Published: Feb 3, 2026written by Eben De Jager, PhD New Testament Share CiteIt took the early Christian community several centuries to settle which books met the criteria for inclusion in the New Testament. The first complete list of books of the New Testament canon appeared in the Festal Letter 39 by Athanasius of Alexandria in 367 CE. Contemporary scholarship often disagrees with the views on authorship that the early Church held on many New Testament books and contributes to our understanding of the New Testament canon. Widespread useThe third criterion for inclusion of a book into the New Testament canon was widespread use. Debates about some books raged for centuries before leaders reached consensus on their inclusion in the New Testament canon.
