text:
Development of the New Testament canon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
For the Jewish canon, see Development of the Hebrew Bible canon. For the Old Testament canon, see Development of the Old Testament canon.
Part of a series on the
Bible
Canons and books
[show]
Tanakh
Torah
Nevi'im
Ketuvim
Christian biblical canons
Old Testament (OT)
New Testament (NT)
Deuterocanon
Antilegomena
Chapters and verses
Apocrypha
Jewish
OT
NT
Authorship and development
[hide]
Authorship
Dating
Hebrew canon
Old Testament canon
New Testament canon
Documentary hypothesis
Mosaic authorship
Pauline epistles
Petrine epistles
Johannine works
Translations and manuscripts
[show]
Samaritan Torah
Dead Sea scrolls
Masoretic Text
Targumim
Peshitta
Septuagint
Vulgate
Gothic Bible
Vetus Latina
Luther Bible
English Bibles
Biblical studies[show]
Archeology
Artifacts
Dating

Historicity
Internal consistency

People
Places
Names
Novum Testamentum Graece
Documentary hypothesis
Synoptic problem
NT textual categories
Biblical criticism
Historical
Textual
Source
Form
Redaction
Canonical
Interpretation[show]
Hermeneutics
Pesher
Midrash
Pardes
Allegorical interpretation
Literalism
Prophecy
Inspiration
Humor
Violence
Alcohol
Ethics
Slavery
Women
Muhammad
Homosexuality
Death penalty
Perspectives[show]
Gnostic
Islamic
Qur'anic
Inerrancy
Infallibility
Criticism of the Bible
Outline of Bible-related topics
Bible book Bible portal
v
t
e
The canon of the New Testament is the set of books Christians regard as divinely inspired and constituting the New Testament of the Christian Bible. For most, it is an agreed-upon list of twenty-seven books[1] that includes the Canonical Gospels, Acts, letters of the Apostles, and Revelation. The books of the canon of the New Testament were written before 120 AD.[1]
For the Orthodox, the recognition of these writings as authoritative was formalized in the Second Council of Trullan of 692. The Catholic Church made dogmatic definition upon its Biblical canon in 382 at the Council of Rome[2] as well as at the Council of Trent of 1545, reaffirming the Canons of Florence of 1442 and North African Councils (Hippo and Carthage) of 393–419.[3][4] For the Church of England, it was made dogmatic on the Thirty-Nine Articles of 1563; for Calvinism, on the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1647.
Contents
1 Early collections
1.1 Comparison between earliest biblical canons
2 Early Christianity (c. 30–325)
2.1 Clement of Rome
2.2 2 Peter
2.3 Marcion of Sinope
2.4 Justin Martyr
2.5 Tatian
2.6 Irenaeus
2.7 Early proto-Orthodox definition attempts
2.8 Muratorian fragment
2.9 Clement of Alexandria
2.10 Alogi
3 Period of the Seven Ecumenical Councils (325–787)
3.1 Eusebius
3.2 Codex Claromontanus
3.3 Constantine the Great
3.4 Cyril of Jerusalem
3.5 Council of Laodicea
3.6 Athanasius
3.7 Cheltenham/Mommsen List
3.8 Epiphanius
3.9 Apostolic Canon #85
3.10 Amphilochius of Iconium
3.11 Pope Damasus I
3.12 Jerome
3.13 Augustine and the North African councils
3.14 Pope Innocent I
3.15 Eastern canons
4 Outside the Empire
4.1 Syriac Canon
4.2 Armenian canon
4.3 Coptic and Ethiopian canons
5 Protestant developments (from c. 1517)
5.1 Martin Luther
5.2 Protestant confessions
5.3 Evangelical canons
6 Catholic developments (from c. 1546)
6.1 Council of Trent
6.2 Later developments
7 Orthodox developments (from c. 1672)
7.1 Synod of Jerusalem
8 Notes
9 References
10 Bibliography
10.1 Sources
10.2 Studies
11 External links
Early collections[edit]
Writings attributed to the Apostles circulated among the earliest Christian communities. The Pauline epistles were circulating, perhaps in collected forms, by the end of the 1st century AD.[a] Justin Martyr, in the mid 2nd century, mentions "memoirs of the apostles" as being read on "the day called that of the sun" (Sunday) alongside the "writings of the prophets."[5] A defined set of four gospels (the Tetramorph) was asserted by Irenaeus, c. 180, who refers to it directly.[6][7]
By the early 3rd century, Origen may have been using the same twenty-seven books as in the present New Testament canon, though there were still disputes over the acceptance of the Letter to the Hebrews, James, II Peter, II John, III John, Jude and Revelation,[8] known as the Antilegomena. Likewise, the Muratorian fragment is evidence that, perhaps as early as 200, there existed a set of Christian writings somewhat similar to the twenty-seven-book NT canon, which included four gospels and argued against objections to them.[9] Thus, while there was a good measure of debate in the Early Church over the New Testament canon, the major writings are claimed to have been accepted by almost all Christians by the middle of the 3rd century.[10]
In his Easter letter of 367, Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, gave a list of the books that would become the twenty-seven-book NT canon,[11] and he used the word "canonized" (Greek: κανονιζόμενα kanonizomena) in regards to them.[12][page needed] The first council that accepted the present canon of the New Testament may have been the Synod of Hippo Regius in North Africa (393). A brief summary of the acts was read at and accepted by the Councils of Carthage in 397 and 419.[13] These councils were under the authority of St. Augustine, who regarded the canon as already closed.[14][15][16] Pope Damasus I's Council of Rome in 382, if the Decretum Gelasianum is correctly associated with it, issued a biblical canon identical to that mentioned above,[11] or, if not, the list is at least a 6th-century compilation.[17] Likewise, Damasus' commissioning of the Latin Vulgate edition of the Bible, c. 383, was instrumental in the fixation of the canon in the West.[18] In c. 405, Pope Innocent I sent a list of the sacred books to a Gallic bishop, Exsuperius of Toulouse. Christian scholars assert that, when these bishops and councils spoke on the matter, however, they were not defining something new but instead "were ratifying what had already become the mind of the Church."[14][19][20]
Thus, some claim that, from the 4th century, there existed unanimity in the West concerning the New Testament canon,[21] and that, by the 5th century, the Eastern Church, with a few exceptions, had come to accept the Book of Revelation and thus had come into harmony on the matter of the canon.[3][22] Nonetheless, full dogmatic articulations of the canon were not made until the Canon of Trent of 1546 for Roman Catholicism,[3] the Gallic Confession of Faith of 1559 for Calvinism, the Thirty-Nine Articles of 1563 for the Church of England, and the Synod of Jerusalem of 1672 for the Greek Orthodox.
Comparison between earliest biblical canons[edit]
Books
Marcionite canon[23]
Muratorian fragment[24]
Peshitta
[citation needed]
Codex Vaticanus[25]
Codex Sinaiticus[26]
Codex Alexandrinus[27]
Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus[28]
Composition date c. 130–140 c. 170 ? c. 300–325 c. 330–360 c. 400–440 c. 450
Matthew No Probably[29] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Mark No Probably[29] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Luke Marcion[30] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
John No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Acts No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Romans Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
1 Corinthians Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
2 Corinthians Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Galatians Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Ephesians Laodiceans[31] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Philippians Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Colossians Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
1 Thessalonians Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
2 Thessalonians Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Maybe[28]
1 Timothy No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
2 Timothy No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Titus No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Philemon Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Hebrews No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
James No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
1 Peter No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
2 Peter No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
1 John No Probably[32][24] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
2 John No Maybe[32] No Yes Yes Yes Maybe[28]
3 John No Maybe[32] No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Jude No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Revelation No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes
1 Clement No No No No No Yes No
2 Clement No No No No No Yes No
Shepherd of Hermas No No No No Yes No No
Epistle of Barnabas No No No No Yes No No
Apocalypse of Peter No Yes No No No No No
Book of Wisdom No Yes No No No No No
Early Christianity (c. 30–325)[edit]
See also: Early Christianity and History of Early Christianity
In the one-hundred-year period extending roughly from 50 to 150, a number of documents began to circulate among the churches, including epistles, gospels, memoirs, apocalypses, homilies, and collections of teachings. While some of these documents were apostolic in origin, others drew upon the tradition the apostles and ministers of the word had utilized in their individual missions. Still others represented a summation of the teaching entrusted to a particular church center. Several of these writings sought to extend, interpret, and apply apostolic teaching to meet the needs of Christians in a given locality.
Clement of Rome[edit]
By the end of the 1st century, some letters of Paul were known to Clement of Rome (fl. 96), together with some form of the "words of Jesus"; but while Clement valued these highly, he did not regard them as "Scripture" ("graphe"), a term he reserved for the Septuagint. Metzger 1987 draws the following conclusion about Clement:
Clement... makes occasional reference to certain words of Jesus; though they are authoritative for him, he does not appear to enquire how their authenticity is ensured. In two of the three instances that he speaks of remembering 'the words' of Christ or of the Lord Jesus, it seems that he has a written record in mind, but he does not call it a 'gospel'. He knows several of Paul's epistles, and values them highly for their content; the same can be said of the Epistle to the Hebrews, with which he is well acquainted. Although these writings obviously possess for Clement considerable significance, he never refers to them as authoritative 'Scripture'.
—  page 43
2 Peter[edit]
Main article: Second Epistle of Peter
Within the New Testament itself, there is reference to at least some of the works of Paul as Scripture. 2 Peter 3:16 says:
He [Paul] writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.[33]
The reference to, presumably the Septuagint, as the "other" Scripture denotes that the author of 2 Peter regarded, at least, the works of Paul that had been written by his time as Scripture. It is difficult to determine the date of composition; commentaries and reference books have placed 2 Peter in almost every decade from AD 60 to 160.[34]
Marcion of Sinope[edit]
Main article: Marcion of Sinope
Marcion of Sinope, a bishop of Asia Minor who went to Rome and was later excommunicated for his views, was the first of record to propose a definitive, exclusive, unique list of Christian scriptures, compiled sometime between 130–140 AD.[35] [36] (Though Ignatius did address Christian scripture,[37] before Marcion, against the perceived heresies of the Judaizers and Docetists, he did not define a list of scriptures.) In his book Origin of the New Testament[38] Adolf von Harnack argued that Marcion viewed the church at this time as largely an Old Testament church (one that "follows the Testament of the Creator-God") without a firmly established New Testament canon, and that the church gradually formulated its New Testament canon in response to the challenge posed by Marcion.
Marcion rejected the theology of the Old Testament entirely and regarded the God depicted there as an inferior being. In the Antithesis, he claimed the theology of the Old Testament was incompatible with the teaching of Jesus regarding God and morality. Marcion believed that Jesus had come to liberate mankind from the authority of the God of the Old Testament, and to reveal the superior God of goodness and mercy, whom he called the Father. Paul and Luke were the only Christian authors to find favour with Marcion, though his versions of these differed from those later accepted by mainstream Christianity (also termed Proto-orthodox Christianity).
Marcion created a definite group of books which he regarded as fully authoritative, displacing all others. These comprised ten of the Pauline epistles (without the Pastorals) and a gospel similar to that of Luke. It is uncertain whether he edited these books, purging them of what did not accord with his views, or that his versions represented a separate textual tradition.[b]
Marcion's gospel, called simply the Gospel of the Lord, differed from the Gospel of Luke by lacking any passages that connected Jesus with the Old Testament. He believed that the god of Israel, who gave the Torah to the Israelites, was an entirely different god from the Supreme God who sent Jesus and inspired the New Testament. Marcion termed his collection of Pauline epistles the Apostolikon. These also differed from the versions accepted by later Christian Orthodoxy.
Marcionite canon
(c. 130–140)
Modern canon
(c. 4th century)
Section
Books
Section
Books
Evangelikon
Gospel of Marcion
(close resemblance
to Gospel of Luke)
Gospels
(Euangelia)
Gospel of Matthew
Gospel of Mark
Gospel of Luke
Gospel of John
(nonexistent) (none) Acts
Acts of the Apostles
Apostolikon
Galatians
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Romans
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
Laodiceans1
Colossians
Philippians
Philemon
Pauline epistles
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
(nonexistent) (none) Catholic epistles
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
(nonexistent) (none) Apocalypses
Apocalypse of John
1. Contents unknown; some scholars equate it with Ephesians.
Marcion's list and theology were rejected as heretical by the early church; however, he forced other Christians to consider which texts were canonical and why. He spread his beliefs widely; they became known as Marcionism. In the introduction to his book "Early Christian Writings", Henry Wace stated:
A modern divine... could not refuse to discuss the question raised by Marcion, whether there is such opposition between different parts of what he regards as the word of God, that all cannot come from the same author.[42]
Ferguson 2002 quotes Tertullian's De praescriptione haereticorum 30:
Since Marcion separated the New Testament from the Old, he is necessarily subsequent to that which he separated, inasmuch as it was only in his power to separate what was previously united. Having been united previous to its separation, the fact of its subsequent separation proves the subsequence also of the man who effected the separation.
Note 61 of page 308 adds:
[Wolfram] Kinzig suggests that it was Marcion who usually called his Bible testamentum [Latin for testament].
Other scholars propose that it was Melito of Sardis who originally coined the phrase Old Testament,[43] which is associated with Supersessionism.
Robert M. Price argues that the evidence that the early church fathers, such as Clement, Ignatius, and Polycarp, knew of the Pauline epistles is unclear, and concludes that Marcion was the first person to collect Paul's writings to various churches and to treat ten Pauline letters, some of them Marcion's own compositions, together with an earlier version of Luke (not the Gospel of Luke as now known):
But the first collector of the Pauline Epistles had been Marcion. No one else we know of would be a good candidate, certainly not the essentially fictive Luke, Timothy, and Onesimus. And Marcion, as Burkitt and Bauer show, fills the bill perfectly.[44]
Justin Martyr[edit]
In the mid-2nd century, Justin Martyr (whose writings span the period from c. 145 to 163) mentions the "memoirs of the apostles", which Christians called "gospels" and which were regarded as on par with the Old Testament.[5][45][46] Scholars are divided on whether there is any evidence that Justin included the Gospel of John among the "memoirs of the apostles", or whether, on the contrary, he based his doctrine of the Logos on it.[47][48] Justin quotes the letters of Paul, 1 Peter, and Acts in his writings.[49]
In Justin's works, distinct references are found to Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians, and possible ones to Philippians, Titus, and 1 Timothy. In addition, he refers to an account from an unnamed source of the baptism of Jesus which differs from that provided by the synoptic gospels:
When Jesus went down in the water, fire was kindled in the Jordan; and when he came up from the water, the Holy Spirit came upon him. The apostles of our Christ wrote this.[50]
Tatian[edit]
Main article: Diatessaron
See also: Gospel harmony
Tatian was converted to Christianity by Justin Martyr on a visit to Rome around 150 and, after much instruction, returned to Syria in 172 to reform the church there. At some point (it is suggested c. 160) he composed a single harmonized "Gospel" by weaving the contents of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John together along with events present in none of these texts. The narrative mainly follows the chronology of John. This is called the Diatessaron ("(Harmony) Through Four") and it became the official Gospel text of the Syraic church, centered in Edessa.
Irenaeus[edit]
See also: Canonical gospels
Irenaeus of Lyons referred directly to a defined set of four gospels (the Tetramorph), c. 180.[6][51] In his central work, Adversus Haereses Irenaeus denounced various early Christian groups that used only one gospel, such as Marcionism which used only Marcion's version of Luke, or the Ebionites which seem to have used an Aramaic version of Matthew, as well as groups that used more than four gospels, such as the Valentinians (A.H. 1.11). Irenaeus declared that the four he espoused were the four "Pillars of the Church": "it is not possible that there can be either more or fewer than four" he stated, presenting as logic the analogy of the four corners of the earth and the four winds (3.11.8). His image, taken from Ezekiel 1, or Revelation 4:6–10, of God's throne borne by four creatures with four faces—"the four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and the four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle"—equivalent to the "four-formed" gospel, is the origin of the conventional symbols of the Evangelists: lion (Mark), ox (Luke), eagle (John), man (Matthew). Irenaeus was ultimately successful in declaring that the four gospels collectively, and exclusively these four, contained the truth. By reading each gospel in light of the others, Irenaeus made of John a lens through which to read Matthew, Mark and Luke.
Based on the arguments Irenaeus made in support of only four authentic gospels, some interpreters deduce that the fourfold Gospel must have still been a novelty in Irenaeus's time.[52] Against Heresies 3.11.7 acknowledges that many heterodox Christians use only one gospel while 3.11.9 acknowledges that some use more than four.[53] The success of Tatian's Diatessaron in about the same time period is "...a powerful indication that the fourfold Gospel contemporaneously sponsored by Irenaeus was not broadly, let alone universally, recognized."[53]
Irenaeus apparently quotes from 21 of the New Testament books and names the author he thought wrote the text.[54] He mentions the four gospels, Acts, the Pauline epistles with the exception of Hebrews and Philemon, as well as the first epistle of Peter, and the first and second epistles of John, and the book of Revelation.[c] Irenaeus argued that it was illogical to reject Acts of the Apostles but accept the Gospel of Luke, as both were from the same author;[55] in Against Heresies 3.12.12[56] he ridiculed those who think they are wiser than the Apostles because the Apostles were still under Jewish influence. He may also refer to Hebrews (Book 2, Chapter 30) and James (Book 4, Chapter 16) and maybe even 2 Peter (Book 5, Chapter 28) but does not cite Philemon, 3 John or Jude.[57][58]
He does think that the letter to the Corinthians, known now as 1 Clement, was of great worth but does not seem to believe that Clement of Rome was the one author (Book 3, Chapter 3, Verse 3) and seems to have the same lower status as Polycarp's Epistle (Book 3, Chapter 3, Verse 3). He does refer to a passage in the Shepherd of Hermas as scripture (Mandate 1 or First Commandment), but this has some consistency problems on his part. Hermas taught that Jesus was not himself a divine being, but a virtuous man who was subsequently filled with the Holy Spirit and adopted as the Son[59][60] (a doctrine called adoptionism). But Irenaeus's own work, including his citing of the Gospel of John (Jn. 1:1), indicates that he himself believed that Jesus was always God.
Early proto-Orthodox definition attempts[edit]
See also: Christian heresy
In the late 4th century Epiphanius of Salamis (died 402) Panarion 29 says the Nazarenes had rejected the Pauline epistles and Irenaeus Against Heresies 26.2 says the Ebionites rejected him. Acts 21:21 records a rumor that Paul aimed to subvert the Old Testament (against this rumor see Romans 3:8, 3:31). 2 Peter 3:16 says his letters have been abused by heretics who twist them around "as they do with the other scriptures." In the 2nd and 3rd centuries Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History 6.38 says the Elchasai "made use of texts from every part of the Old Testament and the Gospels; it rejects the Apostle (Paul) entirely"; 4.29.5 says Tatian the Assyrian rejected Paul's Letters and Acts of the Apostles; 6.25 says Origen accepted 22 canonical books of the Hebrews plus Maccabees plus the four Gospels but Paul "did not so much as write to all the churches that he taught; and even to those to which he wrote he sent but a few lines."[61]
Between 140 and 220, both internal and external forces caused Proto-orthodox Christianity to begin to systematize both its doctrines and its view of revelation. Much of the systemization came about as a defense against the diverse Early Christian viewpoints that competed with emerging Proto-Orthodoxy. The early years of this period witnessed the rise of several strong movements of faith later deemed heretical by the church in Rome: Marcionism, Gnosticism and Montanism.
Marcion may have been the first to have a clearly defined list of New Testament books, though this question of who came first is still debated.[62] The compilation of this list could have been a challenge and incentive to emerging Proto-orthodoxy; if they wished to deny that Marcion's list was the true one, it was incumbent on them to define what the true one was. The expansion phase of the New Testament canon thus could have begun in response to Marcion's proposed limited canon.
Muratorian fragment[edit]
Main article: Muratorian fragment
The Muratorian fragment[63] is the earliest known example of a defined list of mostly New Testament books.[64] It survives, damaged and thus incomplete, as a bad Latin translation of an original, no longer extant, Greek text that is usually dated in the late 2nd century,[65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72] although a few scholars have preferred a 4th-century date.[73][74][75] This is an excerpt from Metzger's translation:[76]
The third book of the Gospel is that according to Luke... The fourth... is that of John... the acts of all the apostles... As for the Epistles of Paul... To the Corinthians first, to the Ephesians second, to the Philippians third, to the Colossians fourth, to the Galatians fifth, to the Thessalonians sixth, to the Romans seventh... once more to the Corinthians and to the Thessalonians... one to Philemon, one to Titus, and two to Timothy... to the Laodiceans, [and] another to the Alexandrians, [both] forged in Paul's name to [further] the heresy of Marcion... the epistle of Jude and two of the above-mentioned (or, bearing the name of) John... and [the book of] Wisdom... We receive only the apocalypses of John and Peter, though some of us are not willing that the latter be read in church. But Hermas wrote the Shepherd very recently... And therefore it ought indeed to be read; but it cannot be read publicly to the people in church.
This is evidence that, perhaps as early as 200, there existed a set of Christian writings somewhat similar to what is now the 27-book NT, which included four gospels and argued against objections to them.[9]
Clement of Alexandria[edit]
Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 – c. 215) made use of an open canon. He seemed "practically unconcerned about canonicity. To him, inspiration is what mattered."[77] In addition to books that did not make it into the final 27-book NT but which had local acceptance (Barnabas, Didache, I Clement, Revelation of Peter, the Shepherd, the Gospel according to the Hebrews), he also used the Gospel of the Egyptians, Preaching of Peter, Traditions of Matthias, Sibylline Oracles, and the Oral Gospel. He did, however, prefer the four church gospels to all others, although he supplemented them freely with apocryphal gospels. He was the first[citation needed] to treat non-Pauline letters of the apostles (other than II Peter) as scripture-he accepted I Peter, I and II John, and Jude as scripture.
Alogi[edit]
Main article: Alogi
There were those who rejected the Gospel of John (and possibly also Revelation and the Epistles of John) as either not apostolic or as written by the Gnostic Cerinthus or as not compatible with the Synoptic Gospels. Epiphanius of Salamis called these people the Alogi, because they rejected the Logos doctrine of John and because he claimed they were illogical. There may have also been a dispute over the doctrine of the Paraclete.[78][79] Gaius or Caius, presbyter of Rome (early 3rd century), was apparently associated with this movement.[80]
Period of the Seven Ecumenical Councils (325–787)[edit]
See also: First seven Ecumenical Councils
Eusebius[edit]
Eusebius, in his Church History (c. 330), mentioned the books of New Testament according to him:[81][82]
1. […] it is proper to sum up the writings of the New Testament which have been already mentioned. First then must be put the holy quaternion of the Gospels; following them the Acts of the Apostles... the epistles of Paul... the epistle of John... the epistle of Peter... After them is to be placed, if it really seem proper, the Apocalypse of John, concerning which we shall give the different opinions at the proper time. These then belong among the accepted writings [Homologoumena].
3. Among the disputed writings [Antilegomena], which are nevertheless recognized by many, are extant the so-called epistle of James and that of Jude, also the second epistle of Peter, and those that are called the second and third of John, whether they belong to the evangelist or to another person of the same name.
4. Among the rejected [Kirsopp. Lake translation: "not genuine"] writings must be reckoned also the Acts of Paul, and the so-called Shepherd, and the Apocalypse of Peter, and in addition to these the extant epistle of Barnabas, and the so-called Teachings of the Apostles; and besides, as I said, the Apocalypse of John, if it seem proper, which some, as I said, reject, but which others class with the accepted books.
5. And among these some have placed also the Gospel according to the Hebrews... And all these may be reckoned among the disputed books... such books as the Gospels of Peter, of Thomas, of Matthias, or of any others besides them, and the Acts of Andrew and John and the other apostles ... they clearly show themselves to be the fictions of heretics. Wherefore they are not to be placed even among the rejected writings, but are all of them to be cast aside as absurd and impious.
The Apocalypse of John, also called Revelation, is counted as both accepted (Kirsopp. Lake translation: "Recognized") and disputed, which has caused some confusion over what exactly Eusebius meant by doing so. The disputation perhaps attributed to Origen[83] (see also Pamphili c. 330, 3.24.17–18).[84] Pamphili c. 330, 3.3.5 adds further detail on Paul: "Paul's fourteen epistles are well known and undisputed. It is not indeed right to overlook the fact that some have rejected the Epistle to the Hebrews, saying that it is disputed by the Church of Rome, on the ground that it was not written by Paul." Pamphili c. 330, 4.29.6 mentions the Diatessaron: "But their original founder, Tatian, formed a certain combination and collection of the Gospels, I know not how, to which he gave the title Diatessaron, and which is still in the hands of some. But they say that he ventured to paraphrase certain words of the apostle [Paul], in order to improve their style."
Codex Claromontanus[edit]
Main article: Codex Claromontanus
The Codex Claromontanus ,[85] c. 303–67,[86] a page found inserted into a 6th-century copy of the Epistles of Paul and Hebrews, has the Old Testament, including Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, 1–2,4 Maccabees, and the New Testament, plus Acts of Paul, Apocalypse of Peter, Barnabas, and Hermas, but missing Philippians, 1–2 Thessalonians, and Hebrews.
Zahn and Harnack were of the opinion that the list had been drawn up originally in Greek at Alexandria or its neighborhood ~300 AD. According to Jülicher the list belongs to the 4th century and is probably of western origin.[citation needed]
Constantine the Great[edit]
Main article: Fifty Bibles of Constantine
In 331, Constantine I commissioned Eusebius to deliver fifty Bibles for the Church of Constantinople. Athanasius (Apol. Const. 4) recorded Alexandrian scribes around 340 preparing Bibles for Constans. Little else is known, though there is plenty of speculation. For example, it is speculated that this may have provided motivation for canon lists, and that Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus may be examples of these Bibles. Together with the Peshitta and Codex Alexandrinus, these are the earliest extant Christian Bibles.[87]
Cyril of Jerusalem[edit]
McDonald & Sanders 2002, Appendix D-2, notes the following list of New Testament books from Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 350) from his Catechetical Lectures 4.36:
Gospels (4), Acts, James, 1–2 Peter, 1–3 John, Jude,[88] Paul's epistles (14), and Gospel of Thomas listed as pseudepigrapha.
Council of Laodicea[edit]
Main article: Council of Laodicea
The Council of Laodicea, c. 363, was one of the first councils that set out to judge which books were to be read aloud in churches. The decrees issued by the thirty or so clerics attending were called canons. Canon 59 decreed that only canonical books should be read, but no list was appended in the Latin and Syriac manuscripts recording the decrees. The list of canonical books, Canon 60, sometimes attributed to the Council of Laodicea is a later addition according to most scholars and has a 22-book OT and 26-book NT (excludes Revelation).[89][90]
Athanasius[edit]
In his Easter letter of 367,[91] Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, gave a list of exactly the same books as what would become the 27-book NT canon,[11] and he used the word "canonized" (kanonizomena) in regards to them.[92]
Cheltenham/Mommsen List[edit]
The Cheltenham List,[93][94] c. 365–90, is a Latin list discovered by the German classical scholar Theodor Mommsen (published 1886) in a 10th-century manuscript (chiefly patristic) belonging to the library of Thomas Phillips at Cheltenham, England. The list probably originated in North Africa soon after the middle of the 4th century.
It has a 24-book Old Testament[95] and 24-book New Testament which provides syllable and line counts but omits Jude and James, and perhaps Hebrews, and seems to question the epistles of John and Peter beyond the first.
Epiphanius[edit]
McDonald & Sanders 2002, Appendix D-2, writes the following list for Epiphanius of Salamis (c. 374–77), from his Panarion 76.5:
Gospels (4), Paul's epistles (13), Acts, James, Peter, 1–3 John, Jude, Rev, Wisdom, Sirach
Apostolic Canon #85[edit]
In c. 380, the redactor of the Apostolic Constitutions attributed a canon to the Twelve Apostles themselves as the 85th of his list of such apostolic decrees:[96][97]
Canon 85. Let the following books be esteemed venerable and holy by all of you, both clergy and laity. [A list of books of the Old Testament ...] And our sacred books, that is, of the New Testament, are the four Gospels, of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; the fourteen Epistles of Paul; two Epistles of Peter; three of John; one of James; one of Jude; two Epistles of Clement; and the Constitutions dedicated to you, the bishops, by me, Clement, in eight books, which is not appropriate to make public before all, because of the mysteries contained in them; and the Acts of us, the Apostles.—(From the Latin version.)
It is said that the Coptic translation and some Arabic version include Revelation.[96]
Amphilochius of Iconium[edit]
Bishop Amphilochius of Iconium, in his poem Iambics for Seleucus[98] written some time after 394, discusses debate over the inclusion of a number of books that should be received, and seems uncertain about the later Epistles of Peter and John, Jude, and Revelation.[99]
Pope Damasus I[edit]
Pope Damasus's commissioning of the Latin Vulgate edition of the Bible to Jerome,[3] c. 383, was instrumental in the fixation of the canon in the West.[18] Pope Damasus I is often considered to be the father of the Catholic canon, since what is thought as his list corresponds to the current Catholic canon.[3] Purporting to date from a "Council of Rome" under Pope Damasus I in 382, the so-called "Damasian list" which some attributed to the Decretum Gelasianum[100] gives a list identical to what would be the Canon of Trent,[11] and, though the text may in fact not be Damasian, it is at least a valuable 6th century compilation.[101][102]
This list, given below, was purportedly endorsed by Pope Damasus I:
[A list of books of the Old Testament ...], and in the New Testament: 4 books of Gospels, 1 book of Acts of the Apostles, 13 letters of the Apostle Paul, 1 of him to the Hebrews, 2 of Peter, 3 of John, 1 of James, 1 of Jude, and the Apocalypse of John.
The so-called Decretum Gelasianum de libris recipiendis et non recipiendis, is traditionally attributed to Pope Gelasius I, bishop of Rome 492–496 AD. However, upon the whole it is probably of South Gallic origin (6th century), but several parts can be traced back to Pope Damasus and reflect Roman tradition. The 2nd part is a canon catalogue, and the 5th part is a catalogue of apocryphal writings which are to be rejected. The canon catalogue gives all 27 books of the Catholic New Testament.
Jerome[edit]
McDonald & Sanders 2002, Appendix D-2, lists the following New Testament books according to Jerome, (c. 394), from his Epistle 53:
"Lord's Four": Matt, Mark, Luke, John, Paul's Epistles (14), 1–2 Peter, 1–3 John, Jude, James, Acts, Rev.
Augustine and the North African councils[edit]
Augustine of Hippo declared that one is to "prefer those that are received by all Catholic Churches to those which some of them do not receive. Among those, again, which are not received by all, he will prefer such as have the sanction of the greater number and those of greater authority, to such as are held by the smaller number and those of less authority." (On Christian Doctrines 2.12, chapter 8).[103]
Augustine effectively forced his opinion on the Church by commanding three synods on canonicity: the Synod of Hippo in 393, the Synod of Carthage (397), and another in Carthage in 419 AD (M 237-8). Each of these reiterated the same Church law: "nothing shall be read in church under the name of the divine scriptures" except the Old Testament (including the Deuterocanonicals) and the 27 canonical books of the New Testament. It seems these decrees also declared by fiat that Epistle to the Hebrews was written by Paul, for a time ending all debate on the subject.
The first council that accepted the present canon of the books of the New Testament may have been the Synod of Hippo in North Africa (393). A brief summary of the acts was read at and accepted by the Synod of Carthage (397) and Council of Carthage (419).[13] These councils were convened under the authority of St. Augustine, who regarded the canon as already closed.[14][15][16] This North African canon reaffirmed at the Council of Trent of 1546.[3][4]
Pope Innocent I[edit]
In c. 405, Pope Innocent I sent a list of the sacred books to a Gallic bishop, Exsuperius of Toulouse,[104] identical with that of Trent.[105][106][107] It states "fourteen" Epistles of Paul, but F.F. Bruce prefers "thirteen" excluding the Hebrews.[104] According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, by the turn of the 5th century, the Western Church under Pope Innocent I recognized a biblical canon including the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which was previously established at a number of regional Synods, namely the Council of Rome (382), the Synod of Hippo (393), and two Councils of Carthage (397 and 419).[3]
Eastern canons[edit]
See also: Eastern Christianity
The Eastern Churches had, in general, a weaker feeling than those in the West for the necessity of making a sharp delineation with regard to the canon. They were more conscious of the gradation of spiritual quality among the books that they accepted (e.g. the classification of Eusebius, see also Antilegomena) and were less often disposed to assert that the books which they rejected possessed no spiritual quality at all.[citation needed] Similarly, the New Testament canons of the Syriac, Armenian, Georgian, Egyptian Coptic and Ethiopian Churches all have minor differences.[108][page needed] The Revelation of John is one of the most uncertain books; in the East, chiliasm and Montanism brought it under suspicion;[109] it was not translated into Georgian until the 10th century, and it has never been included in the official lectionary of the Eastern Orthodox Church, whether in Byzantine or modern times. However, its canonical status is recognized.[110]
Outside the Empire[edit]
This section possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (January 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Syriac Canon[edit]
Main article: Peshitta
In the 4th century, the Doctrine of Addai lists a 17-book NT canon using the Diatessaron and Acts and 15 Pauline epistles (including 3rd Corinthians). The Syriac Doctrine of Addai (c. 400) claims to record the oldest traditions of the Syriac Christianity, and among these is the establishment of a canon: members of the church are to read only the Gospel (meaning the Diatessaron of Tatian), the Epistles of Paul (which are said to have been sent by Peter, from Rome), and the Book of Acts (which is said to have been sent by John the son of Zebedee, from Ephesus), and nothing else.
For centuries the Diatessaron, along with Acts and the Pauline Epistles (except Philemon), comprised the only accepted books of the Syriac Christianity, meaning that Tatian's stricter views, resulting in the rejection in 1 Timothy, did not win out. Moreover, after the pronouncements of the 4th century on the proper content of the Bible, Tatian was declared a heretic and in the early 4th century Bishop Theodoretus of Cyrrhus and Bishop Rabbula of Edessa (both in Syria) rooted out all copies they could find of the Diatessaron and replaced them with the four canonical Gospels (M 215). As a result, no early copies of the Diatessaron survive—although a very early fragment suggests it would have been crucial evidence for the true state of the early Gospels (see IX).
By the 5th century, the Syriac Bible, called the Peshitta, was formalized, accepting Philemon, along with James, 1 Peter and 1 John, but excluding 2 John, 3 John, 2 Peter, Jude and Revelation. After the Council of Ephesus, the Church of the East became separated, and retained this canon of only 22-books (the Peshitta) up to the present day. The Syriac Orthodox Church uses this text as well (known in the West Syriac dialect as the Peshitto), but with the addition of the other books normally present in the New Testament canon.
See also: Aramaic primacy
The late-5th or early-6th century Peshitta of the Syriac Orthodox Church[111] includes a 22-book NT, excluding II Peter, II John, III John, Jude, and Revelation. The Lee Peshitta of 1823 follows the Protestant canon.
McDonald & Sanders 2002, lists the following Syrian catalogue of St. Catherine's, c. 400:
Gospels (4): Matt, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Gal, Rom, Heb, Col, Eph, Phil, 1–2 Thess, 1–2 Tim, Titus, Phlm.
The Syriac Peshitta, used by all the various Syriac Churches, originally did not include 2 Peter, 2 John, 3 John, Jude and Revelation (and this canon of 22-books is the one cited by John Chrysostom (~347–407) and Theodoret (393–466) from the School of Antioch). It also includes Psalm 151 and Psalm 152–155 and 2 Baruch. Western Syrians have added the remaining 5 books to their NT canons in modern times (such as the Lee Peshitta of 1823). Today, the official lectionaries followed by the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church, with headquarters at Kottayam (India), and the Chaldean Syrian Church, also known as the Church of the East (Nestorian), with headquarters at Trichur (India), still present lessons from only the 22-books of the original Peshitta.[111][better source needed]
Armenian canon[edit]
The Armenian Bible introduces one addition: a third letter to the Corinthians, also found in the Acts of Paul, which became canonized in the Armenian Church, but is not part of the Armenian Bible today. Revelation, however, was not accepted into the Armenian Bible until c. 1200, when Archbishop Nerses arranged an Armenian Synod at Constantinople to introduce the text.[112] Still, there were unsuccessful attempts even as late as 1290 to include in the Armenian canon several apocryphal books: Advice of the Mother of God to the Apostles, the Books of Criapos, and the ever-popular Epistle of Barnabas.
The Armenian Apostolic church at times has included the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs in its Old Testament and the Third Epistle to the Corinthians, but does not always list it with the other 27 canonical New Testament books.
Coptic and Ethiopian canons[edit]
The Coptic Bible (adopted by the Egyptian Church) includes the two Epistles of Clement, and the Ethiopic Bible includes books nowhere else found: the Sinodos (a collection of prayers and instructions supposedly written by Clement of Rome), the Octateuch (a book supposedly written by Peter to Clement of Rome), the Book of the Covenant (in two parts, the first details rules of church order, the second relates instructions from Jesus to the disciples given between the resurrection and the ascension), and the Didascalia (with more rules of church order, similar to the Apostolic Constitutions).
The New Testament of the Coptic Bible, adopted by the Egyptian Church, includes the two Epistles of Clement.[112] The canon of the Tewahedo Churches is somewhat looser than for other traditional Christian groups, and the order, naming, and chapter/verse division of some of the books is also slightly different.
The "broader" Ethiopian New Testament canon includes four books of "Sinodos" (church practices), two "Books of Covenant", "Ethiopic Clement", and "Ethiopic Didascalia" (Apostolic Church-Ordinances). However, these books have never been printed or widely studied. This "broader" canon is also sometimes said to include, with the Old Testament, an eight-part history of the Jews based on the writings of Flavius Josephus, and known as "Pseudo-Josephus" or "Joseph ben Gurion" (Yosēf walda Koryon).[113][114]
Protestant developments (from c. 1517)[edit]
See also: Protestant Reformation
The Encyclopedia of Theology says that the 27 books which make up the New Testament canon of Scripture are not based on a Scriptural list that authenticates them to be inspired, thus their legitimacy is considered impossible to be distinguished with certainty without appealing to another infallible source, such as the Magisterium of the Catholic Church which first assembled and authenticated this list at the Council of Rome.[115] Catholicism considers the Magisterium, i.e. the teaching authority, has equal position and linked together with Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, each acts in its own way for the goodness of the Church.[116] Rejecting these, Protestant reformers focused on the doctrine of sola scriptura, i.e. the supreme authority of Scripture alone. Sola scriptura is one of the five solas, considered by some Protestant groups to be the theological pillars of the Protestant Reformation.[117]
Martin Luther[edit]
Main article: Luther's canon
Martin Luther was troubled by four books, referred to as Luther's Antilegomena: Jude, James, Hebrews, and Revelation; and though he placed them in a secondary position relative to the rest, he did not exclude them. He did propose removing them from the canon,[118][119] echoing the consensus of several Catholics such as Cardinal Cajetan and Erasmus, and partially because they were perceived to go against certain Protestant doctrines such as sola gratia and sola fide, but this was not generally accepted among his followers. However, these books are ordered last in the German-language Luther Bible to this day.[120][121]
Protestant confessions[edit]
Among confessions of faith drawn up by Protestants, several identify by name the 27-books of the New Testament canon, including the French Confession of Faith (1559), the Belgic Confession (1561), and the Westminster Confession of Faith (1647) during the English Civil War. The Thirty-Nine Articles, issued by the Church of England in 1563, names the books of the Old Testament, but not the New Testament. None of the Confessional statements issued by any Lutheran church includes an explicit list of canonical books.
Evangelical canons[edit]
See also: Sola scriptura
This section possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (December 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Many Evangelical Christian groups (which have their origin in c. 1730 England) do not accept the theory that the Christian Bible was not known until various local and Ecumenical Councils, which they deem to be "Roman-dominated", made their official declarations.
These groups believe that the New Testament supports that Paul (2 Timothy 4:11–13), Peter (2 Peter 3:15–16), and ultimately John (Revelation 22:18–19) finalized the canon of the New Testament. Some note that Peter, John, and Paul wrote 20 (or 21) of the 27-books of the NT and personally knew all the other NT writers. (Books not attributed to these three are: Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, James, and Jude. The authorship of Hebrews has long been disputed.)
Many modern Protestants point to four "Criteria for Canonicity" to justify the books that have been included in the Old and New Testament, which are judged to have satisfied the following:
Apostolic Origin – attributed to and based on the preaching/teaching of the first-generation apostles (or their close companions).
Universal Acceptance – acknowledged by all major Christian communities in the ancient world (by the end of the 4th century).
Liturgical Use – read publicly when early Christian communities gathered for the Lord's Supper (their weekly worship services).
Consistent Message – containing a theological outlook similar or complementary to other accepted Christian writings.
The basic factor for recognizing a book's canonicity for the New Testament was divine inspiration, and the chief test for this was apostolicity. The term apostolic as used for the test of canonicity does not necessarily mean apostolic authorship or derivation, but rather apostolic authority. Apostolic authority is never detached from the authority of the Lord. See Apostolic succession.
It is sometimes difficult to apply these criteria to all books in the accepted canon, however, and some point to books that Protestants hold as apocryphal which would fulfill these requirements. In practice, Protestants hold to the Jewish canon for the Old Testament and the Catholic canon for the New Testament.
Catholic developments (from c. 1546)[edit]
See also: Catholic Reformation
Council of Trent[edit]
Main article: Canon of Trent
The Council of Trent on April 8, 1546, approved the enforcement of the present Roman Catholic Bible Canon including the Deuterocanonical Books as an article of faith (the contents of the canon itself having already been reaffirmed unanimously), and the decision was confirmed by an anathema by vote (24 yea, 15 nay, 16 abstain).[122] This is said to be the same list as produced at the Council of Florence (Session 11, 4 February 1442),[123] Augustine's 397-419 Councils of Carthage,[4] and probably Damasus' 382 Council of Rome.[11][124] Because of its placement, the list was not considered binding for the Catholic Church, and in light of Martin Luther's demands, the Catholic Church examined the question of the Canon again at the Council of Trent, which reaffirmed the canon of previous councils and added the anathema against attempts to change the contents of the canon.
Later developments[edit]
Vatican I on April 24, 1870 approved the additions to Mark (v. 16:9–20), Luke (22:19b–20, 43–44), and John (7:53–8:11), which are not present in early manuscripts but are contained in the Vulgate edition.[125]
Pope Pius XI on June 2, 1927 decreed the Comma Johanneum was open to dispute.
Pope Pius XII on 3 September 1943 issued the encyclical Divino afflante Spiritu, which allowed translations based on texts other than the Latin Vulgate.
Orthodox developments (from c. 1672)[edit]
Synod of Jerusalem[edit]
Main article: Synod of Jerusalem
See also: Development of the Old Testament canon § Eastern Orthodox Canon
The Synod of Jerusalem in 1672 decreed the Greek Orthodox Canon which is similar as the one decided by the Council of Trent. They "call[ed] Sacred Scripture all those [books] which Cyril collected from the Synod of Laodicea, and enumerated, adding to Scripture those which he foolishly and ignorantly, or rather maliciously, called Apocrypha; specifically, [List of deuterocanonical books...]."
But it is to be noted that this was simply an affirmation of tradition, not a new canonization. As the Confession goes on to state, "ancient custom, or rather the Catholic Church, which has delivered to us as genuine the Sacred Gospels and the other Books of Scripture, has undoubtedly delivered these [deuterocanonical books] also as parts of Scripture.... And if, perhaps, it seems that not always have all of these been considered on the same level as the others, yet nevertheless these also have been counted and reckoned with the rest of Scripture, both by Synods and by many of the most ancient and eminent Theologians of the Catholic Church. All of these we also judge to be Canonical Books, and confess them to be Sacred Scripture..."[126]
Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ Three forms are postulated, from Gamble, Harry Y, "18", The Canon Debate, p. 300, note 21, (1) Marcion's collection that begins with Galatians and ends with Philemon; (2) Papyrus 46, dated about 200, that follows the order that became established except for reversing Ephesians and Galatians; and (3) the letters to seven churches, treating those to the same church as one letter and basing the order on length, so that Corinthians is first and Colossians (perhaps including Philemon) is last.
Jump up ^ John Knox[39] (the modern writer, not to be confused with John Knox the Protestant Reformer) was the first to propose that Marcion's Gospel may have preceded Luke's Gospel and Acts,[40] although still maintaining that Marcion edited the sources available to him.[41]
Jump up ^ * Matthew (Book 3, Chapter 16):
Mark (Book 3, Chapter 10)
Luke (Book 3, Chapter 14)
John (Book 3, Chapter 11)
Acts of the Apostles (Book 3, Chapter 14)
Romans (Book 3, Chapter 16)
1 Corinthians (Book 1, Chapter 3)
2 Corinthians (Book 3, Chapter 7)
Galatians (Book 3, Chapter 22)
Ephesians (Book 5, Chapter 2)
Philippians (Book 4, Chapter 18)
Colossians (Book 1, Chapter 3)
1 Thessalonians (Book 5, Chapter 6)
2 Thessalonians (Book 5, Chapter 25)
1 Timothy (Book 1, Preface)
2 Timothy (Book 3, Chapter 14)
Titus (Book 3, Chapter 3)
1 Peter (Book 4, Chapter 9)
1 John(Book 3, Chapter 16)
2 John (Book 1, Chapter 16)
Revelation to John (Book 4, Chapter 20)
References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b Bart D. Ehrman (1997). The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. Oxford University Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-19-508481-8. The New Testament contains twenty-seven books, written in Greek, by fifteen or sixteen different authors, who were addressing other Christian individuals or communities between the years 50 and 120 C.E. (see box 1.4). As we will see, it is difficult to know whether any of these books was written by Jesus' own disciples.
Jump up ^ Saint Justin Martyr, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Canon of the New Testament". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
^ Jump up to: a b c Philip Schaff, "Chapter IX. Theological Controversies, and Development of the Ecumenical Orthodoxy", History of the Christian Church, CCEL
^ Jump up to: a b Martyr, Justin, First Apology, 67.3 .
^ Jump up to: a b Ferguson 2002, p. 301.
Jump up ^ Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, 3.11.8 .
Jump up ^ Noll 1997, pp. 36–37.
^ Jump up to: a b de Jonge 2003, p. 315.
Jump up ^ Ackroyd & Evans 1970, p. 308.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e Lindberg 2006, p. 15.
Jump up ^ Brakke 1994.
^ Jump up to: a b McDonald & Sanders 2002, Appendix D-2, note 19: ‘Revelation was added later in 419 at the subsequent synod of Carthage.’
^ Jump up to: a b c Ferguson 2002, p. 320.
^ Jump up to: a b Bruce 1988, p. 230.
^ Jump up to: a b Augustine, 22.8.
Jump up ^ Bruce 1988, p. 234.
^ Jump up to: a b Bruce 1988, p. 225.
Jump up ^ Metzger 1987, pp. 237–38.
Jump up ^ Bruce 1988, p. 97.
Jump up ^ Bruce 1988, p. 215.
Jump up ^ Ackroyd & Evans 1970, p. 305.
Jump up ^ Adrian Cozad. "Marcionite Bible". Marcionite Research Library. Melissa Cutler. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
^ Jump up to: a b Bruce Metzger (translator). "The Muratorian fragment". EarlyChristianWritings.com. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
Jump up ^ Aland, Kurt; Barbara Aland (1995). The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism, trans. Erroll F. Rhodes. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-8028-4098-1.
Jump up ^ "Content". The Codex Sinaiticus Project. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
Jump up ^ "Codex Alexandrinus Table of Contents". Chapel of St. Maximos the Confessor. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
^ Jump up to: a b c It is not known whether 2 Thessalonians and 2 John were excluded on purpose, or that not a single fragment of either epistle happened to survive. McDonald, Lee Martin (2017). The Formation of the Biblical Canon: Volume 2: The New Testament: Its Authority and Canonicity. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 244. ISBN 9780567668851. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
^ Jump up to: a b The beginning of the Muratorian Canon is lost; the fragment that has survived, starts by naming Luke the third gospel and John the fourth. Historians therefore assume that the first two gospels would have been Matthew and Mark, although this remains uncertain.
Jump up ^ The Gospel of Marcion bears a close resemblance to the Gospel of Luke. Most scholars think the former is an edited version of the latter, while a minority of scholars claim the Gospel of Luke must be an edited version of the Gospel of Marcion.
Jump up ^ The contents of this Marcionite Epistle to the Laodiceans are unknown. Some scholars equate it with the Epistle to the Ephesians, because the latter originally did not contain the words 'in Ephesus', and because it is the only non-pastoral Pauline epistle missing from the Marcionite canon, suggesting Laodiceans was simply Ephesians under another name.
^ Jump up to: a b c The Muratorian fragment mentions two letters by John, but gives little clues as to which ones. Therefore, it is not known which of the three was excluded that would later be considered canonical. Bruce Metzger concluded that the Muratorian fragment cites 1 John 1:1-3 when it says: "What marvel is it then, if John so consistently mentions these particular points also in his Epistles, saying about himself, 'What we have seen with our eyes and heard with our ears and our hands have handled, these things we have written to you?'".
Jump up ^ Peter, II Letter (NIV ed.), Bible Gateway
Jump up ^ Bauckham, RJ (1983), Word Bible Commentary, Vol. 50, Jude-2 Peter, Waco
Jump up ^ Jason BeDuhn, "Marcion, Forgotten Church Father and Inventor of the New Testament", The Fourth R, Vol. 27 No 5, Sep–Oct 2014. pp. 3-6, 23-24.
Jump up ^ Marcion, Early Christian writings .
Jump up ^ Ignatius, NT Canon .
Jump up ^ von Harnack, Adolf (1914). Origin of the New Testament.
Jump up ^ Knox, John, Marcion and the New Testament: An Essay in the Early History of the Canon, ISBN 0-404-16183-9
Jump up ^ Marcion, On truth .
Jump up ^ Marcion, Christian origins .
Jump up ^ Wace, Henry (1911). "Marcion". Early Christian Writings.
Jump up ^ Kessler, Edward; Wenborn, Neil (2005-12-08), A Dictionary of Jewish-Christian Relations, p. 316, ISBN 9781139447508 .
Jump up ^ Price.
Jump up ^ Ferguson 2002, pp. 302–03.
Jump up ^ Justin Martyr, First Apology 67.3.
Jump up ^ Ferguson 2002, pp. 302–03 note 32.
Jump up ^ Craig D. Allert, Revelation, Truth, Canon, and Interpretation (BRILL 2002 ISBN 978-9-00412619-0), p. 178
Jump up ^ Saint Justin Martyr, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Jump up ^ Justin Martyr, Dialogue, 88:3 .
Jump up ^ Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses 3.11.8.
Jump up ^ McDonald & Sanders 2002, p. 277.
^ Jump up to: a b McDonald & Sanders 2002, pp. 280, 310, summarizing 3.11.7: the Ebionites use Matthew's Gospel, Marcion mutilates Luke's, the Docetists use Mark's, the Valentinians use John's.
Jump up ^ Streeter, Tom (2012-01-05). The Church and Western Culture. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse. p. 115. ISBN 978-1-42595349-2.
Jump up ^ McDonald & Sanders 2002, p. 288, claims Acts was first "clearly and extensively" used by Irenaeus, though it seems to have been known by Justin (1 Apol. 50.12, cf. 2 Apol. 10.6).
Jump up ^ Irinæus, Adversus Hæreses.
Jump up ^ Wallace, J. Warner (2013). "How the Ante-Nicene Church Fathers Preserved the Eyewitness Gospel Accounts". Cold Case Christianity. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
Jump up ^ Dillon, John J. (1991). St. Irenaeus of Lyons Against the Heresies. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-80910454-3.
Jump up ^ "The Holy Pre-existent Spirit. Which created the whole creation, God made to dwell in flesh that he desired. This flesh, therefore, in which the Holy Spirit dwelt, was subject unto the Spirit, walking honorably in holiness and purity, without in any way defiling the Spirit. When then it had lived honorably in chastity, and had labored with the Spirit, and had cooperated with it in everything, behaving itself boldly and bravely, he chose it as a partner with the Holy Spirit; for the career of this flesh pleased [the Lord], seeing that, as possessing the Holy Spirit, it was not defiled upon the earth. He therefore took the son as adviser and the glorious angels also, that this flesh too, having served the Spirit unblamably, might have some place of sojourn, and might not seem to have lost the reward for its service; for all flesh, which is found undefiled and unspotted, wherein the Holy Spirit dwelt, shall receive a reward." [1]
Jump up ^ "Hermas never mentions Jesus Christ, or the Word, but only the Son of God, who is the highest angel. As holy spirit the Son dwells in the flesh; this human nature is God's adopted son" in, Patrick W. Carey, Joseph T. Lienhard (editors), Biographical Dictionary of Christian Theologians, p. 241 (Greenwood Press, 2008). ISBN 0-313-29649-9
Jump up ^ Lightfoot, Joseph Barber, Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, At this point [Gal 6:11] the apostle takes the pen from his amanuensis, and the concluding paragraph is written with his own hand. From the time when letters began to be forged in his name (2 Thess 2:2; 3:17) it seems to have been his practice to close with a few words in his own handwriting, as a precaution against such forgeries... In the present case he writes a whole paragraph, summing up the main lessons of the epistle in terse, eager, disjointed sentences. He writes it, too, in large, bold characters (Gr. pelikois grammasin), that his hand-writing may reflect the energy and determination of his soul.
Jump up ^ Metzger 1997, p. 98: "The question whether the Church's canon preceded or followed Marcion's canon continues to be debated. ...Harnack... John Knox..."
Jump up ^ The Muratorian Canon, Early Christian writings, retrieved April 10, 2007
Jump up ^ Bauckham 2006, pp. 425–26.
Jump up ^ Ferguson, E (1982), "Canon Muratori: Date and Provenance", Studia Patristica, 17: 677–83 .
Jump up ^ Ferguson, E (1993), "The Muragorian Fragment and the Development of the Canon", Journal of Theological Studies, 44: 696 .
Jump up ^ Bruce, FF (1983), "Some Thoughts on the Beginning of the New Testament Canon", Bulletin of the John Rylands Library, 65: 56–57 .
Jump up ^ Metzger 1987, pp. 193–94.
Jump up ^ Henne, P (1993), "La datation du Canon de Muratori" [The dating of the Muratorian canon], Revue Biblique (in French), 100: 54–75 .
Jump up ^ Horbury, W (1994), "The Wisdom of Solomon in the Muratorian Fragment", Journal of Theological Studies, 45: 146–59 .
Jump up ^ Hill, CE (1995), "The Debate over the Muratorian Fragment and the Development of the Canon", Westminster Theological Journal, 57 .
Jump up ^ Bauckham 2006, p. 426.
Jump up ^ Hahneman, GM (1992), The Muratorian Fragment and the Development of the Canon, Oxford: Oxford University Press .
Jump up ^ Anchor Bible Dictionary .
Jump up ^ McDonald & Sanders 2002, p. 595, note 17: "The Muratorian Fragment. While many scholars contend that this was a late second-century C.E. fragment originating in or around Rome, a growing number hold that it was produced around the middle of the fourth century (c. 350–375) and that it originated somewhere in the eastern part of the Roman Empire, possibly in Syria."
Jump up ^ The Muratorian Fragment, Bible Research
Jump up ^ Lieuwen, Daniel F, NT canon emergence, Orthodox info .
Jump up ^ Metzger 1987, p. 150.
Jump up ^ The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. p. 45.
Jump up ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Montanists". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Montanism in the West: "The old notion that the Alogi were an Asiatic sect (see ALOGI) is no longer tenable; they were the Roman Gaius and his followers, if he had any."
Jump up ^ Pamphili c. 330, Book 3, chapter XXV: The Divine Scriptures that are accepted and those that are not.
Jump up ^ Kalin, Everett R. "The New Testament Canon of Eusebius". In McDonald & Sanders (2002), pp. 403–04. "Eusebius divides the writings he has been discussing into three categories, the homologoumena (the universally acknowledged writings), the antilegomena (the writings that have been spoken against and are thus disputed—or, in a certain sense, rejected, even though in wide use) and the heretical writings. Only the twenty-one or twenty-two books in the first category are in the church's New Testament (are canonical). It is the ancient church's tradition of what the apostles wrote and handed down that is the criterion for evaluating these writings from the apostolic era, and only these twenty-one or twenty-two pass the test. In important recent contributions on this passage both Robbins and Baum agree that for Eusebius the church's canon consists of these twenty-one or twenty-two books. ... Given what we see in Eusebius in the early fourth century it is virtually impossible to imagine that the church had settled upon a twenty-seven book collection, or even one that approximated that, in the late second century. Moreover, whatever the merits of David Trobisch's intriguing and important proposal that a twenty-seven book edition of the New Testament was produced in the second century, that notion seems hard to reconcile with what we have found in Eusebius regarding the church's acceptance of apostolic writings in earlier centuries."
Jump up ^ Kalin, ER (1990), "Re-examining New Testament Canon History: 1. The Canon of Origen", Currents in Theology and Mission, 17: 274–82
Jump up ^ McDonald & Sanders 2002, p. 395.
Jump up ^ Codex Claromontanus, Bible Researcher .
Jump up ^ McDonald & Sanders 2002, pp. 584.
Jump up ^ McDonald & Sanders 2002, pp. 414–15.
Jump up ^ Cyril of Jerusalem on the Canon, Bible Research
Jump up ^ Schaff (ed.), Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, XIV, The Christian classics ethereal library .
Jump up ^ Council of Laodicea, Bible Research
Jump up ^ Athanasius (367), Schaff, ed., Easter letter, The Christian classic ethereal library .
Jump up ^ Brakke, David (1994), "Canon Formation and Social Conflict in Fourth Century Egypt: Athanasius of Alexandria's Thirty Ninth Festal Letter", Harvard Theological Review, 87: 395–419 .
Jump up ^ "The Cheltenham List". Bible Research. Retrieved 2007-07-08.
Jump up ^ "The Cheltenham Canon". NT canon. Retrieved 2007-07-08. ; (also known as Mommsen's)
Jump up ^ From Cheltenham, Bible researcher which references Metzger: 1. Genesis, 2. Exodus, 3. Numbers, 4. Leviticus, 5. Deuteronomy, 6. Joshua, 7. Judges, 8. Ruth, 9. I Kingdoms, 10. II Kingdoms, 11. III Kingdoms, 12. IV Kingdoms, 13. Chronicles I, 14. Chronicles II, 15. Maccabees I, 16. Maccabees II, 17. Job, 18. Tobit, 19. Esther, 20. Judith, 21. Psalms, 22. Solomon (probably to include the Wisdom of Solomon), 23. Major prophets, 24. Twelve Prophets
^ Jump up to: a b Apostolic Canons, NT canon .
Jump up ^ Michael D. Marlowe. "The "Apostolic Canons" (about A.D. 380)". Bible Research. Archived from the original on 29 August 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
Jump up ^ "The Canon of Amphilochius of Iconium (after 394 CE)".
Jump up ^ The Canon Debate, p. 400, note 78, translation attributed to Metzger's Canon of the NT page 314 ["/" indicates newline]: "And again the Revelation of John,/ Some approve, but the most/ Say it is spurious." and "Paul ... [wrote]/ Twice seven epistles:... But some say the one to the Hebrews is spurious, not saying well, for the grace is genuine." and on the Catholic Epistles: "Some say we must receive seven, but others say/ Only three [James, 1 Peter, 1 John] should be received..."
Jump up ^ Decretum Gelasianum, Tertulian .
Jump up ^ Bruce 1988, p. 234.
Jump up ^ Turner, CH, ed. (1900), "Damasian Canon", JTS, 1: 554–60 .
Jump up ^ Augustine, Aurelius, On Christian Doctrine, Book II, Georgetown .
^ Jump up to: a b "Letter of Innocent I on the Canon of Scripture".
Jump up ^ Ramage, Matthew J. (2013). Dark Passages of the Bible. CUA Press. p. 67]. ISBN 978-0-81322156-4.
Jump up ^ Lee Martin McDonald, Formation of the Bible (Hendrickson Publishers 2012 ISBN 978-1-59856838-7), p. 149
Jump up ^ John L. Mckenzie, The Dictionary of the Bible (Simon and Schuster 1995 ISBN 978-0-68481913-6), p. 119
Jump up ^ Metzger 1987.
Jump up ^ Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou (editor) Commentary on the Apocalypse by Andrew of Caesarea (CUA Press 2011 ISBN 978-0-81320123-8), p. 3
Jump up ^ "The Longer Catechism of The Orthodox, Catholic, Eastern Church • Pravoslavieto.com".
^ Jump up to: a b "Peshitta". The Development of the Canon of the New Testament. NT canon.
^ Jump up to: a b "Reliability". Theological Perspectives. Archived from the original on October 8, 2007.
Jump up ^ Ethiopian Canon, Islamic Awareness.
Jump up ^ "Fathers". Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL).
Jump up ^ Karl Rahner, ed. (1999). Encyclopedia of Theology: A Concise Sacramentum Mundi. Burns & Oates. p. 172. ISBN 978-0860120063.
Jump up ^ Dei verbum, n. 10.
Jump up ^ Michael Horton (March–April 1994). "Reformation Essentials". Modern Reformation. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
Jump up ^ "Martin Luther". WELS. Archived from the original on 2008-03-22.
Jump up ^ "Luther's Treatment of the 'Disputed Books' of the New Testament".
Jump up ^ "Gedruckte Ausgaben der Lutherbibel von 1545". Archived from the original on 2010-04-19. note order: ...Hebräer, Jakobus, Judas, Offenbarung
Jump up ^ "German Bible Versions". Bible researcher.
Jump up ^ Metzger 1997, p. 246: "Finally on 8 April 1546, by a vote of 24 to 15, with 16 abstensions, the Council issued a decree (De Canonicis Scripturis) in which, for the first time in the history of the Church, the question of the contents of the Bible was made an absolute article of faith and confirmed by an anathema."
Jump up ^ "Council of Basel 1431-45 A". Papalencyclicals.net. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
Jump up ^ F.L. Cross, E.A. Livingstone, ed. (1983), The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 232
Jump up ^ "2", Session 3, Daily Catholic, Item 6, The complete books of the old and the new Testament with all their parts, as they are listed in the decree of the said council and as they are found in the old Latin Vulgate edition, are to be received as sacred and canonical. In the context, the "decree of the said Council" is the decree of the Council of Trent defining the canon of the Scriptures.
Jump up ^ Dennis Bratcher (ed.), The Confession of Dositheus (Eastern Orthodox, 1672), Question 3, CRI / Voice, Institute
Bibliography[edit]
Sources[edit]
Augustine, Aurelius, De Civitate Dei [On the City of God] (in Latin)
Pamphili, Eusebius, Schaff, Philip, ed., Ecclesiastical History, The Christian classics ethereal library .
Studies[edit]
Ackroyd, PR; Evans, CF, eds. (1970), The Cambridge History of the Bible, 1, Cambridge University Press .
Bauckham, Richard (2006), Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, Cambridge: Eerdmans .
BeDuhn, Jason (2013), The First New Testament. Marcion's Scriptural Canon, Polebridge Press .
Bourgel, Jonathan, "Do the Synoptic Narratives of the Passion Contain a Stratum Composed in Judea on the Eve of the Great Revolt?", NTS 58 (2012), 503–21, (French).
Brakke, David (1994), "Canon Formation and Social Conflict in Fourth Century Egypt: Athanasius of Alexandria's Thirty Ninth Festal Letter", Harvard Theological Review, 87: 395–419 .
Bruce, FF (1988), The Canon of Scripture, Intervarsity Press .
de Jonge, HJ (2003), "The New Testament Canon", in de Jonge, HJ; Auwers, JM, The Biblical Canons, Leuven University Press
Ferguson, Everett (2002), "Factors leading to the Selection and Closure of the New Testament Canon", in McDonald, LM; Sanders, JA, The Canon Debate, Hendrickson .
Gamble, Harry (1985), The New Testament Canon. Its Making and Meaning, Fortress Press .
Kruger, Michael (2012), Canon Revisited. Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books, Crossway .
Kruger, Michael (2013), The Question of Canon. Challenging the Status Quo in the New Testament Debate, InterVarsity Press .
Lindberg, Carter (2006), A Brief History of Christianity, Blackwell, ISBN 1-4051-1078-3 .
McDonald, LM; Sanders, JA, eds. (2002), The Canon Debate, Hendrickson .
Metzger, Bruce (1987), The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origins, Development, and Significance, Oxford: Clarendon .
Noll, Mark A (1997), Turning Points.Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity, Baker Academic .
External links[edit]
The Development of the Canon of the New Testament – includes very detailed charts and direct links to ancient witnesses.
Price, Robert, The Evolution of the Pauline Canon .
show
v
t
e
Books of the Bible
Principal
divisions
Hebrew Bible/
Old Testament Protocanon
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1–2 Samuel
1–2 Kings
1–2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Deuterocanon
and Apocrypha
Catholic
Orthodox
Tobit
Judith
Additions to Esther
1 Maccabees
2 Maccabees
Wisdom
Sirach
Baruch / Letter of Jeremiah
Additions to Daniel
Susanna
Song of the Three Children
Bel and the Dragon
Orthodox only
1 Esdras
2 Esdras
Prayer of Manasseh
Psalm 151
3 Maccabees
4 Maccabees
Odes
Tewahedo Orthodox
Enoch
Jubilees
1, 2, and 3 Meqabyan
Paralipomena of Baruch
Broader canon
Syriac
Letter of Baruch
Psalms 152–155
New Testament
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation
Subdivisions
Chapters and verses
Pentateuch
Wisdom
Major prophets / Minor prophets
Gospels
Synoptic
Epistles
Pauline
Johannine
Pastoral
Catholic
Apocalyptic literature
Development
Old Testament canon
New Testament canon
Antilegomena
Jewish canon
Christian canon
Manuscripts
Dead Sea Scrolls
Samaritan Pentateuch
Septuagint
Targum
Diatessaron
Muratorian fragment
Peshitta
Vetus Latina
Masoretic Text
New Testament manuscript categories
New Testament papyri
New Testament uncials
See also
Biblical canon
Luther's canon
Authorship
English Bible translations
Other books referenced in the Bible
Pseudepigrapha
list
New Testament apocrypha
Studies
Synod of Hippo
Textual criticism
Category
Portal
WikiProject
Book
show
v
t
e
History of Christianity
Centuries:1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st
Ministry of Jesus
and Apostolic Age
Jesus
Ministry
Crucifixion
Resurrection
Holy Spirit
Leadership
Apostles
Seventy disciples
Paul the Apostle
Council of Jerusalem
Great Commission
New Testament
Background
Gospels
Acts
Pauline epistles
General epistles
Revelation
Ante-Nicene Period
Judaism split
Justin Martyr
Ignatius
Persecution
Fathers
Irenaeus
Marcionism
Canon
Tertullian
Montanism
Origen
Late ancient
Constantine
Monasticism
Councils: Nicaea I
Creed
Athanasius
Arianism
Jerome
Augustine
Constantinople I
Ephesus I
Chalcedon'
Eastern Christianity
Eastern Orthodoxy
Church of the East
Oriental Orthodoxy
Chrysostom
Nestorianism
Iconoclasm
Great Schism
Fall of Constantinople
Armenia
Georgia
Greece
Egypt
Syria
Ethiopia
Bulgaria
Ottoman Empire
Russia
America
Middle Ages
Pelagianism
Gregory I
Celtic
Germanic
Scandinavian
Kievan Rus'
Investiture
Anselm
Abelard
Bernard of Clairvaux
Bogomils
Bosnian Church
Cathars
Crusades
Waldensians
Inquisition
Scholasticism
Dominic
Francis
Bonaventure
Aquinas
Wycliffe
Avignon
Papal Schism
Bohemian Reformation
Hus
Conciliarism
Catholicism
Primacy development
Papacy
Timeline
Lateran IV
Trent
Counter-Reformation
Thomas More
Leo X
Guadalupe
Jesuits
Jansenists
Xavier
Monastery dissolution
Wars
Teresa
Vatican I
Vatican II
Modernism
Reformation
Protestantism
Erasmus
Five solae
Eucharist
Calvinist–Arminian debate
Arminianism
Dort
Wars
Lutheranism
Martin Luther
95 Theses
Diet of Worms
Melanchthon
Orthodoxy
Eucharist
Book of Concord
Calvinism
Zwingli
Calvin
Presbyterianism
Scotland
Knox
TULIP
Dort
Three Forms of Unity
Westminster
Anglicanism
Timeline
Henry VIII
Cranmer
Settlement
39 Articles
Common Prayer
Puritans
Civil War
Anabaptism
Radical Reformation
Grebel
Swiss Brethren
Müntzer
Martyrs' Synod
Menno Simons
Smyth
1640–1789
Revivalism
English denominations
Baptists
Congregationalism
First Great Awakening
Methodism
Millerism
Pietism
Neo- and Old Lutherans
1789–present
Camp meeting
Holiness movement
Independent Catholic denominations
Second Great Awakening
Restoration Movement
Jehovah's Witnesses
Mormonism
Seventh-day Adventist
Adventism
Third Great Awakening
Azusa Revival
Fundamentalism
Ecumenism
Evangelicalism
Jesus movement
Mainline Protestant
Pentecostalism
Charismatics
Liberation theology
Christian right
Christian left
Genocide by ISIL
Timeline
Missions Timeline
Martyrs
Theology
Eastern Orthodoxy
Oriental Orthodoxy
Protestantism
Catholicism
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Development_of_the_New_Testament_canon&oldid=855341873"
Categories:
Development of the Christian biblical canon
Early Christianity
New Testament
Hidden categories:
Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference
CS1 French-language sources (fr)
Articles containing Ancient Greek-language text
Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from April 2014
All articles with unsourced statements
Articles with unsourced statements from July 2018
Articles with unsourced statements from February 2012
Articles with unsourced statements from August 2007
Articles with unsourced statements from November 2014
Articles that may contain original research from January 2016
All articles that may contain original research
All articles lacking reliable references
Articles lacking reliable references from January 2016
Articles that may contain original research from December 2015
CS1 Latin-language sources (la)
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
Languages
Dansk
Deutsch
Español
Esperanto
Bahasa Indonesia
Nederlands
Português
Simple English
Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски
Suomi
3 more
Edit links
This page was last edited on 17 August 2018, at 16:08 (UTC).
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view
Enable previews

values: mw-page-base noprint

values: mw-head-base noprint

values: firstHeading firstHeading en

values: siteSub noprint

attrs: class href

values: mw-jump-link #mw-head

values: mw-jump-link #p-search

values:
note
hatnote navigation-not-searchable

attrs: href class title

values:
/wiki/File:Bible.malmesbury.arp.jpg
image
The Malmesbury Bible

values: font-size: 105%; padding: 0.2em 0px 0.4em; text-align: center; display: none;

values: Development of the Christian biblical canon

values: List of artifacts in biblical archaeology

values: List of biblical figures identified in extra-biblical sources

values: float:right;clear:right;width:22.0em;margin:0 0 1.0em 1.0em;background:#f9f9f9;border:1px solid #aaa;padding:0.2em;border-spacing:0.4em 0;text-align:center;line-height:1.4em;font-size:88%;border-collapse:collapse; border-spacing:0px; border:none; width:100%; margin:0px; font-size:100%; clear:none; float:none

attrs: alt src title width height srcset data-file-width data-file-height

values: padding:0.3em 0.4em 0.3em;font-weight:bold;border-top: 1px solid #aaa; border-bottom: 1px solid #aaa;

values:
/wiki/Canon_of_the_New_Testament
mw-redirect
Canon of the New Testament

values:
/wiki/Christian_Bible
mw-redirect
Christian Bible

values:
/wiki/Canonical_Gospels
mw-redirect
Canonical Gospels

values:
/wiki/Apostle_(Christian)
mw-redirect
Apostle (Christian)

values:
/wiki/Orthodox_Christianity
mw-redirect
Orthodox Christianity

values:
/wiki/Council_of_Carthage
mw-redirect
Council of Carthage

values:
/wiki/Thirty-Nine_Articles
mw-redirect
Thirty-Nine Articles

values: checkbox button toctogglecheckbox toctogglecheckbox display:none

values:
/wiki/Letter_to_the_Hebrews
mw-redirect
Letter to the Hebrews

values:
/wiki/Early_Church
mw-redirect
Early Church

values: This citation requires a reference to the specific page or range of pages in which the material appears. (April 2014)

values:
/wiki/Western_Church
mw-redirect
Western Church

values:
/wiki/Eastern_Church
mw-redirect
Eastern Church

values:
/wiki/Roman_Catholicism
mw-redirect
Roman Catholicism

values:
/wiki/Gallic_Confession_of_Faith
mw-redirect
Gallic Confession of Faith

values:
/wiki/Synod_of_Jerusalem
mw-redirect
Synod of Jerusalem

values:
/wiki/Greek_Orthodox
mw-redirect
Greek Orthodox

values: Edit section: Comparison between earliest biblical canons

values: Peshitta is not the name of a canon or codex, but of a collection of books that became the Syriac Bible, which eventually came to include all 27 book also recognised in other Christian traditions. We need to be more specific which Peshitta version was the earliest. (July 2018)

values:
noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact
white-space:nowrap;

values: background: #ddffdd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;

values: background: #ffff90; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;

values:
/wiki/Shepherd_of_Hermas
mw-redirect
Shepherd of Hermas

values: Edit section: Early Christianity (c. 30–325)

values:
/wiki/History_of_Early_Christianity
mw-redirect
History of Early Christianity

values:
/wiki/Christian_heresy
mw-redirect
Christian heresy

values:
/wiki/Henry_Wace_(Anglican_priest)
mw-redirect
Henry Wace (Anglican priest)

values:
/wiki/2_Thessalonians
mw-redirect
2 Thessalonians

values:
/wiki/Edessa,_Mesopotamia
mw-redirect
Edessa, Mesopotamia

values:
/wiki/Canonical_gospels
mw-redirect
Canonical gospels

values:
/wiki/Irenaeus_of_Lyons
mw-redirect
Irenaeus of Lyons

values: On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis

values:
/wiki/Matthew_the_Evangelist
mw-redirect
Matthew the Evangelist

values:
/wiki/Twelve_Apostles
mw-redirect
Twelve Apostles

values: Edit section: Early proto-Orthodox definition attempts

values:
/wiki/Eusebius_of_Caesarea
mw-redirect
Eusebius of Caesarea

values:
/wiki/Paul_of_Tarsus
mw-redirect
Paul of Tarsus

values:
/wiki/Early_Christian
mw-redirect
Early Christian

values:
/wiki/Revelation_of_Peter
mw-redirect
Revelation of Peter

values:
/wiki/Gospel_according_to_the_Hebrews
mw-redirect
Gospel according to the Hebrews

values:
/wiki/Preaching_of_Peter
mw-redirect
Preaching of Peter

values:
/wiki/Traditions_of_Matthias
mw-redirect
Traditions of Matthias

values: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2012)

values:
/wiki/Christ_the_Logos
mw-redirect
Christ the Logos

values: Edit section: Period of the Seven Ecumenical Councils (325–787)

values:
/wiki/First_seven_Ecumenical_Councils
mw-redirect
First seven Ecumenical Councils

values:
/wiki/Pauline_Epistles
mw-redirect
Pauline Epistles

values:
/wiki/Apocalypse_of_John
mw-redirect
Apocalypse of John

values: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (August 2007)

values:
/wiki/Constantine_I_and_Christianity
mw-redirect
Constantine I and Christianity

values:
/wiki/Church_of_Constantinople
mw-redirect
Church of Constantinople

values:
/wiki/Codex_Vaticanus_Graecus_1209
mw-redirect
Codex Vaticanus Graecus 1209

values: Edit section: Augustine and the North African councils

values:
/wiki/Synod_of_Carthage_(397)
mw-redirect
Synod of Carthage (397)

values:
/wiki/Council_of_Carthage_(419)
mw-redirect
Council of Carthage (419)

values:
/wiki/Exsuperius_of_Toulouse
mw-redirect
Exsuperius of Toulouse

values: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (November 2014)

values:
/wiki/Revelation_of_John
mw-redirect
Revelation of John

values: plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Original_research

values:
/wiki/First_Council_of_Ephesus
mw-redirect
First Council of Ephesus

values:
/wiki/West_Syriac_dialect
mw-redirect
West Syriac dialect

values:
/wiki/Aramaic_primacy
mw-redirect
Aramaic primacy

values:
/wiki/Psalm_152%E2%80%93155
mw-redirect
Psalm 152–155

values: This claim needs references to better sources. (January 2016)

values: noprint Inline-Template noprint noexcerpt Template-Fact

values:
/wiki/Armenian_Apostolic
mw-redirect
Armenian Apostolic

values: Edit section: Coptic and Ethiopian canons

values:
/wiki/Apostolic_Church-Ordinances
mw-redirect
Apostolic Church-Ordinances

values:
/wiki/Flavius_Josephus
mw-redirect
Flavius Josephus

values: Edit section: Protestant developments (from c. 1517)

values:
/wiki/Protestant_Reformation
mw-redirect
Protestant Reformation

values:
/wiki/Sacred_Tradition
mw-redirect
Sacred Tradition

values:
/wiki/Cardinal_Cajetan
mw-redirect
Cardinal Cajetan

values:
/wiki/Gallic_Confession
mw-redirect
Gallic Confession

values:
/wiki/Ecumenical_Councils
mw-redirect
Ecumenical Councils

values: Edit section: Catholic developments (from c. 1546)

values:
/wiki/Catholic_Reformation
mw-redirect
Catholic Reformation

values:
/wiki/Roman_Catholic
mw-redirect
Roman Catholic

values:
/wiki/Deuterocanonical_Books
mw-redirect
Deuterocanonical Books

values:
/wiki/Christ%27s_agony_at_Gethsemane
mw-redirect
Christ's agony at Gethsemane

values:
/wiki/Pericope_Adulter%C3%A6
mw-redirect
Pericope Adulteræ

values:
/wiki/Comma_Johanneum
mw-redirect
Comma Johanneum

values: Edit section: Orthodox developments (from c. 1672)

values:
/wiki/Synod_of_Laodicea
mw-redirect
Synod of Laodicea

values:
reflist mw-references-wrap
list-style-type: lower-alpha;

values: wikisource:Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Canon of the New Testament

values:
/wiki/First_Apology
mw-redirect
First Apology

values:
/wiki/Bruce_Metzger
mw-redirect
Bruce Metzger

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.ntcanon.org/Ignatius.shtml

values:
nofollow
external text
http://ontruth.com/marcion.html

values:
/wiki/Joseph_Barber_Lightfoot
mw-redirect
Joseph Barber Lightfoot

values:
/wiki/Wisdom_of_Solomon
mw-redirect
Wisdom of Solomon

values:
/wiki/Major_prophets
mw-redirect
Major prophets

values:
/wiki/Minor_prophet
mw-redirect
Minor prophet

values:
/wiki/C._H._Turner
mw-redirect
C. H. Turner

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.ntcanon.org/Peshitta.shtml

values:
nofollow
http://www.bibelcenter.de/bibel/lu1545/
external text

values: -moz-column-width: 32em; -webkit-column-width: 32em; column-width: 32em; list-style-type: decimal;

values:
nofollow
http://www.ntcanon.org/
external text

values:
nofollow
external text
http://depts.drew.edu/jhc/Rpcanon.html

values: The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children

values: Non-canonical books referenced in the Bible

values: nowraplinks hlist collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner mw-collapsible mw-made-collapsible mw-collapsed

values: Historical background of the New Testament

values: The Nicene Creed at the First Council of Nicaea

values:
navbox-image
9
width:1px;padding:0px 0px 0px 2px

values: Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire

values: History of the Eastern Orthodox Church under the Ottoman Empire

values: Timeline of Eastern Orthodoxy in North America

values: History of Christianity during the Middle Ages

values: Historical development of the doctrine of papal primacy

values: History of the Calvinist–Arminian debate

values: History of the Latter Day Saint movement

values: History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

values:
/wiki/Genocide_of_Christians_by_ISIL
mw-redirect
Genocide of Christians by ISIL

values:
navbox-abovebelow
3
background:#F5DEB3;;font-size: smaller;

values: Category:Development of the Christian biblical canon

values: Category:Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference

values: Category:CS1 French-language sources (fr)

values: Category:Articles containing Ancient Greek-language text

values: Category:Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from April 2014

values: Category:All articles with unsourced statements

values: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from July 2018

values: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from February 2012

values: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from August 2007

values: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from November 2014

values: Category:Articles that may contain original research from January 2016

values: Category:All articles that may contain original research

values: Category:All articles lacking reliable references

values: Category:Articles lacking reliable references from January 2016

values: Category:Articles that may contain original research from December 2015

values: Category:CS1 Latin-language sources (la)

values: Discussion about edits from this IP address [ctrl-alt-n]

values: A list of edits made from this IP address [ctrl-alt-y]

values: You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory

values: You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [ctrl-alt-o]

values: Discussion about the content page [ctrl-alt-t]

values: p-namespaces navigation vectorTabs p-namespaces-label

values:
p-variants
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-variants-label

values: Past revisions of this page [ctrl-alt-h]

values: p-views navigation vectorTabs p-views-label

values:
p-cactions
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-cactions-label

values:
mw-wiki-logo
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page

values:
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page [ctrl-alt-z]
z

values: Featured content – the best of Wikipedia

values: Find background information on current events

values:
/wiki/Special:Random
Load a random article [ctrl-alt-x]
x

values: portal navigation p-navigation p-navigation-label

values: Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia

values: About the project, what you can do, where to find things

values: A list of recent changes in the wiki [ctrl-alt-r]

values: portal navigation p-interaction p-interaction-label

values: List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [ctrl-alt-j]

values: Recent changes in pages linked from this page [ctrl-alt-k]

values:
/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard
Upload files [ctrl-alt-u]
u

values: A list of all special pages [ctrl-alt-q]

values: Permanent link to this revision of the page

values: Link to connected data repository item [ctrl-alt-g]

values: Printable version of this page [ctrl-alt-p]

values: Formiĝo de la Nova Testamento – Esperanto

values: Perkembangan kanon Perjanjian Baru – Indonesian

values: Canonvorming van het Nieuwe Testament – Dutch

values: Desenvolvimento do cânone do Novo Testamento – Portuguese

values: Development of the New Testament canon – Simple English

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-simple
display: none;

values: Razvoj kanona Novog zavjeta – Serbo-Croatian

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-sh
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-fi
display: none;

values: All languages (initial selection from common choices by you and others)

values: /static/images/wikimedia-button-1.5x.png 1.5x, /static/images/wikimedia-button-2x.png 2x

values: /static/images/poweredby_mediawiki_132x47.png 1.5x, /static/images/poweredby_mediawiki_176x62.png 2x

values:
suggestions
display: none; font-size: 13px;

values: mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Development_of_the_New_Testament_canon rootpage-Development_of_the_New_Testament_canon skin-vector action-view