1,942
edits
Changes
→History
The Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, (272-337) had a great effect on Orthodox Christianity. With his '''Edict of MilanNew Testament Canon''' in 313, Christians had more freedom and Church leadership took aggressive public stances. As a result, Church controversies now flared into public schisms, sometimes with violence. Constantine saw is the quelling collection of religious disorder as books that make up the divinely-appointed emperor’s duty [[New Testament]], which has been accepted and called formally approved by the 314 '''Council of Arles''' against the Donatists and the first Ecumenical Council: the '''First Council of Nicaea''' (May 20 - July 25, 325), to settle some of the doctrinal problems seen as plaguing Early Christianity. A number of early Christian writings were lost or destroyed during this timeChurch.
==History==
By the end of the 1st century, some letters of Paul were collected and circulated. We know this through references by [[Clement of Rome]] (c. 95), [[Ignatius of Antioch]] (died 117), and [[Polycarp of Smyrna]] (c. 115). However, these texts weren't usually called [[Holy Scripture|Scripture]] as the [[Septuagint]] was, and they weren't without critics. Certain [[heretic]]s tried to deny the validity of many parts of the [[Canon]], particularly the Pauline epistles. In the late 4th century Epiphanius of Salamis (died 402) Panarion 29 says the Nazarenes had rejected the Pauline epistles; Irenaeus' ''Against Heresies'' 26.2 says the Ebionites rejected Paul as an apostate. Acts 21:21 records a rumor that Paul aimed to subvert the [[Old Testament]] (see Romans 3:8, 31). 2 Peter 3:16 says his letters have been abused by heretics who twist them around "as they do with the other scriptures." In the 2nd and 3rd centuries [[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]]' ''Ecclesiastical History'' 6.38 stated the Elchasai "made use of texts from every part of the Old Testament and the Gospels; it rejects the Apostle (Paul) entirely"; 4.29.5 says Tatian the Assyrian rejected Paul's Letters and Acts of the Apostles; 6.25 says [[Origen]] accepted 22 canonical books of the Hebrews plus Maccabees plus the four [[Gospel]]s but Paul "did not so much as write to all the churches that he taught; and even to those to which he wrote he sent but a few lines."
| width="33%" align="left" valign="top"|
*[[Ephesians]]
*[[Philippians]]
*[[Colossians]]
*[[I Thessalonians]]
*[[II Thessalonians]]
*[[I Timothy]]
*[[II Timothy]]
*[[Book of Titus|Titus]]
*[[Book of Philemon|Philemon]]
| width="33%" align= The Hebrew Text ="left" valign="top"|*[[Book of Hebrews|Hebrews]]*[[Book of James|James]]*[[I Peter]]*[[II Peter]]*[[I John]]*[[II John]]*[[III John]]*[[Book of Jude|Jude]]*[[Book of Revelation|Revelation]] (Apocalypse)|}
