"I'm not an expert on the subject, but I do know the Bible didn't reach a finished form until sometime around the 4th Century. "
LOL ... Yes, you are NOT an expert, for sure. Even though the canonization of the New Testament occured later, the gospel texts and epistles themselves were all complete before 100AD, and there is solid sourcing back to near-original versions.
"Until then, there was no organized canon of the New Testament - the state of organized Scripture was quite chaotic."
Not true at all. You can read the works of the early church 'fathers' and how they built on the gospels from early days, not in a 'chaotic' manner, but building up a defined theology over time by drawing on the original gospels:
http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/
I'm aware of that. I said the canonization wasn't complete until later on. That's the same thing you just said - perhaps my choice of words of was unclear on the matter. But don't tell me that the four canonical gospels were the only ones in existence at that time - that just simply isn't true. (Many were easily determined to be forgeries, I know.)
Not true at all. You can read the works of the early church 'fathers' and how they built on the gospels from early days, not in a 'chaotic' manner, but building up a defined theology over time by drawing on the original gospels:
Thank you kindly for the link - this is a subject I am eager to learn more about. What of all the Gnostic and other various sects that were in existence of the time, though? (I'm aware that most did not survive for long - but it does appear to me that there was a period of confusion as to the identity of an "official" theology.)