Knowra Canon of the New Testament Canon of the New Testament The set of writings recognized by Christian traditions as authoritative New Testament scripture. Its boundaries differ among traditions, though most include the same 27 books.
Muratorian Fragment : An early Christian list of books regarded as authoritative, preserved in a damaged Latin manuscript. Its partial list shows that judgments about New Testament books circulated before the canon was settled.
New Testament : The Christian collection of writings about Jesus, his earliest followers, and the new covenant. The canon defines which writings make up this collection within particular traditions.
Protestant biblical canon : The set of biblical books recognized by Protestant churches, including 27 New Testament books. Its New Testament boundary matches most major traditions, while its Old Testament boundary differs.
Lectionary : A schedule or collection of scriptural readings arranged for use in public worship. Canonical writings supplied the readings that churches organized for recurring services.
Criteria of canonicity : The proposed standards by which religious communities judge whether writings belong to scripture. Their relative weight remains debated in accounts of New Testament canon formation.
Eusebius of Caesarea : A fourth-century Christian historian who classified early Christian writings by their reception. His categories document books accepted, disputed, and rejected in the early fourth century.
Gospel : A literary account of Jesus’s life, teaching, death, and resurrection, or a message about him. The four canonical gospels form a major section of the New Testament collection.
Catholic biblical canon : The set of biblical books recognized by the Catholic Church, including 27 New Testament books. Catholic recognition of the New Testament is paired with a broader Old Testament than most Protestant canons.
Biblical manuscript : A handwritten copy of a biblical text, produced before or alongside printed editions. Copying practices preserved canonical works and reveal how communities transmitted them.
New Testament apocrypha : Early Christian writings about Jesus and the apostles that were not included in the New Testament. These works raise questions about why some circulating texts were excluded from the collection.
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