Biblical canon

====Apostolic Fathers====
A four-gospel canon (the ''Tetramorph'') was asserted by [[Irenaeus]] (c. 130 – c. 202 AD) in the following quote:<ref>{{harvp|Ferguson|2002|p=301}}; cf. Irenaeus. ''[[On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis|Adversus Haereses]]''. 3.11.8.</ref>{{Blockquote|It is not possible that the gospels can be either more or fewer in number than they are. For, since there are four-quarters of the earth in which we live, and four universal winds, while the church is scattered throughout all the world, and the 'pillar and ground' of the church is the gospel and the spirit of life, it is fitting that she should have four pillars breathing out immortality on every side, and vivifying men afresh&nbsp;[...] Therefore the gospels are in accord with these things&nbsp;... For the living creatures are quadriform and the gospel is quadriform&nbsp;[...] These things being so, all who destroy the form of the gospel are vain, unlearned, and also audacious; those [I mean] who represent the aspects of the gospel as being either more in number than as aforesaid, or, on the other hand, fewer.}}

Irenaeus additionally quotes from passages of all the books that would later be put in the New Testament canon except the [[Letter to Philemon]], [[II Peter]], [[III John]], and the [[Epistle of Jude]] in ''Against Heresies'', refers to the [[Shepherd of Hermas]] as "scripture"{{sfnp|Metzger|1997|p=155}} and appears to regard [[I Clement]] as authoritative.

[[File:P46.jpg|thumb|left|250px|alt=Folio from Papyrus 46, containing 2 Corinthians 11:33–12:9 in Greek|A manuscript page from [[Papyrus 46|P46]], an early 3rd-century collection of [[Pauline epistles]]]]
By the early 3rd century, Christian theologians like [[Origen of Alexandria]] may have been using—or at least were familiar with—the same 27 books found in modern New Testament editions, though there were still disputes over the canonicity of some of the writings (see also [[Antilegomena]]).<ref>Both points taken from {{cite book |author-last=Noll |author-first=Mark A. |year=1997 |title=Turning Points |publisher=Baker Academic |pages=36–37}}</ref> Likewise by 200, the [[Muratorian fragment]] shows that there existed a set of Christian writings somewhat similar to what is now the New Testament, which included four gospels and argued against objections to them.<ref>{{cite book |author-last=de Jonge |author-first=H. J. |chapter=The New Testament Canon |editor-last1=de Jonge |editor-first1=H. J. |editor-last2=Auwers |editor-first2=J. M. |title=The Biblical Canons |publisher=Leuven University Press |year=2003 |page=315}}</ref> Thus, while there was a good measure of debate in the Early Church over the New Testament canon, the major writings were accepted by almost all Christians by the middle of the 3rd century.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Ackroyd |editor-first1=P. R. |editor-last2=Evans |editor-first2=C. F. |year=1970 |title=The Cambridge History of the Bible, Vol. 1 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |page=308 }}</ref>