'H ϰαινὴ διαѲήϰη – A Problem in the Early History of the Canon

Chapter Summary

In the history of the formation of the canon much attention is always paid to the question, how these various books were collected into one volume. The various stages of this process varying from one book or a group of books to another is most interesting. Little attention however is given to that other question, why these books were assembled under the title of a διαθήχη. This problem is the more fascinating since this name had such a success, that it remains the standard title in the church ever since. In a few sentences of his recent Early Christian Doctrines, Kelly says that Irenaeus was the first to apply the term N.T. to sacred scriptures and that after his times "the description of them as the 'New Testament' came into vogue".

Keywords: Canon; Christian; church; New Testament