The Living Tradition An Orthodox Archive of the Church Fathers and Early Church

Canon-of-Scripture witness — 367

Athanasius, Festal Letter 39

The earliest surviving list of the twenty-seven New Testament books — in a bishop's annual letter to his own churches, not a decree.

  • Historical consensusBroadly agreed among historians working from the surviving evidence. Consensus can shift when the evidence or the method changes.

Primary evidence verified Content last reviewed 2026-08-29

What still needs checking (2)
  • Archive the fuller Greek, Coptic and Syriac witnesses to Festal Letter 39.
  • Confirm against an official Orthodox source how the letter's Old Testament list is related to the Orthodox Old Testament as printed.

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Athanasius's thirty-ninth festal letter, for the year 367, announced the date of Pascha and listed the books of the Old and New Testaments. Its New Testament list is the twenty-seven books now received, and it is the earliest surviving list that matches.

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.

What this witness says about particular books

Books this witness names, and how it treats them. A book's absence from a list is not by itself a rejection — see the limits above.
BookTreatmentNote
The twenty-seven New Testament books Treated as Scripture The earliest surviving list matching the received New Testament.
Baruch and the letter Treated as Scripture Counted with Jeremiah among the canonical Old Testament books.
Esther Named as disputed Placed among the books appointed to be read, not among the canonical — unlike printed Orthodox Bibles.
Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Judith, Tobit Named as disputed Appointed to be read by those coming to instruction, expressly outside the canon.
The Didache Named as disputed Appointed to be read, outside the canon.
The Shepherd of Hermas Named as disputed Appointed to be read, outside the canon.
Apocryphal writings Rejected Described as an invention of heretics.

The witness in its own words

Festal Letter 39, section 4

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

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. IV, trans. Archibald Robertson. Public domain. Read the work in the archive.

Sources for this page

  1. Tier C Athanasius: Select Works and Letters Philip Schaff and Henry Wace (eds.); Archibald Robertson (trans.) Athanasius, Festal Letter 39 translated edition of primary texts Source record

Tiers are explained in the methodology. No page on this site has been reviewed or approved by any bishop, priest, synod or seminary.