Bible Fact · 1 Thessalonians 5:21 — 'Test everything; hold fast what is good.'
How Books Were Judged for the Canon
The Fact
How did the early church decide which books belonged in the New Testament? Church leaders developed several tests. First, apostolicity: was the book written by an apostle or a close associate of an apostle? The four Gospels, Paul's letters, and Peter's letters met this standard; the Gospel of Thomas (attributed to Thomas but probably written 150+ years after Jesus) did not. Second, orthodoxy: did the book's teaching align with the established rule of faith? Books promoting Gnostic ideas (the Gospel of Judas, Gospel of Philip) were excluded as teaching things contrary to what the apostles had delivered. Third, catholicity: was the book recognized and used by churches across the empire, not just in one region? Fourth, traditional usage: had the book been used in the churches from an early date? The 'disputed books' (Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation) were not doubted for theological reasons but for questions of authorship or limited circulation. Books like the Didache and 1 Clement were used devotionally in some churches but ultimately recognized as sub-apostolic.
Context
The so-called 'lost gospels' were not lost — they were known and considered and rejected. The Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Judas, and Gospel of Philip were read and evaluated by early church leaders who concluded they were not apostolic.
Significance
The canon was not an arbitrary power decision by the institutional church — it was a principled discernment process. The books excluded were excluded for specific reasons; the books included met consistent criteria.
Reflection
The church's canon discernment trusted the Spirit-guided consensus of witnesses closest to the events. Where else in your faith do you trust community discernment over individual interpretation — and where should you?