The first Christians found the Jewish Bible in use as containing “the oracles of God”; and as it had been their Lord’s Bible it became theirs.  No one of the first generation of Christians thought of adding other Scriptures.  In that age the Coming of the Messiah and His Kingdom in power were daily expected, and there seemed no need of writing anything for succeeding times.  Paul’s letters were penned to meet current needs in the churches, and were naturally kept, reread and passed from church to church.  As the years went by and disciples were added who had never known the Lord in the days of His flesh, a demand arose for collections of His sayings.  Then gospels were written, and the New Testament literature came into existence, although no one yet thought of these writings as Holy Scripture.

Three factors, however, combined to give these books an authoritative position.  In the Church services reading was a part of worship.  What should be read?  A letter of an apostle, a selection of Jesus’ sayings, a memoir of His life, an account of the earliest days of the Church.  Certain books became favorites because they were most helpful in creating and stimulating Christian faith and life; and they won their own position of respect and authority.

Some books by reason of their authorship—­Paul or Peter, for instance—­or because they contained the life and teaching of Jesus, naturally held a place of reverence.  This eventually led to the ascription to well-known names of books that were found helpful which had in fact been written by others.  For example, the Epistle to the Hebrews was ultimately credited to Paul, and the Second Epistle of Peter to the Apostle Peter.

And, again, controversies arose in which it was all important to agree what were the sources to which appeal should be made.  The first collection of Christian writings, of which we know, consisting of ten letters of Paul and an abridged version of the Gospel according to Luke, was put forth by Marcion in the Second Century to defend his interpretation of Christianity—­an interpretation which the majority of Christians did not accept.  It was inevitable that a fuller collection of writings should be made to refute those whose faith appeared incomplete or incorrect.

In the last quarter of the Second Century we find established the conception of the Bible as consisting of two parts—­the Old and the New Covenant.  This meant that the Christian writings so acknowledged would be given at least the same authority as was then accorded to the Jewish Bible.  Early in the Fourth Century the historian, Eusebius, tells us how the New Testament stood in his day.  He divides the books into three classes—­those acknowledged, those disputed, and those rejected.  In the second division he places the epistles of James and Jude, the Second Epistle of Peter and the Second and Third of John;