frailty and time-conditionality. The four Gospels do not attempt to explain its meaning, but in different and various ways bear witness to its eternal truth. The church, which developed its understanding of canon over many centuries, derived it as a response to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The apostolic witnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ in human time and space gained their privileged status to perform their function of bearing testimony to the gospel that had been promised