Conciliar Resolutions, Theological Disputes, and the Canon of the New Testament

Mark Edwards

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Chapter 7 Conciliar Resolutions, Theological Disputes, and the Canon of the New Testament

In: The New Testament Canon in Contemporary Research

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Mark Edwards

Mark Edwards
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 156–174

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004751071_009

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Abstract

After some preliminary remarks on the limitations of conciliar theology, this article briefly examines our records of the Councils of Laodicea and Hippo, which are respectively the first eastern and the first western councils to have defined the canon of both the Old and the New Testaments. It will then advance the hypothesis that the Muratorian Fragment (here dated to the end of the second century) is the outcome of a synodical deliberation in Rome, and thus perhaps our earliest attestation of a collective decision on the content of Scripture. It will go on to show that, while legends of the formation of the canon at Nicaea have no basis, the desire for conciliar endorsement prompted a forger of the fourth century to pretend that the earliest list had been drawn up by the apostles themselves as a body. The final section will argue that, while the oecumenical councils are witnesses to the canon rather than agents in its creation, they had a role in determining the orthodox exegesis of certain texts.

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The New Testament Canon in Contemporary Research

Series: Texts and Editions for New Testament Study, Volume: 21

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004751071

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 10 Mar 2026

Subjects
- Biblical Studies

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Part 1 The Formation of the Canon

Part 2 The Components of the Canon

Part 3 The Witnesses of the Canon

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Chapter 7 Conciliar Resolutions, Theological Disputes, and the Canon of the New Testament

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The New Testament Canon in Contemporary Research

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