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The term “canon” refers to the books considered divinely inspired and thus included in the Bible. The challenge in establishing the biblical canon stems from the absence of a definitive list within the Bible itself. The process of determining the canon was initially carried out by Jewish rabbis and scholars, and later by early Christians. Ultimately, it was God who determined the inclusion of books in the biblical canon. A book of Scripture was considered part of the canon from the moment it was inspired by God. The task was simply to guide His human followers in recognizing which books should be part of the Bible.
Unlike the New Testament, there was significantly less controversy surrounding the canon of the Old Testament. Hebrew believers acknowledged God’s messengers and accepted their writings as inspired. While there was some debate regarding the Old Testament canon, by A.D. 250, there was almost unanimous consent on the Hebrew Scripture canon. The primary remaining issue was the Apocrypha, which continues to be a topic of debate and discussion. The majority of Hebrew scholars viewed the Apocrypha as valuable historical and religious texts but not equal in authority to the Hebrew Scriptures.
Concerning the New Testament, the process of recognition and collection began in the early centuries of the Christian church. Some New Testament books were acknowledged as authoritative at an early stage. Paul regarded Luke’s writings as on par with the Old Testament (1 Timothy 5:18;see also Deuteronomy 25:4 and Luke 10:7). Peter also acknowledged Paul’s writings as Scripture.Sure (2 Peter 3:15-16). Some of the books of the New Testament were being circulated among the churches (Colossians 4:16;1 Thessalonians 5:27). Clement of Rome mentioned at least eight New Testament books (A.D. 95). Polycarp, a disciple of John the apostle, acknowledged 15 books (A.D. 108). Ignatius of Antioch acknowledged about seven books (A.D. 115). Later, Irenaeus mentioned 21 books (A.D. 185). Hippolytus recognized 22 books (A.D. 170-235). The New Testament books that received the most controversy were Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 John, and 3 John.
The first “canon” was the Muratorian Canon, which was compiled in AD 170. The Muratorian Canon included all of the New Testament books except Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, and 3 John. In AD 363, the Council of Laodicea stated that only the Old Testament (along with one book of the Apocrypha) and 26 books of the New Testament (everything but Revelation) were canonical and to be read in the churches. The Council of Hippo (AD 393) and the Council of Carthage (AD 397) also affirmed the same 27 books as authoritative.
The councils followed something similar to the following principles to determine whether a New Testament book was truly inspired by the Holy Spirit: 1) Was the author an apostle or have a close connection with an apostle? 2) Is the book being accepted by the body of Christ at large? 3) Did the book contain consistency of doctrine and orthodox teaching? 4) Did the book bear evidence of high moral and spiritual values that would reflect a work of the Holy Spirit? Again, it is crucial to remember that the church did not determine the canon. No early church council decided on the canon. It was God, and God alone, who determined which books belonged in the Bible. It was simply a matter of God imparting to His followers what He had already decided. The human process of coll
Collecting the books of the Bible was flawed, but God, in His sovereignty, and despite our ignorance and stubbornness, led the early church to acknowledge the books He had inspired.
