AncientPath.net, Mason's Notes: "Biblical Introduction"

CONCLUSION A. The two groups of NT books It will have been noted that the Gospels, Acts, and Pauline episries, with 1 Peter and 1 John, were never subjected to the fire of testing that the remaining Catholic epistles, the Revelation, and (sometimes) Hebrews were subjected. The reason for this has been indicated in NT, B, 3 and 4. Internal and external evidence for genuineness was plentiful for the Gospels, etc., whereas it was scarce for the disputed books. It was their APQSTOLICITY which was in question. In the end there was universal conviction, and the very doubts which deferred the rejection of a small portion of NT Scripture in certain parts of the early Church now served to confirm our faith in the rest, for this shows that books were received only after the most careful and prayerful scrutiny of both internal and external evidence. They were not chosen in the heat and hurry of enthusiasm. The books which were delayed in acceptance were sometimes called a Deutero-canon (i.e., second canon), because of having been added somewhat later than the Gospels, etc. B. Parting word Dr. Griffith Thomas once remarked that when all the smoke of the battle of critics and friends of the Scriptures has cleared away, if the Scriptures could speak for themselves, they would say like Paul to the Philippian jailor, "Do thyself no harm, for we are ALL here!" Truly, as the Word does witness to itself, "the Word of the Lord endureth forever." Amen.

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