Criteria Used

Four Criteria for Canonicity (which books were accepted into the NT Canon, and the reasons why):

Apostolic Origin – attributed to and based on the preaching/teaching of the first-generation apostles (or their close companions).
Universal Acceptance – acknowledged by all major Christian communities in the ancient world (by the end of the fourth century).
Liturgical Use – read publicly when early Christian communities gathered for the Lord's Supper (their weekly worship services).
Consistent Message – containing a theological outlook similar or complementary to other accepted Christian writings.

In his Baker’s Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Baker, 1999), Dr. Norman Geisler gives principles for determining which books should and should not be considered inspired scripture (canonicity). He lists first:

Inadequate Criteria for Canonicity. Five mistaken methods have particularly troubled the church:

1. failure to distinguish a book that was "known" from a book that carried God’s authority;

2. failure to distinguish disagreement about the canon between different parties from uncertainty about the canon within those parties;

3. failure to distinguish between the adding of books to the canon and the removal of books from it;

4. failure to distinguish between the canon that the community recognized and eccentric views of individuals;

5. failure to properly use Jewish evidence about the canon transmitted through Christian hands, either by denying the Jewish origins or by ignoring the Christian medium through which it has come (Beckwith, 7-8).

Geisler then proceeds to give five "Principles of Canonicity":

1. Was the book written by a prophet of God?

2. Was the writer confirmed by acts of God?

3. Does the message tell the truth about God?

4. Did it come with the power of God?

5. Was it accepted by the people of God?