The Doctrine of the Early Church (1): The Holy Scriptures and the Canon

The word Canon in this connection denotes the infallibly inspired writings in distinction from the productions of the church teachers and from the numerous apocryphal works -- gospels, Acts, and epistles -- that were composed in the first four centuries. The apocrypha were fictitious stories designed either to fill the gaps of the history of Jesus and the apostles or to glorify Christianity. From among all these spurious writings the church had to draw its New Testament Canon. For this task the...