GUIDANCE ON PAPER

As you have seen and will continue to see in your readings, there were key areas of dispute in the early church on essential matters of doctrine. Also, groups such as the Gnostics brought in an entirely new set of presupposed beliefs to the faith that came alongside the faith and compromised tenets of the faith, which were based upon the truth of Christ's teachings as conveyed to his followers. Given this, there was a need to identify the true writings that conveyed this truth in light of the fact that many times the heretical parties involved would present texts and teach them as being the writing of the Apostles.

In light of this, write a 5-7 page research paper focusing on the key events and movements that were influential in the recognition of the canonical books of the New Testament. In addition, look at the methodology employed by the applicable individuals and councils that deemed books as the inspired word of God. Remember: this is not a defense of the inspiration of Scripture by the Holy Spirit or an explanation of dual authorship or inerrancy. The intent here is to determine how certain books came to be accepted by the church as Scripture and others were rejected.