"The New Testament canon was fixed in the 1st century."
The canon emerged gradually. It wasn't formally settled until the late 4th century.
Evidence card
The rating is tied to the stated evidence, the stated caveat, and the named source trail below.
Evidence
What can be affirmed
Caveat
What the slogan hides
Source trail
2 named sources
What's actually true
The four Gospels and most of Paul's letters were widely accepted by the late 2nd century. Marcion (mid-2nd c.) and the Muratorian Fragment (~AD 200) give us early lists.
What gets left out
Hebrews, Revelation, James, 2 Peter, 2-3 John, and Jude were disputed for centuries. Codex Sinaiticus (mid-4th c.) still includes Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas. Codex Alexandrinus (early 5th c.) still includes 1-2 Clement. The first list matching the modern 27-book NT is Athanasius's Festal Letter of AD 367.
Source trail
Named scholarship, catalogues, or projects used for this claim rating.
Citation cue
Metzger 1987
Citation cue
McDonald 2007