Canon
Canon names the scope of authority a text is granted within a community.
The Witness Received
Having named the limits of authority and the bounds of canon, the Church of Humans now names the writings it receives as its shared public witness.
These writings are received for recognition, memory, and faithful practice. They are not treated as law, nor are they used to extend authority beyond what was given. They are sufficient for Gentile Christianity among the nations, and no more is claimed of them than this.
The canon received here is presented in five parts.
Gospel
The Gospels of John, Mark, and Luke bear witness to the life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Christ. They are received as the primary public testimony by which Christ is known. The narrative Gospels proclaim the good news of Christ in story and testimony.
- Gospel of John
- Gospel of Mark
- Gospel of Luke
Conduct
Selected sections of the Gospel of Matthew are received as historical witness to Christ's direct instruction on conduct.
History
- Acts of the Apostles
Acts is received as historical witness to the earliest communities following Christ, with particular attention to the entry of Gentiles and the apostles’ refusal to impose the Law upon them. It is read as memory and narrative, not as law or institutional template.
Letters
The letters are received as writings addressed to identifiable communities and persons concerning life in common, suffering, conscience, humility, freedom, endurance, and love. They are read as exhortation, wisdom, and counsel within the life of the church.
- Exhortations of Paul
- Wisdom of James
- First Counsel of John
- Second Counsel of John
- Third Counsel of John
These writings guide faithful practice while restraining claims of authority. They address encouragement, suffering, conscience, humility, freedom, endurance, and hope within Christian communities.
Revelation
Thomas is received as contemplative witness to the hidden and present Kingdom of God. Its sayings concern perception, inward reconciliation, hidden light, and the unveiling of what already spreads throughout the world unseen. It is read not as law, prophecy, or secret doctrine, but as revelation through parable, inversion, and reflection.
In receiving these texts, the Church of Humans does not claim completeness, universality, or finality. It claims only sufficiency for faithful life among the nations within the authority that was given.