4.2 - Orthodoxy

The Muratorian Fragment (or Canon), an ancient manuscript that contains a list of New Testament books.

Synopsis

The threat of heresy caused the early church to circle the wagons. In addition to becoming more hierarchical, the church developed three important tools with which to fight heresy: creeds, the New Testament canon, and the idea of apostolic succession. We examine each in detail.

Key Quotes

• "Every line in the Apostles' Creed is meant to be a guardrail against the heresies of the day."
• "The earliest canonical list that we have is the Muratorian Canon, which dates to about A.D. 180 and lists 22 of the 27 books in our New Testament."
• "In the 2nd century, 'apostolic succession' meant that unless a person's gospel was the gospel transmitted publicly by the apostles to the bishops, that person was a heretic."

Reflection Questions 

• What did the word "catholic" mean in the context of 2nd-century debates against Gnostics? 
• What criteria did the early church use when determining which writings ought to be canonized? What was the most important criterion?
• How would you respond to claims that "the early Christians didn't have a Bible" or that "Constantine chose the books of the New Testament"?

Further Reading

• Michael Kruger (professor at Reformed Theological Seminary), "Ten Basic Facts About the NT Canon that Every Christian Should Memorize" 
  https://www.michaeljkruger.com/the-complete-series-ten-basic-facts-about-the-nt-canon-that-every-christian-should-memorize/