Canon of Scripture
Which books belong in the Bible, and who decided
The canon of Scripture is the authoritative list of books recognized as inspired. Its shape emerged over time through witnesses such as the Muratorian Fragment, Athanasius' 39th Festal Letter, and the Council of Carthage. The traditions differ at the edges: Catholic, Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Protestant Christians draw the boundary of the deuterocanonical or apocryphal books differently, so their Old Testaments do not all contain the same books.
How it traveled
- Fragments of Caius.— · 220explains
- The Church History of EusebiusCaesarea · 339explains
- The Life of Constantine with Orations of Constantine and EusebiusCaesarea · 339applies
- The Catechetical Lectures of S. CyrilJerusalem · 386explains
- A Commentary on the Apostles' CreedAquileia · 411explains
- Jerome and Gennadius. Lives of Illustrious MenBethlehem · 420explains
- Reply to Faustus the ManichæanHippo Regius · 430explains
- The Harmony of the GospelsHippo Regius · 430explains
- City of GodHippo Regius · 430explains
- On Christian DoctrineHippo Regius · 430explains
- Letters of St. AugustinHippo Regius · 430explains
- A Treatise on the Predestination of the SaintsHippo Regius · 430applies
- Book First. of the Knowledge of God the CreatorGeneva · 1564explains
- A History of the Work of RedemptionNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Christian KnowledgeNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
Key passages(20)
Letters of Athanasius with Two Ancient Chronicles of His Life · Athanasius of Alexandria
For behold they that hold the Place are charged by them that love God with making it a den of thieves, and with madly making the Holy Place a house of merchandise, and a house of judicial business for
Tap to expand
A Commentary on the Apostles' Creed · Rufinus of Aquileia
37. Of the Old Testament, therefore, first of all there have been handed down five Of the New there are four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; the Acts of the Apostles, written by Luke; fourteen Ep
Tap to expand
A Commentary on the Apostles' Creed · Rufinus of Aquileia
38. But it should be known that there are also other books which our fathers call not “Canonical” but “Ecclesiastical:” that is to say, Wisdom, called the Wisdom of Solomon, and another Wisdom, called
Tap to expand
A History of the Work of Redemption · Jonathan Edwards
8. But it is not supposed that they had copies of the law for constant public reading and expounding through the land before. This was one great means of their being preserved from idolatry. X. The n
Tap to expand
A History of the Work of Redemption · Jonathan Edwards
VI. The next thing I would take notice of, was the pouring out of the Spirit of God that accompanied the ministry of Ezra the priest after the captivity. That there was such an effusion of the Spirit
Tap to expand
III.—Canon Muratorianus. (In Muratori, V. C. Antiq. Ital. Med. æv., vol. iii. col. 854.) I.…those things at which he was present he placed thus.Lord’s nativity, His passion, His resurrection, His co
Tap to expand
On Christian Doctrine · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 8.—The Canonical Books. 12. But let us now go back to consider the third step here mentioned, for it is about it that I have set myself to speak and reason as the Lord shall grant me wisdom.
Tap to expand
The Canons of the Synods of Sardica, Carthage, Constantinople, and Carthage Under St. Cyprian, Which Canons Were Received by the Council in Trullo and Ratified by II. Nice · The Ecumenical Councils
And that to those who are not Catholic Christians, even if they be blood relations, neither bishops nor clergymen shall give anything at all by way of donation of their possessions. Notes. Ancient E
Tap to expand
The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril · Cyril of Jerusalem
τῶν ἀποκρύφων. The sense in which Cyril uses this term may be learned from Rufinus (Expositio Symboli, § 38), who distinguishes three classes of books: (1) The Canonical Books of the Old and New Testa
Tap to expand
The Church History of Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
Chapter XXV.—The Divine Scriptures that are accepted and those that are not. This chapter is the only place in which Eusebius attempts to treat the canon systematically, and in it he is speaking pure
Tap to expand
The Church History of Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
This interpretation will help us to understand the peculiar way in which Eusebius treats the Apocalypse, and thus his treatment of it becomes an argument in favor of the interpretation. He puts it, fi
Tap to expand
The Church History of Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
τῶν ἀποστόλων αἰ λεγόμεναι διδαχαί. The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, Διδαχὴ τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων, a brief document in sixteen chapters, was published in 1884 by Philotheos Bryennios, Metropolitan
Tap to expand
The Church History of Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
This Gospel, probably composed in Hebrew (Aramaic), is no longer extant, but we possess a few fragments of it in Greek and Latin which are collected by Grabe, Spic. I. 15–31, and by Hilgenfeld, N. T.
Tap to expand
The Church History of Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
Chapter III.—The Epistles of the Apostles. 1. One epistle of Peter, that called the first, is acknowledged as genuine. The testimony of tradition is unanimous for the authenticity of the first Epist
Tap to expand
The Church History of Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
This Gospel is mentioned by Serapion as in use in the church of Rhossus (quoted by Eusebius, Bk. VI. chap. 12, below), but was rejected by him because of the heretical doctrines which it contained. It
Tap to expand
The Church History of Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
The thirteen Pauline Epistles of our present Canon, and the Epistle to the Hebrews. These formed for Eusebius an absolutely undisputed part of the Canon (cf. chap. 25, below, where he speaks of them w
Tap to expand
The Church History of Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
τινες ἠθετήκασι. That the Epistle to the Hebrews was not written by Paul is now commonly acknowledged, and may be regarded as absolutely certain. It does not itself lay any claim to Pauline authorship
Tap to expand
The Church History of Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
Chapter X.—The Manner in which Josephus mentions the Divine Books. 1. We have not, therefore, a multitude of books disagreeing and conflicting with one another; but we have only twenty-two, which con
Tap to expand
The Church History of Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
The peculiar thing about the list is the omission of the Twelve Minor Prophets and the insertion of the Epistle of Jeremiah. The former were certainly looked upon by Origen as sacred books, for he wro
Tap to expand
The Church History of Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
The Apocalypse is one of the best authenticated books of the New Testament. It was used by Papias and others of the earliest Fathers, and already by Justin Martyr was expressly ascribed to the apostle
Tap to expand