The Real Story Behind the Protestant Bible episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 14, 2025 · 1H 4M

The Real Story Behind the Protestant Bible

from The Sean McDowell Show · host The Sean McDowell Show

When did Christians first recognize the biblical canon and how do we know we have the right books? Today, we have New Testament scholar Dr. Michael Kruger (The Question of Canon) to unpack what “canon” means, why recognition began far earlier than the 4th century, and how both intrinsic factors (covenant, apostles) and extrinsic factors (heretics like Marcion) shaped the process. We also address why Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox differ, and what to make of texts like The Shepherd of Hermas and the Gospel of Thomas.  READ: The Question of Canon: Challenging The Status Quo In The New Testament Debate by Michael J. Kruger (https://amzn.to/4nPtbE0) *Get a MASTERS IN APOLOGETICS or SCIENCE AND RELIGION at BIOLA (https://bit.ly/3LdNqKf) *USE Discount Code [smdcertdisc] for 25% off the NEW Talbot Apologetics Certificate program (https://bit.ly/3AzfPFM) *See our fully online UNDERGRAD DEGREE in Bible, Theology, and Apologetics: (https://bit.ly/448STKK) FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter: https://x.com/Sean_McDowell TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sean_mcdowell?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmcdowell/ Website: https://seanmcdowell.org Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

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The Real Story Behind the Protestant Bible

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This episode is 1 hour and 4 minutes long.

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This episode was published on November 14, 2025.

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When did Christians first recognize the biblical canon and how do we know we have the right books? Today, we have New Testament scholar Dr. Michael Kruger (The Question of Canon) to unpack what “canon” means, why recognition began far earlier than...

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