Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Canon"
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary (easton)
Canon
This word is derived from a Hebrew and Greek word denoting a
reed or cane. Hence it means something straight, or something to
keep straight; and hence also a rule, or something ruled or
measured. It came to be applied to the Scriptures, to denote
that they contained the authoritative rule of faith and
practice, the standard of doctrine and duty. A book is said to
be of canonical authority when it has a right to take a place
with the other books which contain a revelation of the Divine
will. Such a right does not arise from any ecclesiastical
authority, but from the evidence of the inspired authorship of
the book. The canonical (i.e., the inspired) books of the Old
and New Testaments, are a complete rule, and the only rule, of
faith and practice. They contain the whole supernatural
revelation of God to men. The New Testament Canon was formed
gradually under divine guidance. The different books as they
were written came into the possession of the Christian
associations which began to be formed soon after the day of
Pentecost; and thus slowly the canon increased till all the
books were gathered together into one collection containing the
whole of the twenty-seven New Testament inspired books.
Historical evidence shows that from about the middle of the
second century this New Testament collection was substantially
such as we now possess. Each book contained in it is proved to
have, on its own ground, a right to its place; and thus the
whole is of divine authority.
The Old Testament Canon is witnessed to by the New Testament
writers. Their evidence is conclusive. The quotations in the New
from the Old are very numerous, and the references are much more
numerous. These quotations and references by our Lord and the
apostles most clearly imply the existence at that time of a
well-known and publicly acknowledged collection of Hebrew
writings under the designation of "The Scriptures;" "The Law and
the Prophets and the Psalms;" "Moses and the Prophets," etc. The
appeals to these books, moreover, show that they were regarded
as of divine authority, finally deciding all questions of which
they treat; and that the whole collection so recognized
consisted only of the thirty-nine books which we now posses.
Thus they endorse as genuine and authentic the canon of the
Jewish Scriptures. The Septuagint Version (q.v.) also contained
every book we now have in the Old Testament Scriptures. As to
the time at which the Old Testament canon was closed, there are
many considerations which point to that of Ezra and Nehemiah,
immediately after the return from Babylonian exile. (See BIBLE
¯T0000580, {EZRA}, {QUOTATIONS}.)
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Canon \Can"on\, n. [OE. canon, canoun, AS. canon rule (cf. F.
canon, LL. canon, and, for sense 7, F. chanoine, LL.
canonicus), fr. L. canon a measuring line, rule, model, fr.
Gr. ? rule, rod, fr. ?, ?, red. See {Cane}, and cf.
{Canonical}.]
1. A law or rule.
Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon
'gainst self-slaughter. --Shak.
2. (Eccl.) A law, or rule of doctrine or discipline, enacted
by a council and confirmed by the pope or the sovereign; a
decision, regulation, code, or constitution made by
ecclesiastical authority.
Various canons which were made in councils held in
the second centry. --Hock.
3. The collection of books received as genuine Holy
Scriptures, called the {sacred canon}, or general rule of
moral and religious duty, given by inspiration; the Bible;
also, any one of the canonical Scriptures. See {Canonical
books}, under {Canonical}, a.
4. In monasteries, a book containing the rules of a religious
order.
5. A catalogue of saints acknowledged and canonized in the
Roman Catholic Church.
6. A member of a cathedral chapter; a person who possesses a
prebend in a cathedral or collegiate church.
7. (Mus.) A musical composition in which the voices begin one
after another, at regular intervals, successively taking
up the same subject. It either winds up with a coda
(tailpiece), or, as each voice finishes, commences anew,
thus forming a perpetual fugue or round. It is the
strictest form of imitation. See {Imitation}.
8. (Print.) The largest size of type having a specific name;
-- so called from having been used for printing the canons
of the church.
9. The part of a bell by which it is suspended; -- called
also {ear} and {shank}.
Note: [See Illust. of {Bell}.] --Knight.
10. (Billiards) See {Carom}.
{Apostolical canons}. See under {Apostolical}.
{Augustinian canons}, {Black canons}. See under
{Augustinian}.
{Canon capitular}, {Canon residentiary}, a resident member of
a cathedral chapter (during a part or the whole of the
year).
{Canon law}. See under {Law}.
{Canon of the Mass} (R. C. Ch.), that part of the mass,
following the Sanctus, which never changes.
{Honorary canon}, a canon who neither lived in a monastery,
nor kept the canonical hours.
{Minor canon} (Ch. of Eng.), one who has been admitted to a
chapter, but has not yet received a prebend.
{Regular canon} (R. C. Ch.), one who lived in a conventual
community and follower the rule of St. Austin; a Black
canon.
{Secular canon} (R. C. Ch.), one who did not live in a
monastery, but kept the hours.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Canon \Ca*[~n]on"\, n. [Sp., a tube or hollow, fr. ca[~n]a reed,
fr. L. canna. See {Cane}.]
A deep gorge, ravine, or gulch, between high and steep banks,
worn by water courses. [Mexico & Western U. S.]
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
canon
n 1: a rule or especially body of rules or principles generally
established as valid and fundamental in a field or art
or philosophy: "the neoclassical canon"; "canons of
polite society"
2: a priest who is a member of a cathedral chapter
3: (North America) a ravine formed by a river in an area with
little rainfall [syn: {canyon}]
4: a contrapuntal piece of music in which a melody in one part
is imitated exactly in other parts
5: a complete list of saints that have been recognized by the
Roman Catholic Church
6: a collection of books accepted as holy scripture especially
the books of the Bible recognized by any Christian church
as genuine and inspired
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