Canon of Scripture in the early church

Which books belong to Scripture: lists, disputed books, and the reasons given. Part of Scripture and canon.

Lines 1–10Anonymous · late 2nd or 4th century (disputed) · The fragment begins at the end of its account of Mark, then says that Luke the physician, Paul's companion, wrote the third Gospel from report, beginning with John's birth, and introduces John's Gospel.
Lines 11–20Anonymous · late 2nd or 4th century (disputed) · The fragment tells how John, after a three-day fast with his fellow disciples and a revelation to Andrew, wrote his Gospel, and says that the Gospels' different beginnings do not affect faith, since one Spirit declared everything in all.
Lines 21–30Anonymous · late 2nd or 4th century (disputed) · All the Gospels declare Christ's birth, passion, resurrection, and twofold coming, and John's first epistle confirms that he wrote as an eyewitness.
Lines 31–40Anonymous · late 2nd or 4th century (disputed) · John wrote as eyewitness of the Lord's wonders; Luke wrote Acts for Theophilus about what he himself saw, omitting Peter's death and Paul's journey from Rome to Spain.
Lines 41–50Anonymous · late 2nd or 4th century (disputed) · Paul's letters show their own occasions: Corinthians against schisms, Galatians against circumcision, Romans at length on the order of Scripture and Christ as its theme; like John, Paul wrote to seven churches.
Lines 51–60Anonymous · late 2nd or 4th century (disputed) · The fragment lists Paul's letters to seven churches in order and says that, as in John's Apocalypse, writing to seven churches means writing to the one church throughout the world.
Lines 61–70Anonymous · late 2nd or 4th century (disputed) · Paul's personal letters to Philemon, Titus, and Timothy are honored by the catholic church, but letters to the Laodiceans and Alexandrians forged for Marcion's heresy are rejected; Jude and two letters of John are accepted.
Lines 71–80Anonymous · late 2nd or 4th century (disputed) · The fragment accepts the Wisdom of Solomon and the Apocalypses of John and Peter (though some will not read Peter's in church), and says the Shepherd of Hermas, written recently at Rome, may be read privately but not publicly in church.
Lines 81–86Anonymous · late 2nd or 4th century (disputed) · The fragment rejects the writings of Arsinous, Valentinus, and Miltiades, and of those who composed a new book of psalms for Marcion, with Basilides and the founder of the Cataphrygians, and then breaks off.
Adumbrations on 1 Peter, paragraph 6Clement of Alexandria · original ca. 200; Latin translation 6th century · On 1 Pet 4:6–5:13: those who fall away are corrected so that they may repent; the Spirit of glory rests on sufferers; and Mark, Peter's follower, wrote his Gospel from Peter's preaching at Rome, as Luke wrote Acts and translated Hebrews.
Against Heresies 3.1.1Irenaeus of Lyons · ca. 180–190 · The apostles, filled with the Spirit, preached and then wrote the Gospel: Matthew, Mark from Peter, Luke from Paul, and John at Ephesus.
Against Heresies 3.11.8Irenaeus of Lyons · ca. 180–190 · There must be four Gospels, matching the four winds, the four living creatures, and the four covenants: John the lion, Luke the calf, Matthew the man, Mark the eagle.
Against Heresies 3.11.9Irenaeus of Lyons · ca. 180–190 · Those who add Gospels, like the Valentinians' “Gospel of Truth,” or reject them, like Marcion and the opponents of John's Gospel, destroy the Gospel's fourfold form.
Who Is the Rich Man That Is Saved? 5.1Clement of Alexandria · ca. 190–210 · The story appears in Mark, and the other acknowledged Gospels agree with it in meaning, though their wording differs slightly.
On the Dress of Women 1.3Tertullian · ca. 197–206 · Tertullian defends the Book of Enoch as Scripture, though the Jews exclude it: Noah could have preserved or restored it, it speaks of Christ, and Jude quotes it.
On Baptism 17Tertullian · ca. 198–206 · Bishops, and under them presbyters and deacons, administer baptism; laymen may do so in necessity, but women may not, and the Acts of Paul and Thecla, which suggests otherwise, is a forgery by a presbyter who was deposed.
On Ezekiel (Syriac fragment I, on Ezek 1:5-10)Hippolytus of Rome · ca. 200-235 · Hippolytus reads the four faces of Ezekiel's living creatures as the four Gospels: ox for Luke, lion for Matthew, man for Mark, eagle for John.
Against All Heresies 6Anonymous · early 3rd cent. (disputed) · The author describes Cerdo's two gods, Marcion, his disciple Lucanus, and Apelles with his starry-fleshed Christ and the prophetess Philumene.
Commentary on the Song of Songs, Greek fragment (on Prov 25:1; 1 Kgs 4:32)Hippolytus of Rome · ca. 202-235 · Of Solomon's thousands of proverbs and songs only a few books survive, because Hezekiah's scholars selected what served to build up the church.
Against Marcion 4.2Tertullian · 207/208 (third edition, completed later) · The gospels rest on apostles (Matthew, John) and apostolic men (Mark, Luke); Marcion's gospel, a cut-down Luke with no author's name, lacks the apostolic authority even Paul sought.
Against Marcion 4.3Tertullian · 207/208 (third edition, completed later) · Paul's rebuke of Peter concerned conduct, not doctrine; if the apostolic gospel was wholly corrupted, Marcion has no true gospel either, and if his agrees with ours, ours is apostolic too.
Against Marcion 4.4Tertullian · 207/208 (third edition, completed later) · Truth comes before its corruption; Marcion once held the church's gospel and wrote the Antitheses against it, which proves the church's Luke is older than his altered version.
Against Marcion 4.5Tertullian · 207/208 (third edition, completed later) · The apostolic churches have held Luke's gospel, with Matthew, Mark, and John, from the beginning; Marcion's version is known only in his own late churches, so it is the altered one.
Against Marcion 5.21Tertullian · 207/208 (third edition, completed later) · Philemon survived Marcion's editing because of its brevity, though he rejected the Pastoral Letters; Tertullian closes the work by defending its repetitions and postponements.
On Modesty 10Tertullian · ca. 210–220 · Repentance belongs above all to the heathen; Tertullian rejects the idea of a second repentance for adulterers and the Shepherd of Hermas, which teaches it, in favor of John's call to amended life.
On Modesty 20Tertullian · ca. 210–220 · Hebrews, which Tertullian ascribes to Barnabas, denies a second repentance, and the laws of the leper, the leprous house, and the betrothed slave woman prefigure that relapse after baptism cannot be cleansed.
Letter to Origen 1Julius Africanus · ca. 220–245 · Africanus writes to Origen that the story of Susanna is a later addition to Daniel: its puns work only in Greek, its setting does not fit the captivity, it is absent from the Jewish Daniel, and its style differs.
On First Principles 1.0.8Origen · ca. 220–230 (Rufinus's translation 398) · Scripture has both a plain and a hidden spiritual sense; the philosophical term “incorporeal” is not found in Scripture, and the saying in the Teaching of Peter does not use it in the philosophers' sense.
On First Principles 4.4.6Origen · ca. 220–230 (Rufinus's translation 398) · The word 'matter' for the substrate of bodies is not used in the canonical Scriptures, only in Wisdom; matter is not unmade, and bodily substance can change from any quality to any other.
Fragments on Luke, column 311Origen · ca. 220-254 · Luke's preface distinguishes the four Gospels written by the Spirit from the many that others "undertook", and stresses that the events really happened.
PG 12:1083 (Ps 1 LXX)Origen · ca. 220-254 · Origen’s list of the twenty-two books of the Hebrew canon, with their Hebrew names, from his tome on Psalm 1.
Commentary on John 1.21Origen · ca. 230–248 · Of the four Gospels, the elements of the church's faith, John's is the firstfruits, beginning from the Word who has no genealogy.
Commentary on John 5.3Origen · ca. 230–248 · Paul, Peter, and John wrote little: Paul a few letters, Peter one acknowledged letter, John a Gospel, Revelation, and short letters.
Commentary on John 5.7Origen · ca. 230–248 · Scripture speaks of one book of life but many books of judgment; the whole of Scripture is one book, and the four Gospels are one gospel, against Marcion.
Homily on Luke 1Origen · ca. 233–250 · Luke’s “many have tried” shows that many gospels were written but the church receives only four; true sight of the Word belongs to faith, and every lover of God is a “Theophilus.”
Homilies on Leviticus 5.9Origen · ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410) · The two days on which the vow offering may be eaten are the two Testaments, from which all knowledge of God is to be drawn; what they leave unresolved must not be supplied from a 'third scripture' but left to God.
Commentary on the Song of Songs 0.62Origen · ca. 240–245 (Rufinus's translation ca. 410) · Origen warns that the Song is solid food for the mature, notes the Jewish custom of reserving it for adults, and lists the topics of his prologue.
Commentary on the Song of Songs 0.87Origen · ca. 240–245 (Rufinus's translation ca. 410) · Origen rejects the view that the Song is one of Solomon's five thousand songs (1 Kgs 4), since neither church nor synagogue has any other songs of his in the canon.
Commentary on the Song of Songs 0.88Origen · ca. 240–245 (Rufinus's translation ca. 410) · Though apostles quoted apocryphal writings, the church's boundaries must not be crossed; the grammar of the title shows that the Song itself is Solomon's.
Letter to Africanus 2Origen · ca. 240–245 · Origen points out that the Greek Daniel contains much not in the Hebrew, including Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, and the hymn of the three young men.
Letter to Africanus 7Origen · ca. 240–245 · Origen urges respect for the churches’ inherited Scriptures while explaining why he also studies the Hebrew text.
Letter to Africanus 8Origen · ca. 240–245 · Origen reports that Jewish scholars he consulted could not say whether the Greek wordplay in Susanna has a Hebrew equivalent.
Letter to Africanus 11Origen · ca. 240–245 · Origen argues that Jewish leaders removed passages discrediting elders and judges from public Scripture, citing the sawing of Isaiah, Jesus’ words on the prophets, Stephen, and Paul.
Letter to Africanus 15Origen · ca. 240–245 · Origen answers that some captives, like Tobit, Achiacharus, Mordecai, and Nehemiah, were wealthy and influential, so Joakim’s house and garden are not implausible.
Against Celsus 5.54Origen · ca. 248 · Only heretics like Apelles, Marcion's pupil, say Jesus alone came from God; Celsus garbled his story of the fallen angels from the Book of Enoch, which the churches do not accept as divine Scripture.
Commentary on Matthew, Latin Series 28Origen · ca. 244–249 (Latin translation, 4th–5th century) · Origen explains which prophets Jerusalem killed, citing books outside the canon with caution, and reads Christ's lament as his constant will in every generation to gather God's scattered children.
Commentary on Matthew, Latin Series 117Origen · ca. 244–249 (Latin translation, 4th–5th century) · Judas's repentance refutes those who teach fixed natures that perish, for it came from the seed of virtue in every soul; but he repented without knowledge, gave way to the devil's excessive grief, and took his own life instead of awaiting God's mercy; the potter's field buries those who remain strangers to God; the prophecy attributed to Jeremiah is found in Zechariah or in a secret writing, as Paul too cites secret books.
Commentary on Matthew 14.21Origen · ca. 246–248 · Origen applies the law of divorce to the soul and its guardian angel, citing the Shepherd of Hermas on souls that fall from Michael to the angels of luxury, punishment, and repentance.
On Rebaptism 17Anonymous · ca. 250–258 (disputed) · The heretics' forged Preaching of Paul has Christ confess sin, go reluctantly to John's baptism, and see fire on the water; but the fire of which John spoke is the Holy Spirit, as at Pentecost.
Commentary on the Apocalypse 4.3Victorinus of Pettau · late 3rd century · The four living creatures are the four Gospels; the twenty-four elders are the books of the law and prophets, or the apostles and patriarchs.
Commentary on the Apocalypse 4.5Victorinus of Pettau · late 3rd century · The eyes of the living creatures are spiritual foresight, and their twenty-four wings the Old Testament books that give the Gospel credibility; heretics and Jews each keep only half.
Church History 2.23.25Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · James and Jude are disputed letters, seldom cited by the ancients, yet read publicly in most churches.
Church History 3.3.1Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · 1 Peter is acknowledged by all; 2 Peter was received as not canonical but has been valued with the other Scriptures.
Church History 3.3.2Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · The Acts, Gospel, Preaching, and Apocalypse of Peter were not handed down as catholic writings.
Church History 3.3.3Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Eusebius will note which writers used disputed books and what they said about the canonical ones.
Church History 3.3.5Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Paul's fourteen letters are clear, though some reject Hebrews; the Acts of Paul are not undisputed.
Church History 3.3.6Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · The Shepherd of Hermas is disputed but valued for beginners, read in churches, and used by early writers.
Church History 3.9.5Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · In Against Apion Josephus lists the undisputed Hebrew Scriptures.
Church History 3.10.1Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Josephus (quoted): the Jews have only twenty-two books, rightly held divine.
Church History 3.10.4Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Josephus (quoted): later writings are not equally trusted, since the succession of prophets ceased.
Church History 3.16.1Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Clement's acknowledged letter to Corinth, written during a sedition there, is read publicly in many churches.
Church History 3.24.2Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · John's Gospel is universally acknowledged; Eusebius explains why it is placed fourth.
Church History 3.24.5Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Of all the disciples, only Matthew and John wrote Gospels, and that out of necessity.
Church History 3.24.17Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · 1 John is undisputed; 2 and 3 John are disputed.
Church History 3.24.18Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Opinion on Revelation is still divided.
Church History 3.25.1Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Eusebius summarizes the New Testament: first the four Gospels and Acts.
Church History 3.25.2Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Then Paul's letters, 1 John, 1 Peter, and, if it seems right, Revelation.
Church History 3.25.3Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Disputed but widely known: James, Jude, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John.
Church History 3.25.4Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Spurious: Acts of Paul, Shepherd, Apocalypse of Peter, Barnabas, the Teachings (Didache), and perhaps Revelation.
Church History 3.25.5Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Some add the Gospel of the Hebrews; all these are disputed.
Church History 3.25.6Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · The list distinguishes acknowledged, disputed, and heretical writings such as the Gospels of Peter, Thomas, and Matthias and various apocryphal Acts.
Church History 3.25.7Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Heretical books differ in style and teaching from the apostles and must be rejected outright.
Church History 3.38.1Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Clement's letter, acknowledged by all, draws heavily on Hebrews, proving Hebrews is early.
Church History 3.38.2Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Hebrews is counted with Paul's letters; some say Luke or Clement translated it from Paul's Hebrew.
Church History 3.38.4Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · A second letter of Clement exists, but was not used by the ancients.
Church History 3.38.5Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Later lengthy works with dialogues of Peter and Apion are wrongly ascribed to Clement.
Church History 4.22.9Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Hegesippus and the ancients called Proverbs “All-virtuous Wisdom”; he says some apocrypha were forged by heretics of his day.
Church History 4.26.12Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Melito's Extracts begins with a list of the Old Testament books.
Church History 4.26.13Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Melito (quoted) writes to Onesimus, who asked for extracts about the Saviour and for the number and order of the Old Testament books.
Church History 4.26.14Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Melito (quoted), after a journey to Palestine, lists the Old Testament books, which match the Hebrew canon but for Esther's absence.
Church History 4.29.5Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · The Severians use the Law, Prophets, and Gospels, but reject Paul and Acts.
Church History 5.8.1Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Eusebius will now quote Irenaeus on the books of Scripture.
Church History 5.8.7Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Irenaeus uses 1 John and 1 Peter and quotes the Shepherd of Hermas as Scripture.
Church History 5.8.8Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Irenaeus also uses Wisdom of Solomon and the expositions of an unnamed apostolic presbyter.
Church History 5.8.11Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Irenaeus: Ptolemy son of Lagus asked the Jews for a Greek translation of their Scriptures for his library.
Church History 5.8.14Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · All the translations agreed word for word, showing that the Greek Scriptures were translated by divine inspiration.
Church History 5.8.15Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Irenaeus: God had earlier inspired Ezra to restore the lost Scriptures after the exile.
Church History 6.12.3Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Serapion: we receive the apostles as Christ but reject writings forged in their names.
Church History 6.12.4Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Serapion had allowed the Gospel of Peter to be read without examining it, but now, hearing of heresy, will return.
Church History 6.13.6Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Clement cites disputed books: Wisdom, Sirach, Hebrews, Barnabas, 1 Clement, and Jude.
Church History 6.14.1Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Clement's Outlines commented on all Scripture, including disputed books such as Jude, Barnabas, and the Apocalypse of Peter.
Church History 6.25.1Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Origen: the Hebrews count twenty-two canonical books, matching their alphabet.
Church History 6.25.2Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Origen lists the twenty-two Hebrew books with their Hebrew names, placing Maccabees outside them.
Church History 6.25.3Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · In his Commentary on Matthew, Origen acknowledges only four Gospels.
Church History 6.25.8Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Origen: Peter left one acknowledged letter and a disputed second.
Church History 6.25.10Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Origen: John left one short letter; the second and third are disputed.
Church History 6.31.1Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Julius Africanus wrote to Origen doubting the story of Susanna; Origen replied at length.
Church History 7.25.1Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Dionysius: some earlier writers rejected the Apocalypse outright as unintelligible and falsely titled.
Church History 7.25.2Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · They ascribed it to the heretic Cerinthus, not to John.
Church History 7.25.4Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Dionysius will not reject the Apocalypse, believing it has a deeper meaning beyond him.
Church History 7.25.5Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · He defers to faith and wonders rather than rejects what he cannot understand.
Divine Institutes 4.20.4Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Scripture is divided into Old and New Testaments.
Preparation for the Gospel 12.23.4Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 313–324 · Among the Hebrews a few inspired men judged which prophetic books were canonical.
Canon 59Anonymous · ca. 343–381 · Only the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments are to be read in church.
Canon 60Anonymous · ca. 343–381 · A list of the books to be read: twenty-two of the Old Testament and twenty-six of the New, without Revelation.
Catechetical Lecture 4.33Cyril of Jerusalem · ca. 350 · The one God of both Testaments; the catechumens are to read only the twenty-two acknowledged books of the Old Testament, which were translated, Cyril says, miraculously by seventy-two translators.
Catechetical Lecture 4.34Cyril of Jerusalem · ca. 350 · Cyril lists the twenty-two books of the Old Testament.
Old Testament listAnonymous · ca. 360 · A list of the Old Testament books counted canonical, with line counts, tied to the twenty-four elders of Revelation.
New Testament list and note on the stichometryAnonymous · ca. 360 · A list of the New Testament books with line counts, and the compiler's note on how he counted them.
Tractates on the Psalms 0.15Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · Hilary lists the twenty-two books of the Old Testament matching the Hebrew letters, notes that some add Tobit and Judith to make twenty-four, and links Hebrew, Greek, and Latin to the inscription on the cross.
Festal Letter 39 1Athanasius of Alexandria · 367 (Easter letter) · In his Easter letter of 367 Athanasius lists the twenty-two books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven of the New as the canon, names other books to be read by catechumens, and rejects the apocrypha as heretical inventions.
Letter 53.9Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome briefly surveys the books of the New Testament and their depth.
Letter 71.5Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome explains that copyists' errors are not his fault and lists what he has and has not translated, including his Bible versions from the Hebrew and Greek.
Letter 107.12Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome sets out a reading plan through the Scriptures, from the Psalms to the Song of Songs last, warns against the apocrypha, and recommends Cyprian, Athanasius, and Hilary.
Letter 116.3Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Augustine states that he believes only the canonical Scriptures to be free from all error, reading all other writers critically, and assumes Jerome wants his own books read the same way.
Letter 129.3Jerome · ca. 370–419 · The saints are strangers in the earthly land, as Abraham and the patriarchs were according to Acts and Hebrews; Jerome defends receiving both Hebrews and the Apocalypse as canonical.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 8.6.2Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Epiphanius lists twenty-seven books of the Jewish Scriptures.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 8.6.3Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · The twenty-seven books are counted as twenty-two, like the Hebrew alphabet.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 8.6.4Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon are disputed books among the Jews.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 8.6.5Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · These books taught the law until Christ came.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 34.18.7Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · They also use forged apocryphal writings.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 42.9.1Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Marcion uses only a mutilated Gospel of Luke, lacking the birth narratives.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 42.9.3Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Marcion also uses ten Pauline letters, altered, and wrote his own treatises.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 42.9.4Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Epiphanius lists Marcion's ten Pauline letters in Marcion's order, plus parts of 'Laodiceans'.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 42.11.10Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Marcion's Apostolikon contains only some of Paul's letters.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 42.11.11Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Epiphanius notes the letters lacking or defective in Marcion's collection.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 42.13.4Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · One further testimony comes from Marcion's 'Laodiceans', which is not in the church's Pauline collection.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 45.4.1Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Severians use apocrypha and select words from the canonical books.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 46.1.9Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Tatian is credited with the Diatessaron.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 47.1.5Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Encratites use the apocryphal Acts of Andrew, John and Thomas.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 51.3.3Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · The Alogi reject both John's Gospel and Revelation.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 51.3.4Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Rejecting only Revelation might be excused as caution.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 51.3.5Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Rejecting all of John's books marks them as the antichrists John foretold.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 61.1.5Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · They rely on the apocryphal Acts of Andrew and Thomas.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 63.2.1Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · They use the Acts of Andrew and boast of their practice.
Apostolic Canon 60Anonymous · ca. 380 · Reading spurious books of the ungodly in church brings deposition.
Apostolic Canon 85Anonymous · ca. 380 · The canon lists the books to be held holy, Old and New Testament, adding Sirach for the young.
Apostolic Constitutions 6.16.1Anonymous · ca. 380 · Books forged in the apostles' names are not to be accepted.
Apostolic Constitutions 6.16.3Anonymous · ca. 380 · Apocryphal books under ancient names, like the heretics' books now, are hostile to the truth.
Book of Heresies 60.1Philastrius of Brescia · ca. 380s · Some reject John's gospel and Apocalypse.
Book of Heresies 60.2Philastrius of Brescia · ca. 380s · They ascribe John's writings to Cerinthus.
Book of Heresies 88.1Philastrius of Brescia · ca. 380s · Some use only apocryphal books and reject the canonical Scriptures.
Book of Heresies 88.2Philastrius of Brescia · ca. 380s · Readers of the apocrypha teach against the canonical Scriptures.
Book of Heresies 88.3Philastrius of Brescia · ca. 380s · Manichees and Gnostics prefer apocryphal Acts to the canon.
Book of Heresies 88.4Philastrius of Brescia · ca. 380s · Philastrius lists the books to be read in the catholic church.
Book of Heresies 88.5Philastrius of Brescia · ca. 380s · The apocrypha may be read by the mature but not by all.
Book of Heresies 88.6Philastrius of Brescia · ca. 380s · The Manichees use apocryphal Acts of Andrew, John, Peter and Paul.
Book of Heresies 89.1Philastrius of Brescia · ca. 380s · Some ascribe Hebrews to Barnabas or Clement.
Book of Heresies 89.2Philastrius of Brescia · ca. 380s · Some ascribe Hebrews to Luke; the letter to the Laodiceans is not read in church.
Book of Heresies 89.3Philastrius of Brescia · ca. 380s · Hebrews is doubted for its style, its word “made”, and its teaching on repentance.
Book of Heresies 89.4Philastrius of Brescia · ca. 380s · Hebrews calls Christ “made” in his body, not his divinity.
Eleven Tractates 1.36Priscillian · ca. 380–385 · Christ is head over all; whatever writing, under any name, preaches Christ as God in agreement with Moses, the prophets, and the gospels is accepted, and whatever denies him is rejected.
Eleven Tractates 1.38Priscillian · ca. 380–385 · They reject any 'fifth gospel' and hold the four gospels and the creed of the church.
Eleven Tractates 2.52Priscillian · ca. 380–385 · On the disputed writings, they hold that whatever preaches Christ in agreement with the canon cannot be condemned, and whatever contradicts it must be.
Eleven Tractates 3.56Priscillian · ca. 380–385 · The apostles read books outside the canon: Jude quotes the prophecy of Enoch.
Eleven Tractates 3.57Priscillian · ca. 380–385 · Enoch is attested as a prophet by Hebrews; condemning a prophet whom the apostles accept for the sake of quarrels is not peace but rashness.
Eleven Tractates 3.59Priscillian · ca. 380–385 · The patriarchs are honoured in Scripture; in non-canonical books, heretical insertions should be removed like tares, not the whole book rejected.
Eleven Tractates 3.61Priscillian · ca. 380–385 · Matthew's 'out of Egypt I called my son' is cited from a prophet that Priscillian does not find in the canon.
Eleven Tractates 3.63Priscillian · ca. 380–385 · Christ is one, not divided; Paul and Daniel both quote words of God not found elsewhere in the canon.
Eleven Tractates 3.64Priscillian · ca. 380–385 · Canonical writers cite prophecies not found in the canon, such as Ezekiel's reference to earlier prophets about Gog.
Eleven Tractates 3.65Priscillian · ca. 380–385 · Chronicles cites the books of many prophets—Nathan, Ahijah, Iddo, Jehu—that are not in the canon.
Eleven Tractates 3.68Priscillian · ca. 380–385 · The book telling of Ezra's rewriting of the Scriptures is not canonical, yet must be trusted, since the canon could not otherwise have been restored.
Eleven Tractates 3.72Priscillian · ca. 380–385 · The apostle himself told the Colossians to read the letter from Laodicea, which is not in the canon.
Letter 64.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine rebukes Quintianus for having non-canonical scriptures read in church and clarifies the council's rules on receiving clergy and monks.
Letter 237.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine explains that the hymn ascribed to Christ comes from apocrypha shared by several heresies, which reject the Old Testament and parts of the New, as Manichees reject Acts.
Letter 237.4Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine refutes the Priscillianist claim that the hymn was kept out of the canon to hide it from carnal men, which implies the canon itself is unspiritual.
Letter 237.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine argues that the Priscillianists explain the hymn's “I wish to loose and be loosed” from canonical texts, so the hymn's supposed secret is already open in the canon.
Letter 237.8Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine lists further lines of the hymn and the canonical texts the Priscillianists use to explain them, concluding that their explanations are a cover for hidden doctrines.
Sermon 315.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Stephen, ordained one of the seven deacons, is the first martyr and the only one whose passion is in a canonical book, the Acts of the Apostles, read in church from Easter Sunday.
On the Profit of Believing 7Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391–392 · Augustine rejects the Manichaean claim that the Scriptures were corrupted and explains their rejection of Acts by their claim that the promised Spirit came through Mani.
On Illustrious Men 3Jerome · 392–393 · Matthew wrote his Gospel in Hebrew; Jerome copied a Hebrew Gospel used by the Nazarenes and notes that Matthew quotes the Hebrew Old Testament.
On Illustrious Men 4Jerome · 392–393 · Jude's short letter, doubted because it quotes Enoch, is now accepted among the Scriptures.
On Illustrious Men 5Jerome · 392–393 · Paul: his origins, conversion, mission, imprisonment, release and martyrdom under Nero; his letters, and opinions on Hebrews and the letter to the Laodiceans.
On Illustrious Men 6Jerome · 392–393 · Barnabas, Paul's companion, wrote one letter now counted among the apocrypha.
On Illustrious Men 7Jerome · 392–393 · Luke the physician wrote the Gospel and Acts; the Acts of Paul and Thecla are apocryphal, written by a presbyter deposed for it.
On Illustrious Men 9Jerome · 392–393 · John the apostle wrote the last Gospel against Cerinthus and the Ebionites, one letter, and the Apocalypse on Patmos; the second and third letters are ascribed to John the presbyter.
On Illustrious Men 10Jerome · 392–393 · Hermas, perhaps the one greeted in Romans, is said to have written the Shepherd, read in Greek churches but almost unknown to the Latins.
On Illustrious Men 59Jerome · 392–393 · Gaius of Rome disputed against the Montanist Proclus and did not count Hebrews as Paul's.
On the Faith against the Manichaeans 39Evodius of Uzalis · ca. 400-424 · The Old Testament already contains the miracles and moral precepts the Manichees admire in the New; they should accept all the canonical Scriptures.
Against the Epistle of Manichaeus Called Fundamental 5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 396–397 · Augustine refuses to accept Mani’s claim to be an apostle: he believed the Gospel on the authority of the Catholic Church, which forbids him to believe Mani, and the Gospel and Acts name no such apostle.
On Christian Doctrine 2.8Augustine of Hippo · Books 1–3 ca. 396–397; completed 426–427 · Augustine advises reading all the canonical books first, ranks disputed books by how many and how weighty the churches are that accept them, and lists the canon of the Old and New Testaments.
Against Faustus the Manichaean 11.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 398–400 · Augustine distinguishes the canonical Scriptures, whose truth may not be doubted, from the writings of later authors, which readers may judge freely.
Against Faustus the Manichaean 16.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 398–400 · Faustus says he found no prophecy of Christ in Moses, and so judges the saying “Moses wrote about me” to be a scribe's forgery rather than call Jesus a liar.
Against Faustus the Manichaean 17.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 398–400 · Faustus rejects Matthew 5:17 because Matthew was not present at the Sermon on the Mount, John does not record it, and the Gospel speaks of Matthew in the third person, as if written by someone else.
Against Faustus the Manichaean 22.79Augustine of Hippo · ca. 398–400 · Augustine defends Moses' slaughter of the golden calf's worshippers as loving severity shown by his prayer for them, and turns against the Manichaeans the story in the apocryphal Acts of Thomas of the apostle cursing a man who struck him.
Against Faustus the Manichaean 23.9Augustine of Hippo · ca. 398–400 · Augustine holds that Mary was of David's line because canonical Scripture says Christ was of David's seed through a virgin, and that the apocryphal story of her father Joachim, even if true, could be reconciled with this.
Against Faustus the Manichaean 32.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 398–400 · Faustus claims the Gospels were written long after the apostles by unknown men under apostolic names and are full of contradictions, so Manichaeans accept only what suits their faith.
Against Faustus the Manichaean 32.8Augustine of Hippo · ca. 398–400 · Augustine replies that Catholics hold all the Old Testament true and its unobserved precepts meaningful for their time, whereas the Manichaeans reject parts of the New Testament as false.
Against Faustus the Manichaean 32.16Augustine of Hippo · ca. 398–400 · Augustine argues that the Manichaeans cannot prove their Paraclete from Gospels they call corrupt, and that the Scriptures could not have been corrupted since older copies and versions in many languages would expose any change.
Against Faustus the Manichaean 33.6Augustine of Hippo · ca. 398–400 · Augustine argues that the apostolic writings are known to be genuine by continuous testimony and the succession of bishops, just as the works of Hippocrates, Plato, and Cicero are known, and spurious works rejected.
Canon 47Anonymous · 397 · A list of the canonical Scriptures to be read in church, with a provision that the passions of martyrs may be read on their feast days.
Canon 21.12Anonymous · ca. 397–400 · Anathema on those who give authority to scriptures not received by the catholic church.
The Harmony of the Gospels 1.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · Providence also gave Mark and Luke, followers of the apostles, authority to write the gospel, while other writers on Christ and the apostles were not received into the canon.
The Harmony of the Gospels 4.9Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · Luke's preface shows he also wrote Acts; 'all things' means a selection, and the 'many' who attempted gospels lack the church's authority, while Mark and Luke were approved by the living apostles.
Letter 6 to Exsuperius, chapter 7Innocent I, bishop of Rome · 401–417 · Innocent lists the books of the canon, including Tobit, Judith, Maccabees and two books of Esdras, and condemns apocryphal books under the names of apostles; the letter is dated 20 February 405.
Apology against Rufinus 2.33Jerome · ca. 401–402 · Jerome defends his preface to Daniel: he reported the Jewish objections to Susanna, the Song of the Three Young Men, and Bel and the Dragon, and followed the churches in reading Theodotion's Daniel.
Apology against Jerome 2.33Rufinus of Aquileia · ca. 401 · Rufinus protests that Jerome's version drops Susanna and the Song of the Three Young Men and sets one man's work against the Septuagint and the books handed down by Peter at Rome.
Apology against Jerome 2.34Rufinus of Aquileia · ca. 401 · Rufinus argues that if the church's Old Testament were false, Paul at least would have corrected it, and pictures the church begging the synagogue for true jewels after four hundred years.
Apology against Jerome 2.35Rufinus of Aquileia · ca. 401 · Rufinus says Jerome's changes to Scripture expose the church to pagan ridicule and contradict Jerome's own rule against novelty, citing Susanna, the Song of the Three, and Jonah's gourd.
Apology against Jerome 2.43Rufinus of Aquileia · ca. 401 · Rufinus ends his summary with Jerome's attacks on clergy, monks, Ambrose, Didymus, and martyrs, and his alteration of the Scriptures.
Commentary on the Apostles' Creed 36Rufinus of Aquileia · ca. 404 · The Creed says 'in' only of the three persons, not of the church, forgiveness, and resurrection; the Spirit inspired the Scriptures, whose books are now listed.
Commentary on the Apostles' Creed 37Rufinus of Aquileia · ca. 404 · Rufinus lists the books of the Old and New Testament canon as handed down by the fathers.
Commentary on the Apostles' Creed 38Rufinus of Aquileia · ca. 404 · Rufinus distinguishes 'ecclesiastical' books, read in church but not used to establish doctrine, from apocryphal books not to be read at all.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 96.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · Without divine testimony no one may claim to know which things the Lord left unsaid; even later Scripture cannot be identified with them unless Scripture says so.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 98.8Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · What remained to be taught was to be added to, not to overturn, what the disciples had learned; the forged Apocalypse of Paul presumes to reveal what Paul said may not be spoken.
On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins 1.50Augustine of Hippo · 411–412 · Though some doubt Hebrews, Augustine accepts it with the Eastern churches and cites its texts on Christ's purification of sins, his priesthood, and his once-for-all sacrifice.
City of God 11.3Augustine of Hippo · 413–426 · The canonical Scripture, given through prophets, Christ, and apostles, is the witness we must believe about things beyond our own perception.
City of God 15.23Augustine of Hippo · 413–426 · Augustine argues that the 'angels of God' who married the daughters of men (Gen 6) were men of Seth's line, not spirits, and rejects the Enoch literature's account of giants as apocryphal.
City of God 17.20Augustine of Hippo · 413–426 · Augustine praises David's repentance, notes Solomon's fall, and finds prophecies of Christ and the Church in Wisdom, Sirach, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs.
City of God 18.36Augustine of Hippo · 413–426 · Augustine treats Ezra and Esther as historical books, reads the contest of the three young men as pointing to Christ the truth, and notes that the church, not the Jews, holds the books of the Maccabees as canonical because of their martyrs.
City of God 18.38Augustine of Hippo · 413–426 · Augustine explains that writings attributed to Noah, Enoch, and other early prophets were excluded from the canon because their authenticity could not be trusted, and distinguishes prophets' historical writing from inspired Scripture.
City of God 18.43Augustine of Hippo · 413–426 · Augustine defends the church's preference for the Septuagint, holding that the same Spirit spoke through the Hebrew prophets and the seventy translators, so that differences between the Hebrew and the Greek are both inspired.
City of God 19.18Augustine of Hippo · 413–426 · Augustine rejects the universal doubt of the New Academy, affirming the certainty of reason, the senses, and the canonical Scriptures, while allowing reasonable doubt about matters none of these establishes.
On the Soul and Its Origin 1.12Augustine of Hippo · ca. 419–420 · The Dinocrates story is not canonical and does not say the boy was unbaptized; he may have lapsed after baptism.
On the Soul and Its Origin 3.12Augustine of Hippo · ca. 419–420 · Neither the thief nor Dinocrates proves that unbaptized infants are forgiven; either may have been baptized, and the Dinocrates account is not canonical.
On the Predestination of the Saints 14Augustine of Hippo · ca. 428/429 · Defending Wis 4:11 (“he was snatched away lest wickedness should change his understanding”), long read in the church with divine authority, Augustine shows with Cyprian's On Mortality that the righteous who die early are spared, and that no one is judged for deeds he would have done.