The 4 gospels- Church Fathers

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I read one of the church fathers in the second century mentioning the 4 gospels that we have now in the Bible and how each gospel begins. If these were known and defined and taught, why was there be a need to determine the NT canon? thank you.
 
inJESUS said:
I read one of the church fathers in the second century mentioning the 4 gospels that we have now in the Bible and how each gospel begins. If these were known and defined and taught, why was there be a need to determine the NT canon? thank you.
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There wasn’t a pressing need to define a NT canon as much as there was the OT canon. Because of the Jews defining a different OT from the OT that the Christians were using the LXX. Remember a large portion were from a Jewish family background. There was some additional writings like Pope Clement and letters from St. Ignatius that were being tacked onto the end of the NT also and read as Scripture. But that was limited to certain areas and was not such a big problem.
 
Thank you Br.

When Irenaeus wrote : "There are four gospels and only four, neither more nor less …]The Church, spread all over the world, has in the gospels four pillars and four winds blowing wherever people live. "John actually speaks of his kingly and glorious Sonship to the Father in his opening words: `In the beginning was the Word.’ [John 1:1] Luke begins with Zaccharias offering sacrifice. Matthew chooses first of all the Lord’s human genealogy. And Mark leads off by calling on the prophetic Spirit which invests humanity from on high.

where these gospels what we have now ? or where the non-inspired gospels something that posed a problem to the church fathers? thank you.
 
im pretty sure that the gospels were accepted much earlier than the other NT writings.
 
6glargento said:
im pretty sure that the gospels were accepted much earlier than the other NT writings.
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Remember that the Gospels were not the first New Testament writings to be written. The First NT book was Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians about 57AD.
 
the early councils that defined the canon of scripture also decided which letters of the apostles (including Paul) were to be included in Sacred Scripture, set the end of public revelation with the death of the last of the apostles (John) and decided that letters written by successors of the apostles, while worthwhile and containing authoratative teaching, were not divinely inspired scripture (Clement etc.). But the greater necessity was defining the OT canon.
 
I once read that list was requested from the faithful in order that they might know what books could be " turned over",should another persecution like Diocletians’ occur.
st julie
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
Remember that the Gospels were not the first New Testament writings to be written. The First NT book was Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians about 57AD.
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i understand that they were written later, but i read somewhere that they were more universally recognized as inspired befre the letters were
 
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