014 | How The New Testament Come To Be

How did the New Testament come to be—and why does it contain exactly 27 books?

In this episode, I continue our series on the Bible by exploring how the early church recognized New Testament writings as Scripture. We examine references within the Bible itself, testimony from early Christians, and the criteria used to distinguish authoritative writings from other religious texts.

I also discuss why books like Hebrews, Jude, and Revelation prompted debate, why the Gospel of Thomas was excluded, and what these conversations reveal about the process of recognizing the biblical canon.

Along the way, there’s a Star Wars illustration, a Bible trivia question, and an invitation to submit your questions for an upcoming Q&A episode!

📖 Explore Logos Bible Software: Use my Logos affiliate link.

Find more resources and join my newsletter at RichardREng.com.

If this episode helps you, share it with a friend and leave a rating or review!

Timestamps

00:09 — Discovering the New Testament canon
05:29 — New Testament writers recognizing Scripture
12:05 — Early church witnesses and circulating letters
23:35 — Four criteria for recognizing Scripture
28:01 — Disputed books and questions of authorship
34:50 — The Gospel of Thomas and recognizing the 27 books