In today’s video, I’ll answer your question, How and when was the canon of the Bible put together?
Then afterwards, as always, I’ll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end.
The term “canon” is used to describe the books that are divinely inspired and therefore belong
in the Bible. The difficulty in determining the biblical canon is that the Bible does
not give us a list of the books that belong in the Bible. Determining the canon was a process
conducted first by Jewish rabbis and scholars and later by early Christians. Ultimately,
it was God who decided what books belonged in the biblical canon. A book of Scripture
belonged in the canon from the moment God inspired its writing. It was simply a
matter of God’s convincing His human followers which books should be included in the Bible.
Compared to the New Testament, there was much less controversy over the canon of
the Old Testament. Hebrew believers recognized God’s messengers and accepted their writings as
inspired of God. While there was undeniably some debate in regards to the Old Testament canon,
by A.D. 250 there was nearly universal agreement on the canon of Hebrew Scripture. The only issue
that remained was the Apocrypha, with some debate and discussion continuing today.
The vast majority of Hebrew scholars considered the Apocrypha to be good
historical and religious documents, but not on the same level as the Hebrew Scriptures.
For the New Testament, the process of the recognition and collection began in the first
centuries of the Christian church. Very early on, some of the New Testament books were being
recognized. Paul considered Luke’s writings to be as authoritative as the Old Testament. Peter
recognized Paul’s writings as Scripture. Some of the books of the New Testament were being
circulated among the churches. Clement of Rome mentioned at least eight New Testament
books (A.D. 95). Ignatius of Antioch acknowledged about seven books (A.D. 115). Polycarp,
a disciple of John the apostle, acknowledged 15 books (A.D. 108). Later, Irenaeus mentioned
21 books (A.D. 185). Hippolytus recognized 22 books (A.D. 170-235). The New Testament
books receiving 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:
First) Was the author an apostle or have a close connection with an apostle? Second) Is
the book being accepted by the body of Christ at large? Third) Did the book contain consistency
of doctrine and orthodox teaching? And forth) 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’s imparting to His followers what He had already decided. The human process of collecting
the books of the Bible was flawed, but God, in His sovereignty, and despite our ignorance
and stubbornness, brought the early church to the recognition of the books He had inspired.
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