The Canon is the closed list of the 66 books of the Bible. The word Canon means ‘measuring stick’ or ‘standard’. The process of collecting the books of the Bible together did not happen all at once but they are now recognised as one complete work. The Old Testament Canon was finalised before the start of the 1st century BC by the Jewish leaders and is often referred to in the New Testament as the ‘Scriptures’. The New Testament was brought together in the years after the death of the Apostles. Much of the New Testament (such as the Gospels, Acts and Paul’s letters) had been recognised as Scripture by churches everywhere from the time it was first written, but it was not until the end of the 4th century AD that a definitive list was agreed upon. These books are regarded as the revealed Word of God and are recognised as being handed down to us by the apostles and their companions. They all agree with each other and are consistent with the teaching of Jesus Christ – the Word of God Himself. These books are from the Holy Spirit through human authors. They are Inspired (2 Timothy 3:16-17), true in every way and reliable (Infallible) and free from falsehood or deceit (Inerrant).
In some Bibles there is an additional section called ‘Apocrypha’ (‘hidden things’). These are books from the Old Testament period that appear in the Greek but not the Hebrew Old Testament. There are also some Apocryphal Gospels. These books are not part of the Canon and do not have the authenticity and sure characteristics of the books included in the Canon.