From: Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?The_Developmen?= =?iso-8859-1?Q?t_of_the_Canon?= =?iso-8859-1?Q?_of_the_New_Te?= =?iso-8859-1?Q?stament_-_Auth?= =?iso-8859-1?Q?orities?= Date: Sun, 15 Feb 2004 11:47:05 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: =?iso-8859-1?Q?http://www.ntc?= =?iso-8859-1?Q?anon.org/autho?= =?iso-8859-1?Q?rities.shtml?= X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.3314.1001 The Development of the Canon of the New Testament - = Authorities

The Development of the Canon of the New Testament

Home | Authorities | Writings |=20 Table | = Lists | Places | Heresies = | Miscellaneous=20 | for = more=20 Information


Early=20 Christian Authorities

Ignatius of=20 Antioch
Polycarp of=20 Smyrna
Marcion
Valentinus=20
Justin=20 Martyr
Irenaeus of=20 Lyons
Clement = of=20 Alexandria
Tertullian of=20 Carthage
Muratorian=20 Canon
Origen
Eusebius of=20 Caesarea
codex=20 Sinaiticus
Athanasius of=20 Alexandria
Didymus = the=20 Blind
Peshitta=20
Vulgate=20 =

Early Christian Authorities

An early Christian authority is included in this survey if he = or it=20 gives important evidence on the development of the canon of the = New=20 Testament (perhaps even having some influence on it) and did so = before=20 ~400 CE, when the first complete manuscripts of the Vulgate were = issued. The=20 early 'authorities' fall into these categories:=20

  • early Church fathers (Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, = Irenaeus,=20 Clement, Tertullian, Origen, Eusebius, Didymus the Blind)=20
  • early heretics and their followers (Marcion and Marcionites, = Valentinus and the Valentinians)=20
  • lists of canonical books (Muratorian Canon, Athanasius' = Festal=20 Epistle)=20
  • a single manuscript collection (codex Sinaiticus)=20
  • series of manuscripts (Peshitta, Vulgate)

Authority Date CE Form of evidence provided on the development of the canon = of the=20 New Testament
Ignatius = of=20 Antioch ~110 7 letters with quotations and allusions to Christian = writings as=20 scripture. There are no citations by name.
Polycarp = of=20 Smyrna ~110 1 letter with ~100 quotations and allusions to Christian=20 writings as scripture. There are no citations by = name.
Marcion ~140 founded a sect with its own "New Testament" collection. = There=20 was one Gospel, based mostly on the Gospel according to = Luke
Valentinus 140-150 Valentinus and his followers - Heracleon, Ptolemy, Marcus = - were=20 Gnostic heretics so their doctrines mostly survive in the = writings=20 of the orthodox, such as Irenaeus, = who=20 summarized the Valentinian views before attacking them. The = Gospel = of=20 Truth from Nag Hammadi probably derives from the = Valentinians,=20 but this is not certain.
Justin=20 Martyr 150-160 many of his writings survive; he was the most prolific = Christian=20 writer up to his time.
Irenaeus ~180 two of his writings survive in translations (Latin and=20 Armenian). There are quotations and allusions to Christian = writings=20 as scripture, and citations by name.
Clement 180-200 many of his writings survive; in them are about 8000 = citations -=20 over 1/3 of them from pagan sources. There are citations by=20 name.
Tertullian 200-210 Tertullian was the most prolific writer of the Latin = Fathers in=20 pre-Nicene times (before 325 CE). There are citations by = name.
Muratorian=20 Canon 200-300 a manuscript discovered in the Ambrosian Library in Milan = with a=20 catalogue (in Latin) of the New Testament writings with=20 comments
Origen 220-350 only a small part of his works survives, but this fills = volumes=20 There are citations by name.
Eusebius 300-330 much of the works of Eusebius survives, but here we only = use his=20 famous classification in [Eusebius]<= /TD>
codex=20 Sinaiticus ~350 a manuscript discovered in 1859 containing a 4th-century = New=20 Testament
Athanasius ~367 his 39th Festal Epistle of 367 CE has a list of canonical=20 books
Didymus = the=20 Blind 350-398 some of his exegetical writings have survived, including = six=20 commentaries discovered in 1941
Peshitta ~400 a series of manuscripts of the Bible in Syriac including = 22 New=20 Testament books
Vulgate ~400 a series of manuscripts (over 10,000) of the Bible in = Latin,=20 whose New Testament coincides (more or less) with the = present=20 one

For a summary of the authorities' opinions on New Testament = writings,=20 see the Cross = Reference=20 Table.

Pages created by Glenn Davis, 1997-2004.
For = additions,=20 corrections, and comments send e-mail to mailto:gdavis@ntcanon.org