Development of the New Testament canon in the context of "Thomasines"

The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events relating to first-century Christianity. The New Testament's background, the first division of the Christian Bible, has the name of Old Testament, which is based primarily upon the Hebrew Bible; together they are regarded as Sacred Scripture by Christians.

The New Testament is a collection of 27 Christian texts written in Koine Greek by various authors, forming the second major division of the Christian Bible. It includes four gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, epistles attributed to Paul and other authors, and the Book of Revelation. The New Testament canon developed gradually over the first few centuries of Christianity through a complex process of debate, rejection of heretical texts, and recognition of writings deemed apostolic, culminating in the formalization of the 27-book canon by the late 4th century. It has been widely accepted across Christian traditions since Late Antiquity.

The Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse or the Apocalypse of John, is canonically the last book of the New Testament. Written in Greek, its title is derived from the first word of the text, apocalypse (Koine Greek: ἀποκάλυψις, romanized: apokálypsis), which means "revelation" or "unveiling". The Book of Revelation is the only apocalyptic book in the New Testament canon, and occupies a central place in Christian eschatology.

The book spans three literary genres: the epistolary, the apocalyptic, and the prophetic. It begins with John, on the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, addressing letters to the "Seven Churches of Asia" with exhortations from Christ. He then describes a series of prophetic and symbolic visions, which would culminate in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. These visions include figures such as a Woman clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars, the Serpent, the Seven-Headed Dragon, and the Beast.

The Epistle to the Hebrews of the Christian Bible is one of the New Testament books whose canonicity was disputed. Traditionally, Paul the Apostle was thought to be the author. However, since the third century this has been questioned, and the consensus among most modern scholars is that the author is unknown.

Various early Christian writers wrote gospels and other books, some of which were canonized as the New Testament canon developed. The Apostolic Fathers were prominent writers who are traditionally understood to have met and learned from Jesus's personal disciples. The Church Fathers are later writers with no direct connection to the disciples (other than the claim to apostolic succession). Early Christian apologists tried to defend Christianity against its critics, especially the Ancient Greek and Roman philosophers. Dates given, if not otherwise specified, are of their writings or bishopric, not of their lives.

• Paul of Tarsus, "Apostle to the Gentiles", earliest New Testament author 45~65
• Four Evangelists, traditionally identified as the authors of the canonical gospels 60~125
• Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, apostolic father 68~107
• Marcion of Sinope, evangelist and theologian, founder of Marcionism, published the first known canon of the New Testament, 85~160
• Clement of Rome, bishop of Rome, apostolic father 88~101
• Papias, bishop of Hierapolis, apostolic father 110~130
• Polycarp of Smyrna, bishop of Smyrna, apostolic father 110~160
• Aristides of Athens, apologist ~120
• Justin Martyr, church father ~165
• Melito of Sardis, bishop of Sardis, ~180
• Irenaeus, bishop of Lyon, disciple of Polycarp, apologist 180~202
• Origen of Alexandria, 185~254, Neoplatonist, controversial during his lifetime, posthumously condemned at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553
• Tatian, pupil of Justin Martyr, ascetic theologian ~185
• Athenagoras of Athens, philosopher, apologist ~190
• Polycrates, bishop of Ephesus, excommunicated by Victor I of Rome over the Easter controversy ~196
• Montanus, self-proclaimed prophet and founder of Montanism, last quarter of 2nd century CE
• Tertullian, church father, apologist, first Christian writer in Latin, later a Montanist 197~230
• Hippolytus, church father, sometimes termed the first Antipope, reconciled with the church and died a martyr 217~236
• Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, martyr 218~258
• Clement of Alexandria, church father, Bishop of Alexandria ~220
• Novatian, a rigorist and Antipope in 251
• Dionysius, patriarch of Alexandria, pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church 248~264
• Paul of Samosata, bishop of Antioch, adoptionist, condemned at 269 Council of Antioch
• Athanasius of Alexandria, c. 297~373, patriarch of Alexandria, defender of the Trinitarian doctrine
• Donatus Magnus, bishop of Carthage, (+355), leader of the Donatists from 313
• Lactantius, apologist ~317
• Arnobius, apologist ~330
• Eusebius, wrote History of the Church ~325
• Augustine of Hippo, 354-430, Latin church father, wrote Confessions and City of God

The New Testament apocrypha (singular apocryphon) are a number of writings by early Christians that give accounts of Jesus and his teachings, the nature of God, or the teachings of his apostles and of their lives. Some of these writings were cited as scripture by early Christians, but since the fifth century a widespread consensus has emerged limiting the New Testament to the 27 books of the modern canon. Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant churches generally do not view the New Testament apocrypha as part of the Bible.

The Gospel of Peter (Ancient Greek: τὸ κατὰ Πέτρον εὐαγγέλιον, romanized: tò katà Pétron euangélion), or the Gospel according to Peter, is an ancient text concerning Jesus Christ, only partially known today. Originally written in Koine Greek, it is a non-canonical gospel and was rejected as apocryphal by the Church's synods of Carthage and Rome, which contributed to the establishment of the New Testament canon. It was the first of the apocryphal gospels to be rediscovered, preserved in the dry sands of Egypt.

A major focus of the surviving fragment of the Gospel of Peter is the Passion narrative, which ascribes responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus to Herod Antipas rather than to Pontius Pilate.

The Apostolic Fathers, also known as the Ante-Nicene Fathers, were core Christian theologians among the Church Fathers who lived in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD who are believed to have personally known some of the Twelve Apostles or to have been significantly influenced by them. Their writings, though widely circulated in early Christianity, were not included in the canon of the New Testament. Many of the writings derive from the same time period and geographical location as other works of early Christian literature which came to be part of the New Testament.