Development of the Christian biblical canon - wikipedia Development of the Christian biblical canon For the Jewish canon, see Development of the Hebrew Bible canon. Part of a series on the Bible Canons and books Tanakh Torah Nevi'im Ketuvim Christian biblical canons Hebrew Bible Old Testament ( OT ) New Testament ( NT ) Deuterocanon Antilegomena Chapters and verses Apocrypha Jewish OT NT Authorship and development Authorship Dating Hebrew canon Old Testament canon New Testament canon Documentary hypothesis Mosaic authorship Pauline epistles Petrine epistles Johannine works Translations and manuscripts Samaritan Torah Dead Sea scrolls Masoretic Text Targumim Peshitta Septuagint Vulgate Gothic Bible Vetus Latina Luther Bible English Bibles Biblical studies Archeology Artifacts Dating Historicity Internal consistency People Places Names Novum Testamentum Graece Documentary hypothesis Synoptic problem NT textual categories Biblical criticism Historical Textual Source Form Redaction Canonical Interpretation Hermeneutics Pesher Midrash Pardes Allegorical interpretation Literalism Prophecy Inspiration Perspectives Gnostic Islamic Qur'anic Muhammad Inerrancy Infallibility Criticism of the Bible Outline of Bible - related topics Bible book Bible portal Bible portal The Christian biblical canons are the books Christians regard as divinely inspired and which constitute a Christian Bible. Which books constituted the Christian biblical canons of both the Old and New Testament was generally established by the 5th century, despite some scholarly disagreements, for the ancient undivided Church ( the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, before the East -- West Schism ). In the wake of the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic canon was reaffirmed by the Catholic Church at the Council of Trent ( 1546 ), which provided `` the first infallible and effectually promulgated pronouncement on the Canon '' by the Roman Catholic Church. The canons of the Church of England and English Calvinists were decided definitively by the Thirty - Nine Articles ( 1563 ) and the Westminster Confession of Faith ( 1647 ), respectively. The Synod of Jerusalem ( 1672 ) established additional canons that are widely accepted throughout the Orthodox Church. The Old and New Testament canons did not develop independently of each other and most primary sources for the canon specify both Old and New Testament books. A comprehensive table of biblical scripture for both Testaments, with regard to canonical acceptance in Christendom 's various major traditions, can be found here. Contents 1 Development of the Old Testament canon 2 Development of the New Testament canon 3 References 4 Further reading 5 External links Development of the Old Testament canon Main article : Development of the Old Testament canon The Old Testament ( sometimes abbreviated OT ) is the first section of the two - part Christian Biblical canon and is based on the Hebrew Bible but can include several Deuterocanonical books or Anagignoskomena depending on the particular Christian denomination. For a full discussion of these differences, see Books of the Bible. Following Jerome 's principle of Veritas Hebraica ( Latin for `` Hebrew truth '' ), the Protestant Old Testament consists of the same books as the Hebrew Bible, but the order and numbering of the books are different. Protestants number the Old Testament books at 39, while Jews number the same books as 24. This is because Jews consider Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles to form one book each, group the 12 minor prophets into one book, and also consider Ezra and Nehemiah a single book. The traditional explanation of the development of the Old Testament canon describes two sets of Old Testament books, the protocanonical books and the deuterocanonical books ( the latter considered non-canonical by Protestants ). According to this theory, certain Church fathers accepted the inclusion of the deuterocanonical books based on their inclusion in the Septuagint ( most notably Augustine ), while others disputed their status and did not accept them as divinely inspired scripture ( most notably Jerome ). ~ Books of the Old Testament ~ The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh. Common to Judaism, Samaritanism and Christianity ( excepting the minority of Protestant denominations sometimes called New Testament only Christians which reject the `` Old Testament '' ) Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Common to Judaism and Christianity but excluded by Samaritans Joshua Judges Ruth 1 -- 2 Samuel 1 -- 2 Kings 1 -- 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Minor prophets Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Included by Catholics, Orthodox, but excluded by Jews, Samaritans and most Protestants : Tobit Judith 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees Wisdom ( of Solomon ) Sirach Baruch, includes Letter of Jeremiah ( Additions to Jeremiah ) Additions to Daniel Additions to Esther Included by Orthodox ( Synod of Jerusalem ) : 1 Esdras ( see Esdras for other names ) 3 Maccabees 4 Maccabees ( listed but not canonical ) Prayer of Manasseh Psalm 151 Included by Russian and Ethiopian Orthodox : 2 Esdras Included by Ethiopian Orthodox : Jubilees Enoch 1 -- 3 Meqabyan Included by Syriac Peshitta Bible : Psalms 152 -- 155 2 Baruch Development of the New Testament canon Main articles : Canonical gospels and Development of the New Testament canon The development of the New Testament canon was, like that of the Old Testament, a gradual process. Irenaeus ( died c. 202 ) quotes and cites 21 books that would end up as part of the New Testament, but does not use Philemon, Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 3 John and Jude. By the early 3rd century Origen of Alexandria may have been using the same 27 books as in the modern New Testament, though there were still disputes over the canonicity of Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, and Revelation ( see also Antilegomena ). Likewise by 200 the Muratorian fragment shows that there existed a set of Christian writings somewhat similar to what is now the New Testament, which included four gospels and argued against objections to them. Thus, while there was plenty of discussion in the Early Church over the New Testament canon, the `` major '' writings were accepted by almost all Christian authorities by the middle of the second century. The next two hundred years followed a similar process of continual discussion throughout the entire Church, and localized refinements of acceptance. This process was not yet complete at the time of the First Council of Nicaea in 325, though substantial progress had been made by then. Though a list was clearly necessary to fulfill Constantine 's commission in 331 of fifty copies of the Bible for the Church at Constantinople, no concrete evidence exists to indicate that it was considered to be a formal canon. In the absence of a canonical list, the resolution of questions would normally have been directed through the see of Constantinople, in consultation with Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea ( who was given the commission ), and perhaps other bishops who were available locally. In his Easter letter of 367, Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, gave a list of exactly the same books that would formally become the New Testament canon, and he used the word `` canonized '' ( kanonizomena ) in regard to them. The first council that accepted the present Catholic canon ( the Canon of Trent ) may have been the Synod of Hippo Regius in North Africa ( 393 ). The acts of this council, however, are lost. A brief summary of the acts was read at and accepted by the Council of Carthage ( 397 ) and the Council of Carthage ( 419 ). These councils took place under the authority of St. Augustine, who regarded the canon as already closed. Pope Damasus I 's Council of Rome in 382, if the Decretum Gelasianum is correctly associated with it, issued a biblical canon identical to that mentioned above, or if not the list is at least a 6th - century compilation claiming a 4th - century imprimatur. Likewise, Damasus 's commissioning of the Latin Vulgate edition of the Bible, c. 383, was instrumental in the fixation of the canon in the West. In 405, Pope Innocent I sent a list of the sacred books to a Gallic bishop, Exsuperius of Toulouse. When these bishops and councils spoke on the matter, however, they were not defining something new, but instead `` were ratifying what had already become the mind of the church. '' Thus, from the 5th century onward, the Western Church was unanimous concerning the New Testament canon. The last book to be accepted universally was the Book of Revelation, though with time all the Eastern Church also agreed. Thus, by the 5th century, both the Western and Eastern churches had come into agreement on the matter of the New Testament canon. The Council of Trent of 1546 reaffirmed that finalization for Catholicism in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. The Thirty - Nine Articles of 1563 for the Church of England and the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1647 for English Calvinism established the official finalizations for those new branches of Christianity in light of the break with Rome. The Synod of Jerusalem of 1672 made no changes to the New Testament canon for any Orthodox, but resolved some questions about some of the minor Old Testament books for the Greek Orthodox and most other Orthodox jurisdictions ( who chose to accept it ). ~ Books of the New Testament ~ Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation References Jump up ^ Herbermann, Charles George ( 1908 ). The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York : Robert Appleton Company,. pp. 272, 273. ISBN 978 - 1174601828. Retrieved 15 January 2017. Jump up ^ Reid, George. `` Canon of the Old Testament ''. Catholic Encyclopedia. New Advent. Retrieved 15 January 2017. Jump up ^ These are one book in the Jewish Bible, called `` Trei Asar '' or `` Twelve ''. Jump up ^ Bruce, F.F. The Books and the Parchments. ( Fleming H. Revell Company, 1963 ) p. 109. Jump up ^ Both points taken from Mark A. Noll 's Turning Points, ( Baker Academic, 1997 ) pp. 36 -- 37. Jump up ^ H.J. De Jonge, `` The New Testament Canon '', in The Biblical Canons. eds. de Jonge & J.M. Auwers ( Leuven University Press, 2003 ) p. 315. Jump up ^ The Cambridge History of the Bible ( volume 1 ) eds. P.R. Ackroyd and C.F. Evans ( Cambridge University Press, 1970 ) p. 308. ^ Jump up to : Lindberg, Carter ( 2006 ). A Brief History of Christianity. Blackwell Publishing. p. 15. ISBN 1 - 4051 - 1078 - 3. Jump up ^ Brakke, David ( October 1994 ). `` Canon Formation and Social Conflict in Fourth - Century Egypt : Athanasius of Alexandria 's Thirty - Ninth ' Festal Letter ' ''. The Harvard Theological Review. 87 ( 4 ) : 395 -- 419. JSTOR 1509966. Jump up ^ McDonald & Sanders ' The Canon Debate, Appendix D - 2, note 19 : `` Revelation was added later in 419 at the subsequent synod of Carthage. '' Jump up ^ Everett Ferguson, `` Factors leading to the Selection and Closure of the New Testament Canon '', in The Canon Debate. eds. L.M. McDonald & J.A. Sanders ( Hendrickson, 2002 ) p. 320 ; F.F. Bruce, The Canon of Scripture ( Intervarsity Press, 1988 ) p. 230 ; cf. Augustine, De Civitate Dei 22.8 Jump up ^ F.F. Bruce, The Canon of Scripture ( Intervarsity Press, 1988 ) p. 234 Jump up ^ Burkitt, F.C. ( 1913 ). `` The Decretum Gelasianum ''. Journal of Theological Studies. 14 : 469 -- 471. Retrieved 2015 - 08 - 12. Jump up ^ F.F. Bruce, The Canon of Scripture ( Intervarsity Press, 1988 ) p. 225 Jump up ^ Everett Ferguson, `` Factors leading to the Selection and Closure of the New Testament Canon '', in The Canon Debate. eds. L.M. McDonald & J.A. Sanders ( Hendrickson, 2002 ) p. 320, which cites : Bruce Metzger, The Canon of the New Testament : Its Origins, Development, and Significance ( Oxford : Clarendon, 1987 ) pp. 237 -- 238, and F.F. Bruce, The Canon of Scripture ( Intervarsity Press, 1988 ) p. 97 Jump up ^ F.F. Bruce, The Canon of Scripture ( Intervarsity Press, 1988 ) p. 215 Jump up ^ The Cambridge History of the Bible ( volume 1 ) eds. P.R. Ackroyd and C.F. Evans ( Cambridge University Press, 1970 ) p. 305 ; cf. the Catholic Encyclopedia, `` Canon of the New Testament '' Jump up ^ Catholic Encyclopedia, `` Canon of the New Testament '' Further reading Armstrong, Karen ( 2007 ) The Bible : A Biography. Books that Changes the World Series. Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 0 - 87113 - 969 - 3 External links WELS Topical Q&A : Canon - 66 Books in the Bible, by Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod ( Confessional Lutheran perspective ) Part of a series on the biblical canon Background Development of the Hebrew Bible canon Samaritan Pentateuch Council of Jamnia Christian canons Christian biblical canons Development of the Christian biblical canon Synod of Hippo Decretum Gelasianum Council of Trent Thirty - nine Articles Westminster Confession of Faith Synod of Jerusalem Christianity portal Books of the Bible Principal divisions Hebrew Bible / Old Testament Protocanon Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 -- 2 Samuel 1 -- 2 Kings 1 -- 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Deuterocanon and Apocrypha Catholic Orthodox Tobit Judith Additions to Esther 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees Wisdom Sirach Baruch / Letter of Jeremiah Additions to Daniel Susanna Song of the Three Children Bel and the Dragon Orthodox only 1 Esdras 2 Esdras Prayer of Manasseh Psalm 151 3 Maccabees 4 Maccabees Odes Tewahedo Orthodox Enoch Jubilees 1, 2, and 3 Meqabyan Paralipomena of Baruch Broader canon Syriac Letter of Baruch 2 Baruch Psalms 152 -- 155 New Testament Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation Subdivisions Chapters and verses Pentateuch Wisdom Major prophets / Minor prophets Gospels Synoptic Epistles Pauline Johannine Pastoral Catholic Apocalyptic literature Development Old Testament canon New Testament canon Antilegomena Jewish canon Christian canon Manuscripts Dead Sea Scrolls Samaritan Pentateuch Septuagint Targum Diatessaron Muratorian fragment Peshitta Vetus Latina Masoretic Text New Testament manuscript categories New Testament papyri New Testament uncials See also Biblical canon Luther 's canon Authorship English Bible translations Other books referenced in the Bible Pseudepigrapha list New Testament apocrypha Studies Synod of Hippo Textual criticism Portal WikiProject Book Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Development_of_the_Christian_biblical_canon&oldid=817088521 '' Categories : Development of the Christian biblical canon Hidden categories : Pages using div col without cols and colwidth parameters Pages using Columns - list with deprecated parameters Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Edit links This page was last edited on 26 December 2017, at 02 : 08. 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Question: when was the canon of the bible finalized
Answer: by the 5th century