Jonathan Keller's List: Theologians

Augustine took for granted the  order of the gospels in the NT  was the order in which they were composed. Moreover,  he assumed that each writer had read the work of every predecessor.

ST. AUGUSTINE (390  A.D.)

   

St. Augustine's New Testament was the same as ours today. Now we  begin to see conformity. The influence of St. Augustine in  establishing the Bible was greater probably than any other Father or than  any council. People now attribute to God what was really the work of one  man. While councils decided upon the canon, and their decision became  embodied sentiment of the entire church, the expression was really that of  but one man, the leader in the council, and when doubts arose as to the  authority of a book, scholarship was not involved to decide it, for the  members possessed almost none. They simply asked: "What did the Early  Fathers say of it?" Prof. Davidson says:

   

"In relation to the New Testament, the synods which drew up  lists of the sacred books show the opinion of some leading Father like  Augustine, along with what custom had sanctioned. In this department no  member of the synod exercised his critical faculty; a number together  would decide such questions summarily. Bishops proceeded in the track of  tradition or authority" (Davidson, The Canon of the Bible, p.  172).

   

In 393 A.D. a council met in Hippo, in Africa, discussed the canon,  and adopted St. Augustine's list. St. Augustine himself was present, and  was the ruling spirit.

   

In 397 A.D. was held the third council of Carthage. St. Augustine  was again present. It adopted a decree as follows:

 

"It was also determined that besides the canonical  scriptures, nothing be read in the church under the title of Divine  Scriptures. The Canonical scriptures are these:"

   

Then follow the names of the books of the Bible as we have them now,  except some variations in the order