The New Testament Canon (5 of 8 notes)

Part Two
Bibliology: 13 THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE
A DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY
By Charles F Baker

Miller quotes the following facts the familiarity of the early Church Fathers with the New Testament books, which indicates that the major part of the New Testament was recognized as Scripture early in the second century:

Clement of Rome (96 A.D.) quotes from Matthew, Luke, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, 1 Timothy, Titus, Hebrews, and 1 John. The Epistle of Barnabas (70-100 A.D.) has two quotations from the New Testament, calling Matthew 22:14 Scripture. Polycarp (69-135 A.D.) quotes from Matthew, Luke, John, Acts, 10 of Paul’s epistles, and 1 John. Justin Martyr (100-165 A.D.) quotes copiously from the New Testament and states that the Gospels are read on Sunday interchangeably with the Prophets. Irenaeus (125-192), in his writings which have come down to us, makes 1800 quotations from the New Testament, recognizing the four Gospels, Acts, 13 Pauline epistles, I Peter, I John, and Revelation as canonical Scripture. The fact that these writers did not quote from all twenty-seven New Testament books is no proof that they did not know them or recognize them as Scripture. It is remarkable that in the comparatively few writings of that age which have come down to us, so many references can be found to the New Testament books.⁴

4            Ibid., pp. 131-137.

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