Appian Way Press

Eusebius, in The History of the Church, provides a comprehensive overview of the New Testament canon, distinguishing between books that are widely accepted, those that are disputed, and those considered spurious or heretical.

Regarding the accepted writings, Eusebius states that "First, we should arrange the four holy gospels, which are followed by the writing of the Acts of the Apostles." After these, "we should collect the letters of Paul, and then the earlier letter of John and likewise the letter of Peter should be confirmed." He notes that "These writings are accepted by many."

Eusebius identifies several disputed writings. He records that "among those that are disputed, the letter of James is mentioned, as well as the letter of Jude, the second letter of Peter, and the letters known as the second and third of John, whether they are by the evangelist or by another person with the same name." He also notes that "the Revelation of John should be considered, which some reject, while others accept it along with the accepted writings." Additionally, "the Gospel according to the Hebrews, which especially brings joy to the Hebrews who have accepted Christ," is listed among the disputed writings.

Beyond these, Eusebius includes other writings that he categorizes as disputed or spurious, stating that "In the disputed writings, we should include the Acts of Paul, the so-called Shepherd, the Revelation of Peter, and also the letter attributed to Barnabas, along with the teachings of the apostles known as the Didache." He further mentions "writings attributed to Peter, Thomas, and Matthew, or other gospels from them, as well as the Acts of Andrew, John, and the other apostles," none of which "any man has deemed worthy to be remembered in the records of church succession," implying their lack of authenticity or acceptance.

Eusebius also records specific details about certain books from other authors. In The History of the Church, he notes that in the Hypotyposes, an author made accounts "not passing over the ones that are disputed, I mean the letter of Jude and the other Catholic letters, as well as the so-called Revelation of Barnabas and Peter." Furthermore, this author states "that the letter to the Hebrews is by Paul, written in Hebrew language for the Hebrews, but that Luke kindly translated it and published it for the Greeks, so that the same style can be found in both this letter and the Acts." The author explains that it is not written 'Paul the apostle' for a good reason, because "when writing to the Hebrews, they have a preconceived idea about him and suspect him, so he wisely did not start by putting that name."