Have you ever read the Bible and wondered why these stories were chosen and others were not? The reasons will vary. Sometimes it was to support a particular view and often these are balanced by others, from a different perspective. But out of the thousands of stories circulating at the time, why were these chosen for inclusion?
And why were they written in the way they were written? Any storyteller adapts the story to their purpose and this must be true of the writers who first wrote down these stories.
And why did these stories survive? Why were they made canon by church authorities?
Ultimately, they are stories, letters and prophecies the people found helpful. Of course, power was at play and some things might have been imposed but without the consent of the people they wouldn't be there at all.
Does this leave God out of the equation? Not really. God speaks through the text. The text moves us towards God, by challenging our assumptions. The canon exists because generations have found it helpful.
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