The canon of Scripture refers to the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments recognized by the Church as divinely inspired and therefore authoritative for faith and practice. The canon was not created by the Church but discovered and acknowledged — the Church recognized what God had already spoken (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20–21). The Old Testament canon (39 books) was received from Israel; the New Testament canon (27 books) was recognized by the Church through criteria including apostolic origin, doctrinal consistency, and universal reception.
CANON, n. [L. canon; Gr. kanon, a rule.] 1. A rule or law, in general. 2. In ecclesiastical affairs, a rule of doctrine or discipline enacted by a council and confirmed by the sovereign. 3. The genuine books of the Holy Scriptures, called the canonical books, which are a complete rule of faith and practice. 4. In the Greek church, a species of composition in music, entirely subservient to the words.
Post-modern scholarship treats the canon as a political construct imposed by power rather than a Spirit-guided recognition of God's Word. The Gnostic gospels and apocryphal texts are elevated as suppressed voices, implying the Church censored legitimate revelation. Conversely, some traditions (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox) add deuterocanonical books, expanding the canon beyond what Christ and the apostles received. Both errors undermine the sufficiency of Scripture: the first by relativizing all texts, the second by adding to what God has said.
2 Timothy 3:16–17 — "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."
2 Peter 1:20–21 — "No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation... men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
Revelation 22:18–19 — Warning against adding to or taking from "the words of the prophecy of this book."
Deuteronomy 4:2 — "You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it."
G2583 — Kanon: rule, measuring rod, standard — used in Galatians 6:16 ("by this rule")
H7070 — Qaneh: reed, measuring rod — the physical image underlying the metaphor of authoritative standard
G1124 — Graphe: writing, Scripture — the term used in "all Scripture is God-breathed"
• The Protestant canon consists of 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books — totaling 66 books of inspired Scripture.
• The canon is closed: God's special revelation in Christ was completed in the apostolic age (Heb. 1:1–2; Jude 3).
• To stand on the canon is to stand on the rule by which all doctrine, experience, and tradition must be measured.