How the early church decided on the NT books!

[BruceLeiter]

What criteria did the early church use to decide which books to include in the New Testament? Read this short article. What do you think?

How Did the Early Church Recognize the New Testament Books?

Question: How did the early church “choose” or recognize which books belong in the New Testament? Answer: They had a firm criteria that helped them not to “choose” which books belonged, but which books could NOT be excluded due to their obviously divine inspiration. As Christians, we hold the New

www.brandoncannon.com

 

[Lanman87]

I believe, for whatever reason, that a consensus developed in the early church about which books are inspired. It took a few hundred years for it to completely shake out but by the 4th century we had our New Testament Canon. Most of the books were agreed upon early but a few that some used were discarded and few that a few rejected were eventually accepted.

For the Old Testament a consensus developed for all the books in what became the Protestant Old Testament. A consensus never developed for the Dueterocanon books in the Catholic Bible or those in the Orthodox Bible (which includes books not in either the Protestant or Catholic Bibles).

If I'm asked how I know which books in the Bible are inspired my answer is that the books which evangelicals believe to be inspired are the books all Christians have considered inspired since at least the 4th Century. The Catholic and Orthodox books that are not part of the Protestant Canon have been disputed since the beginning of the church. The Council of Trent ended the dispute in the Catholic church. But didn't end the dispute in Christianity as a whole.

 

[BruceLeiter]

I believe, for whatever reason, that a consensus developed in the early church about which books are inspired. It took a few hundred years for it to completely shake out but by the 4th century we had our New Testament Canon. Most of the books were agreed upon early but a few that some used were discarded and few that a few rejected were eventually accepted.

For the Old Testament a consensus developed for all the books in what became the Protestant Old Testament. A consensus never developed for the Dueterocanon books in the Catholic Bible or those in the Orthodox Bible (which includes books not in either the Protestant or Catholic Bibles).

If I'm asked how I know which books in the Bible are inspired my answer is that the books which evangelicals believe to be inspired are the books all Christians have considered inspired since at least the 4th Century. The Catholic and Orthodox books that are not part of the Protestant Canon have been disputed since the beginning of the church. The Council of Trent ended the dispute in the Catholic church. But didn't end the dispute in Christianity as a whole.

Good summary, @Lanman87!