Who Decided Which Books Belong in the Bible?

No single person sat down one afternoon and "invented the Bible."

The biblical canon developed through a historical process in which Christians received, used, debated and ultimately recognized particular writings as Scripture.

That history is important because it raises a question Christians sometimes overlook:

How did the early Church know which books were Scripture?

The New Testament Did Not Arrive as a Bound Book

The Apostles wrote letters and Gospels circulated among Christian communities.

Some writings were accepted widely and early.

Others were disputed in some places.

Other Christian writings were valued and read without ultimately being included in the New Testament canon.

So the historical picture is neither:

"Nobody knew the Bible until a late council invented it"

nor:

"Every Christian everywhere always possessed an undisputed 27-book New Testament."

The process was more organic.

What Criteria Mattered?

Historians commonly discuss factors such as:

• Apostolic origin or connection;
• consistency with the received rule of faith;
• widespread ecclesial use;
• use in Christian worship;
• reception across churches.

The exact process varied across time and region.

Athanasius and the 27-Book New Testament

A major milestone occurs in AD 367.

In his 39th Festal Letter, Athanasius of Alexandria lists the same 27 New Testament books recognized by Catholics and Protestants today.

He distinguishes these canonical books from other useful Christian writings.

Primary Source

Athanasius, Festal Letter 39, sections 5-7.

https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2806039.htm

The African Councils

Councils in North Africa also issued lists of canonical books to be read as divine Scripture in the Church.

The surviving African conciliar tradition associated with Hippo and Carthage is important evidence for the Church's role in recognizing and regulating the canonical books used ecclesially.

A later collected African code records a canonical list under its rule concerning what may be read in church as divine Scripture.

Source

Council of Carthage / African Code, canon concerning canonical Scripture.

https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3816.htm

Was the Canon "Invented" by These Councils?

No.

The councils were not turning non-inspired books into inspired books.

From the Catholic perspective, the Church discerned and recognized writings inspired by God.

The distinction matters:

the Church did not cause inspiration; it recognized the canon.

The Catholic Catechism explicitly says the Church discerned which writings belong in the sacred canon through Apostolic Tradition.

See CCC 120.

https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_one/section_one/chapter_two/article_3/iv_the_canon_of_scripture.html

Why Do Catholic and Protestant Old Testaments Differ?

This deserves its own full page.

The Catholic Old Testament contains books Protestants generally classify as the Apocrypha or Deuterocanonical books.

The history involves the Septuagint, Jewish scriptural traditions, early Christian usage, Latin Christianity, medieval canonical discussions and Reformation-era decisions.

Do not compress that history into:

"Catholics added books at Trent."

Nor should a Catholic page pretend there were no ancient canonical differences.

A dedicated page should examine the evidence carefully.

Why the Canon Question Matters

Imagine a Christian saying:

"I accept only the Bible as my infallible authority."

A historical question follows:

Which books constitute the Bible, and how does the Christian know that list?

The table of contents is not itself an inspired biblical book.

That does not automatically prove the entire Catholic doctrine of authority.

But it demonstrates why the history of Scripture cannot easily be separated from the history of the Church.

Ask Yourself

If Christians relied upon the Church's historical discernment to recognize the boundaries of Scripture, what does that suggest about the relationship between Scripture and the Church?

Continue

Scripture and Tradition in the Early Church →

Who Has Authority to Interpret the Bible? →

Did the Early Church Believe in Apostolic Succession? →