christ to rid earth of wickedness, resurrect dead.​—Luke 1:32, 33; John 11:25; Revelation 11:17, 18

[Chart on page 18]

Comparison of Gnostic and Bible Teachings

GNOSTIC BIBLE

[Picture Credit Line on page 16]

Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont, California, U.S.A.