New Testament apocrypha New Testament apocrypha 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 have been 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 these New Testament apocrypha as part of the Bible. The word "apocrypha" means "things put away"
Development of the Old Testament canon Testament and pushes his version of the New Testament to be the Christian canon. Irenaeus wrote: With different perspective, Tertullian said: Everett Ferguson, in chapter 18 of "The Canon Debate", makes a note that: "[Wolfram] Kinzig suggests that it was Marcion who usually called his Bible "testamentum" [Latin for testament]". In the same chapter, Ferguson also says that Tertullian criticizes Marcion regarding the naming of the books in his list. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the Marcionites "were perhaps the most dangerous foe Christianity has ever known". Other scholars propose that it was Melito of Sardis who originally coined the