The New Testament canon was officially established in its final form by the third council of Carthage in 397. However, within the circle of Christians who were faithful to apostolic leadership, all of its 27 books were accepted as authoritative from the time they were first written and distributed.
First-century Christians circulated documents either written or approved by the apostles and contained descriptions of Jesus’ life and teaching. These documents often quoted from each other and presented the same message from different perspectives and in different styles. The documents were widely distributed and accepted by apostolic believers. So many copies were made that comparative textual studies by modern scholars can demonstrate both their accuracy and their common sources. After being widely dispersed in the first century, it would have been impossible for anyone to conspire to make drastic changes in the documents in later centuries. Hundreds of false documents were also written, but the church quickly rejected them and established the authority of those that were genuine. (See the Questions What Are the “Gnostic Gospels”?, What Was Gnosticism?)
To gain canonical recognition, a document was expected to pass two tests. First, it had to have a history of “continuous and widespread approval amongst Christians” (J. W. Wenham, Christ and the Bible). Second, it was expected to demonstrate that it had either been written by an apostle or specifically approved by the apostles. The fact that the Muratorian Canon (approximately AD 170 ) listed all of the books in the New Testament except for Hebrews, James, and the two epistles of Peter, is another demonstration of the early, broad-based support for the canon. Another example (and many others could be given) is provided by the second-century theologian, Irenaeus. He quoted the four gospels extensively and included quotations from all of the New Testament books except Philemon and 3 John. Actually, the fact that a few books were received officially by the church at a later date is more a demonstration of the church’s discretion and caution than it is an indication that these books are in some way unreliable. The earliest writings of the church fathers demonstrate their confidence in the authority of the New Testament Scriptures.
