How the biblical canon formed — lesson 5
Athanasius's festal letter and what came after
The earliest surviving list of the twenty-seven, and why it did not end the discussion.
What this lesson covers
- State what Athanasius's thirty-ninth festal letter contains.
- Explain why it is a landmark and not a decree.
- Describe what happened afterwards.
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In 367 Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, sent his annual festal letter announcing the date of Pascha. In it he listed the books of the Old and New Testaments. His New Testament list is the twenty-seven books now received, and it is the earliest surviving list that matches.
He also does something more interesting than list. He distinguishes three groups: the canonical books; a further group appointed by the Fathers to be read by those coming to instruction — the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Esther, Judith, Tobit, the Didache and the Shepherd; and books he calls apocryphal, an invention of heretics.
A landmark, not a decree
Local councils in North Africa around the same period issued lists, and later Eastern collections carry canons on the subject with variations. The picture is one of convergence over time rather than of a moment of decision.
What Athanasius shows is that by the later fourth century the New Testament was substantially settled in at least one major see, and that the categories in use were still more complex than canonical or not.
Key Scripture
- 2 Timothy 3:16-17 — All Scripture is God-breathed — a statement about Scripture, not a list of it.
On Scripture references. References are given so you can read the passage in the translation your parish uses. This site does not reproduce a modern copyrighted Bible text.
Patristic and liturgical witnesses
There are, then, of the Old Testament, twenty-two books in number; for, as I have heard, it is handed down that this is the number of the letters among the Hebrews
Why this matters in lived Orthodoxy
The Revelation of John is received as Scripture in the Orthodox Church and is not read in the Byzantine liturgical cycle. That is a real and instructive oddity: canonicity and liturgical use are related but not identical.
Review
What three groups does Athanasius distinguish?
Why is the letter not a decree?
Your notes
Going deeper
- Festal Letter 39, archived here — note that NPNF prints extracts only.
- The witness page.
Sources for this page
- Tier C Athanasius: Select Works and Letters Athanasius, Festal Letter 39 translated edition of primary texts Source record (opens in a new tab)
Tiers are explained in the methodology. No page on this site has been reviewed or approved by any bishop, priest, synod or seminary.