How Did the New Testament Canon Come Together?

How Did They Decide the Canon?

Patristic Criteria of Authenticity

Starting from the second half of the second century onward, there is clear evidence that there were certain criteria which regularly surfaced in Christian discussions of authoritative books. ¹ Three of these were most important. In other words, the following are the tests used by Christians in the first centuries after Christ to be sure that the books being appealed to as authoritative Scripture by Christians were in fact authoritative Scripture.

1. Orthodoxy. Was this document in agreement with the accepted body of Christian doctrine (the rule of faith)?

2. Apostolicity: A given document had to have been written by one of the original apostles or by a member of the broader apostolic circle. Members of the original Twelve included: Matthew, John, Peter. Members of the broader apostolic circle included: Mark, Luke, Paul, James, Jude and the author of Hebrews.

3. Antiquity: The writing had to come from the time of the apostles. This would have excluded almost all writings written after A.D. 70 except those written by John, who was anyway one of the Twelve. Note that from the perspective of later church fathers, any and all writings from the apostolic period to which they had access were included. Everything after the time and circle of the apostles could not be included.

¹ See F. F. Bruce, The Canon of Scripture (InterVarsity Press, 1988),
255-269 for a fuller discussion.