The Canon of the New Testament

By the Canon of the New Testament we mean, formally speaking, the collection of 27 books that appear in our Bible beginning with Matthew and ending with Revelation. This formal use of the term corresponds with the Greek word kanōn, which can signify “established list, ” and in this sense of the term is used in connection with the books of the New Testament. However, the Greek word can mean more than just “list, ” and when we speak of the Canon of the New Testament we also imply a wider meaning. kanōn can also mean “measure, ” “rule, ” or “norm. ” In this normative sense the Greek word has gained influence in the Western world, and we continue to use it in this manner, for instance, in our confessions of faith and in our confessional standards: “We receive all these books as holy and canonical in order to regulate our faith according to them, to base it upon them and to fasten it with them ” (Belgic Confession, Article 5). I. METHOD OF TREATMENT We can conduct our study of the Canon as such from two different viewpoints. We can ask: How and when did the Church come to regard these 27 books of the New Testament as an authoritative collection of peculiar books, separated from all others? That is th