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

Canon-of-Scripture witness — around 325

Eusebius sorts the writings

A historian's report on which writings were universally acknowledged, which disputed, and which rejected — including his own inconsistency.

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In Book III chapter 25 of the Church History, Eusebius stops narrating and takes stock. He sorts Christian writings into the universally acknowledged, the disputed, the spurious, and a further class put forward by heretics.

First he places the holy quaternion of the Gospels, then Acts, then the letters of Paul, then 1 John and 1 Peter, and — with the note that some reject it — the Apocalypse of John. Among the disputed but familiar to most he places James, Jude, 2 Peter, and 2 and 3 John.

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 four Gospels Treated as Scripture
Acts Treated as Scripture
The letters of Paul Treated as Scripture
1 John Treated as Scripture
1 Peter Treated as Scripture
The Apocalypse of John Named as disputed Placed among the acknowledged with the note that some reject it, and elsewhere among the disputed. Eusebius acknowledges the inconsistency.
James Named as disputed
Jude Named as disputed
2 Peter Named as disputed
2 and 3 John Named as disputed
The Shepherd of Hermas Rejected Placed among the spurious, though widely read.
The Teachings of the Apostles Rejected The Didache, placed among the spurious.
The Epistle of Barnabas Rejected Among the spurious.
The Acts of Paul Rejected
The Apocalypse of Peter Rejected

The witness in its own words

Church History, Book III, Chapter 25.1

Since we are dealing with this subject it is proper to sum up the writings of the New Testament which have been already mentioned. First then must be put the holy quaternion of the Gospels; following them the Acts of the Apostles.

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. I, trans. Arthur Cushman McGiffert. Public domain. Read the work in the archive.

Sources for this page

  1. Tier C Eusebius: Church History, Life of Constantine, Oration in Praise of Constantine Philip Schaff and Henry Wace (eds.); Arthur Cushman McGiffert (trans.) Eusebius, Church History, Book III, Chapter 25 translated edition of primary texts Source record

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