Formation of the canon of sacred books of the New Testament

Contents Chapter I Chapter II The extraordinary, supernatural events that accompanied the appearance of the Son of God on earth soon became known to the Jewish and pagan world through the preaching of the Gospel, which was entrusted by the Lord Jesus Christ himself to His chosen disciples. The desire to have more accurate and reliable information about these events prompted many to testify in writing and present the teachings of Christ the Savior. St. Evangelist Luke says that when he began to write his Gospel, then many began to compose a narrative about events that were completely known among believers in Jesus Christ, and that he himself took on this work with the aim of delivering to his beloved Theophilus a solid foundation of the teaching in which he was instructed (Luke 1:1-4). The appearance of many narratives about the same events proves the increased need for written monuments of this kind, and at the same time a significant spread of lists of these narratives. Other kinds of writings were required with the formation of church life to clarify various issues related to teaching, which could not be sufficiently revealed during oral preaching. It was necessary to present in the proper light the relationship of the New Testament church to the Old Testament institutions. In encounters with the pagan world, it was necessary to eliminate the harmful intrusions of willful thought into the area of ​​Christian revelation. For both of them, for Jewish believers and for Gentile believers, it was necessary to determine the rules of life in accordance with faith in Jesus Christ. And this kind of writings, known in their form under the name of Epistles, were received from persons invested by Jesus Christ himself with the highest authority in the church, with a living consciousness of their importance, and although at the beginning they had, for the most part, a local purpose, they also soon became known outside those churches for which they were assigned. Some even abused this meaning of the Apostolic Epistles; the name of the Apostle was attached to writings that did not belong to him. So after the very first epistle that we have from the Apostle Paul, others had already begun to appear written under his name, and he found it necessary in the second of his known epistles to show a clear sign by which his genuine epistles can be distinguished from inauthentic ones. In every letter I usually write with my own hand the greeting: the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all (2 Thess. 2:2-3.17). From this it is clear how important the narrative and teaching writings of the Apostles were from their very appearance. To collect them, if possible, all by means of living tradition and personal explanations with the writers themselves and other knowledgeable people, with clear evidence of the apostolic origin of these books, and to preserve them intact and undamaged was, without a doubt, from the beginning the duty of the primates of each independent church. But it seems to us that the Church of Ephesus, founded by the Apostle Paul, entrusted to his disciple Timothy and for a long time was under the close leadership of the Holy Apostle John, took advantage of the circumstances that were most favorable for this. In this study, we intend to reveal this idea by presenting considerations about the attitude of both Bishop Timothy of Ephesus and the Apostle John to the formation of the canon of sacred books of the New Testament. Saint Timothy was one of the close disciples and collaborators of the Apostle Paul. Neither the book of the Acts of the Apostles, nor the Apostolic Epistles give us the opportunity to trace the history of his evangelistic activity, in its continuous flow from beginning to end. It becomes revealed to us only at certain times, since it is adjacent to the history of the activity of the great Apostle. The name of Timothy begins to appear among the companions and collaborators of the Apostle Paul from the time of his second evangelistic journey, which began after the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem (about the year 50), and is described by St. Luke in the book of Acts (Acts 15:36–18:22). It began from Antioch and ended with a return to Antioch, after an absence of three or four years. The Apostle Paul began his second evangelistic journey by reviewing those churches that he founded in Asia Minor during his first sermon. The Apostle chose as his companion, no doubt by voluntary consent, one of the teachers and prophets sent by appointment from the Council of Jerusalem to Antioch, Silas or Silvanus (Acts 15:10). He found another, younger one in the Asia Minor region, Lycaonia. It was Timofey. Then he was already baptized; because St. Luke calls him by the common name of Christians at that time, disciple. (Acts 16:1). And he was probably enlightened by faith and baptism on the Apostle’s first visit to Lycaonia: which is why the Apostle repeatedly calls him his son (1 Tim. 1:2, 1 Tim. 1:18 and 2 Tim. 1:2). By carnal birth, Timothy's father was a pagan, but his mother and grandmother were of the Jewish faith, and therefore raised him from a young age in their faith. But when the Gospel sermon reached them, all of them, that is, Timothy, his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois, accepted it with all zeal. In one of his letters to Timothy, the Apostle, recalling his unfeigned faith, writes that the same faith previously dwelt in his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Tim. 1:5). Apparently, this family enjoyed good fame in their country even before their conversion, because the writer Luke expresses himself about Timothy’s father: I saw his father as if he were a Greek (Acts 16:3). His descent from a pious Jewish woman early introduced Timothy to the writings of Moses and the prophets, as can be seen from the words of the Apostle in the same epistle: For from a young age you knew the sacred scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through the faith that is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 3:15). Diligent study of the law and the prophets prepared, and the instruction of the Apostle in the truth of the Gospel, with the assistance of the grace of God, completed his education for the Apostolic ministry. It was very important for Timothy that he knew the foundations of his faith not only from tradition, but also from Scripture; and his special happiness was that both the initial instructions in the Christian faith and all subsequent developments in Christianity took place under the influence and supervision of such a great figure in the kingdom of Christ as the Apostle Paul. And of course, he himself repeatedly repeated to himself what his mentor wrote to him: abide in them, as you have learned, and the essence that has been entrusted to you, knowing from whom you learned (2 Tim. 3:14). Young Timothy was captivated by everything about the Apostle: his teaching, his life, his sincere devotion to the cause of Christ, his unshakable faith, his patience with the stubborn and corrupt, and his love; the very persecutions that the evangelists of the Gospel, Paul and Barnabas, then underwent in Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:45–50), Iconium (Acts 13:51; 14:5), Lystra, the city of Lycaon (Acts 14:6–20), not only did not make him doubt the rightness of the Christian cause, but even more attracted his attention and heart to the great preacher of the Gospel. Indeed, who would not be captivated by this boundless devotion to the Gospel of the Apostle, who, having been stoned in Lystra and dragged out of the city as if dead, barely regained consciousness, barely came to his senses, returned to the city and, having spent the night among his fellow believers, again went to evangelistic labors in Derbe. Lystra, or Derbe, was Timothy's fatherland, and the living, indelible impressions left on Timothy's young heart by such amazing events and Paul's fiery zeal were the basis of Timothy's determination to follow him in everything. Subsequently, the Apostle, abandoning all other labors, exploits, sufferings that he experienced in different cities from the Jews and from the pagans, in view of the same Timothy, considered himself to have the right to point to these very persecutions in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, as the circumstances that called him to such determination (2 Tim. 3:11). On his second journey, appearing again in the Lycaon region, the Apostle had already found the name of Timothy well known in the Christian societies there. He was testified by those who exist - in Lystra and Iconium, writes St. Luke (Acts 16:2). And intending to devote his labors to further preaching in the countries of Asia Minor, Paul wished to have him as his collaborator here. Not only the approving reviews of local residents spoke in his favor, but also prophetic voices in the churches, promising him as a zealous helper to the Apostle (1 Tim. 1:18; 4:14). For the Apostle, who, however, everywhere began his preaching with the Jews, the cooperation of a person who, by birth belonging to one or another society, pagan and Jewish, could more conveniently enter into relations with both than a native Jew or pagan, could be especially useful. But since Timothy was not circumcised as a child, and the Jews would not willingly enter into intercourse with an uncircumcised man, Paul, accepting Timothy as his collaborator, decided in advance to invite him to accept circumcision. At the Apostolic Council, such demands from pagans turning to faith were generally abolished, and the claim of Judaizing Christians, who considered observance of the Law of Moses necessary for the justification of everyone who believes in Christ, was rejected. The Apostle Paul, a zealot for the freedom of the pagans from the law, did not demand from Timothy in this sense that he be circumcised, but, as St. Luke, only for the sake of the Jews who were in their place, who knew that he was the son of a pagan (Acts 16:3) and therefore could not easily get close to him either in the synagogues or in other places. Inspired by zeal to serve the cause of the Gospel, the young man unquestioningly fulfilled the desire of the Apostle. Then, perhaps, the Apostle honored him with dedication to serve the church in one of the lower degrees, and with the laying on of the Apostle’s hands, a special gift of the Holy Spirit was apparently revealed in the newly initiated one. The Apostle himself writes about this: do not neglect your gift that lives in you, which was given to you by prophecy (according to prophecy) with the laying on of the hands of the priesthood (1 Tim. 4:14). From the fact that the laying on of hands here is close to the prophecy about Timothy, we can conclude that the communication of this gift dates back to the first time of his Christianity, when the election of a young man as a minister of the church had to be based on prophetic approval. As for the degree to which Timothy was first elevated, we know nothing definite about this. In the letter closest to this event, the Apostle calls him not only by the general name of brother, but also especially by deacon or servant of God in the Gospel of Christ. (1 Sol. 3:2). Whether this indicates a hierarchical degree, we do not undertake to decide. In his last letter to Timothy, already a bishop, the Apostle gives him the title of Evangelist or evangelist (2 Tim. 1:5). This ministry could also belong to the deacon, as can be seen from the example of Philip (Acts 21:8). Be that as it may, but contrary to expectation, in the countries of Asia Minor there was not enough opportunity for spreading the preaching of the Gospel, and the Holy Spirit showed the evangelists the way to Europe. Through the labors of the Apostle Paul, churches were then founded in Macedonia and Achaia. And here the preachers of the Gospel encountered difficulties and obstacles, but they overcame everything with patience and the power of grace. At Philippi, Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned; in Solun, the indignation of the Jews forced them to prematurely stop their preaching and leave. In Veria they more readily accepted the Word of God, but the Jews of Thessaloniki outraged the people here too. However, the Apostle Paul, moving away from there, left Silas and Timothy here for the confirmation of those who believed, and when he learned about the difficult situation of the Christians of Thessaloniki, he sent Timothy to Thessaloniki. At this time, he himself was occupied with the great thought of entering into the fight against paganism in the very center of pagan enlightenment - in Athens. The city was full of idols and idol churches. Pagan philosophy, social education, free morals - everything aroused the spirit of the Apostle of Christ to expose human folly and to proclaim the truth of God. He was only waiting for his companions to open an accusatory sermon. But when he learned about the disasters that befell the Christians of Thessalonica, he preferred to send his Timothy to them. Unable to bear it any longer, he later wrote to the Thessalonians, we decided to remain alone in Athens and sent Timothy, our brother and servant of God and our co-worker in the gospel of Christ, to confirm you and comfort you in your faith, so that no one would waver in these sorrows. (1 Thess. 3:1-3). Timothy brought good news from Solun to the Apostle at a time when he, having left Athens, was already in Corinth (Acts 18:5). The Church of Thessaloniki was organized correctly and had its own leaders (1 Thessalonians 5:1–2). Everyone was encouraged by the Apostle's love and caring. But since his sermon was interrupted too early, there remained perplexities that required resolution. Confirming the good and clarifying the dark for the newly enlightened, the Apostle Paul sent his first Apostolic Epistle to Thessalonians. And in the inscription of this message he put not only his name, but also the names of his co-workers Silas and Timothy. The Apostle bestowed this honor on few. In addition to Silas, in this and another letter to the Church of Thessalonica, we also find the name of Sosthenes, the former arch-synagogue of Corinth, in one of the letters to the Church of Corinth. The name of Timothy appears in the inscriptions of five more letters. The question of the time of the second coming of Christ, which the Apostle touched upon in his first letter to Thessalonians, and which occupied the new believers too much, soon caused the Apostle to write a second letter to them, at the beginning of which the name of Timothy also appears along with Paul. Where this message was sent from, and therefore where Timothy was then, is difficult to determine. But judging by the proximity of this epistle to the first and the length of the Apostle Paul’s stay during this journey in Corinth, where he stayed for a year and a half (Acts 18:11), it is likely to conclude that this epistle was written from Corinth. Indeed, upon returning from Solun, Timothy, together with the Apostle Paul, worked in the gospel in Corinth. In his second letter to the Church of Corinth, affirming the wavering Christians, the Apostle wrote: our word came to you neither, that is, it was neither yes nor no. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and by Silvanus and Timothy, was not neither, but was in Himself (2 Cor. 1:18-19). The sermon in Corinth ends the story of the activities of the Apostle Paul during his second journey. Having repeatedly encountered the name of Timothy in it, seeing the various assignments assigned to him by Paul, in particularly difficult circumstances, we can conclude what importance the Apostle gave to the gifts, natural and grace-filled, and to the labors of his young colleague. In relation to the question of the canon of New Testament books, it seems very important for us that Timothy, who studied the Holy Scriptures from a young age and was early introduced by the Apostle into the preaching ministry, was in some way allowed to participate in his sacred writing activity, by including his name in the inscriptions of his first messages. The word of the Apostle, without a doubt, was especially dear to Timothy himself, as a complement to the lessons that he received from Paul, and which he might still need for his ministry. And therefore we have reason to think that the lists of messages in which the name of Timothy was displayed along with Pavlov were kept by Timothy for himself. Having thus begun a collection of the Apostle's epistles, with continued close relations with him, the faithful disciple could gradually replenish it with new epistles. Less known to us is the activity of Timothy during the third evangelistic journey of the Apostle Paul, which ended with his forcible imprisonment, first in Jerusalem, then in Caesarea! During this journey, the Apostle worked most in Ephesus, and with him we again see Timothy, to whom he subsequently entrusted the church of Ephesus. The city of Ephesus, due to its trade relations with other countries, due to its significance among the cities of Asia Minor, represented a very important field for missionary activity: therefore the Apostle chose it for his last labors in the East, intending, after the establishment of Christianity here, to transfer his activities to the West. His successes were enormous: adherents of the pagan ministry even came to the danger that the glory of Diana of Ephesus would soon fall. True, there were many obstacles from the Jews and pagans, but the power of God prevailed over everything. During these labors, the Apostle did not abandon his care for the other churches he founded. Thus, from here he wrote to the churches of Galatia. From Ephesus he found it necessary to send Timothy to Macedonia to visit the churches of Philippi and Thessalonica (Acts 19:22), and from here he instructed him to go further to Corinth (1 Cor. 4:17). Sending his letter to the Corinthians from Ephesus, he wrote: I pray you, be like me, as I am Christ. For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, whose child is beloved and faithful in the Lord, and who will remember my ways in Christ Jesus, as I teach everywhere and in every church (1 Cor. 4:16-17). If the Apostle could indicate in himself the image of Christ, then in Timothy he hoped to see the true likeness and reflection of his life, his way of thinking and acting. And loving him like a son, at the end of the letter he added a few more words about him: if Timothy comes, beware that you will have no fear: for he does the work of the Lord, just as I did. Yes, no one will humiliate him: send him away in peace, so that he may come to me: for I am waiting for him with his brethren (1 Cor. 16:10-11). The uprising of the pagans in Ephesus against the preaching of the Gospel, under the leadership of the silversmith Demetrius, forced the Apostle to leave this city. He went, as before, to Macedonia to say goodbye to her, and there he also found Timothy. From here, together with Timothy, he wrote his second letter to the Corinthian church (2 Cor. 1:1) and together with him he arrived in Corinth (Acts 19:21; 20:2). Anticipating the Roman Church about his intention to visit it in order to be comforted by the common faith, from Corinth the Apostle sent to it his great letter to the Romans, in which he explained all the reasons for the freedom of the pagans from the law preached by him and his aspirations for blind Israel. At the same time, he sends greetings to the Romans and from his colleagues, and among them he gives first place to Timothy, placing him above Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, whom he calls his relatives (Rom. 16:21). The Epistle to the Romans is the last of the epistles of the Apostle Paul, written before the bonds. In general, the most extensive and significant writings of the Apostle Paul belong to this period of Apostolic activity: an epistle to the Galatians, two to the Corinthians and an epistle to the Romans. None of those called by the Apostle to be collaborators could remain in the dark regarding these messages, which revealed the very essence of Christian doctrine and clarified the various relations of the parties that were already emerging in Christian society. And, of course, Timothy, who was with the Apostle, and in Ephesus, and in Macedonia, and in Korin, did not have any difficulty in acquiring copies of these messages for his congregation. From Macedonia, heading his way to Jerusalem to bring donations to the Church of Jerusalem from the Hellenic churches, and passing by Ephesus, the Apostle Paul summoned the shepherds of the churches of Asia Minor to him in Miletus. Timothy was hardly yet counted among them, but accompanying Paul (Acts 20:4), of course, he witnessed his prophetic instructions and a touching farewell to the shepherds of the abandoned churches. If not now, then later, the Apostle’s warning instructions against the fierce wolves who do not spare the flock of Christ were especially important to Pavlov’s colleague and the Bishop of Ephesus (Acts 20:29–30). In Jerusalem, the long-standing anger of the Jews who were indignant against him broke out over Paul. The reason for this was that they saw him in the Jewish temple with one of the pagan converts to the Christian faith, Trophimus of Ephesus. The presence of an uncircumcised man in the church seemed to them a desecration of the church, and the Asian Jews raised up all the people in Jerusalem against him (Acts 21). In this event, it was revealed how providential it was for the ministry of the Apostle that Paul, at one time, subjected his other disciple, Timothy, to circumcision. Jerusalem, and then Caesarea, delayed for a long time the tireless activity of the evangelist of the Gospel. Paul spent two years in prison. What Timothy did during all this time is not visible either from the writings of Pavlov or from the book of Acts. Without a doubt, taking advantage of his freedom, he replaced his teacher with his jealousy and his labors. But when Paul, by order of Festus, was sent to Rome to justify himself before Caesar, Timothy is again seen with him. His name appears, along with the name of the Apostle, in his letters to the churches of Philippi and Colossian and to Philemon. In Rome, as an evangelist himself, he served Paul along with other future Evangelists: Mark, the nephew of Barnabas, and Luke (Col. 4:10,14; Phil. 24). But without keeping Timothy with him, the Apostle entrusted him with an overview of the churches that he had previously founded in the East. Where the Apostle first sent his disciple from Rome is not visible, but it is certain that he intended to entrust him with a visit to the Church of Philippi. I hope in the Lord Jesus, he wrote to Philippi, to soon send Timothy to you, so that I, having learned about your circumstances, may be comforted in spirit. For I have no one equally zealous who would so sincerely care about you; because everyone seeks their own, and not what pleases Jesus Christ. And his faithfulness is known to you, because, as a son to his father, he served me in the gospel (Phil. 2:19-22). Such a review of a student, after a long trial, under the most difficult circumstances, in Jerusalem, Caesarea and Rome, among many other employees, is of particular value. Everyone seeks their own, says the Apostle; and Timothy, therefore, is alien to any self-interest. The Apostle does not have a person with whom he would be as close and to his soul as with Timothy. And the Philippian Church does not have a person who would be more sincerely concerned about its true prosperity than Timothy, although he himself is not from Macedonia. Love for Jesus Christ, love for his Master, like a son for his father, made him a slave of the Gospel. It was he who the Apostle suggested sending again to the place of his and his previous activities, in the hope of being there himself, as soon as he learned the decision of his fate. I am confident in the Lord, adds the Apostle, that I myself will soon come to you. ( Philip.2:24 ). The last words show that the circumstances of the eastern churches, from which the Apostle thought to be separated forever (Acts 20:25), forced him to temporarily abandon his proposed trip to Spain (Rom. 15:24). He saw the need for personal orders locally, in Macedonia and then even more so in Asia Minor. He wrote to Philemon to prepare a room for him; for, he says, I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you (Phil. 2:22). St. Ignatius the God-Bearer writes in his letter to the Ephesians (chapter 3) that the bishops placed at the ends of the earth were established according to the thought of Jesus Christ. The Bishop of Antioch, a disciple of the Apostle, of course, knew what he was saying, he knew by whose institution he bears this great dignity. This rank was finally awarded to the Apostle, who was already approaching the end of his earthly career, and to his beloved child, Timothy, despite his relatively young years, and he himself visited the Church of Ephesus with him (1 Tim. 1:3). But since the needs of other churches did not allow him to stay in Ephesus for a long time, entrusting the affairs to his collaborator, probably from Macedonia, where he went, Paul wrote to him the first of his pastoral letters, in which he partly supplemented his oral instructions, and partly gave authority to the actions and orders of the new shepherd of the church. He repeatedly repeats to Timothy: remain in teaching, that is, in teaching, in order to save yourself and those who listen (1 Tim. 4:12-16). Gives him rules regarding public prayers, - the election of church pastors for the country, and other ministers of the sacraments; determines the rights and duties of the bishop; following the example of the Church of Jerusalem, arranges church guardianship for widows; strikes with his judgment the opponents of pure faith, or preachers of false knowledge (gnosis), rejecting his fables, genealogies and empty research. Whether after that the Apostle was again in Ephesus, where he promised to personally complete the church structure (1 Tim. 3:14), is not visible. But from the brief instructions found in his second letter to Timothy, it is revealed that shortly before that he was in Corinth, where he left Erastus (2 Tim. 4:20), was in Troas, where he left some books (2 Tim. 4:13), was in Miletus, where he left the sick Trophimus (2 Tim. 4:20). The Apostle wrote his last letter to Timothy again in prison, from Rome, and with this letter he called Timothy to him together with Mark (2 Tim. 4:11). Inviting them to him, although he does not deprive himself of the hope of seeing his beloved disciple: nevertheless, in this message the last orders of the man departing from this world are clearly expressed, who could say about himself without committing himself: he fought a good fight, passed away, kept the faith, and now has one concern, so that the successors of his ministry act with the same zeal as the Apostle himself. But abide in them, for you have been taught and entrusted with the essence (2 Tim. 3:14). I charge you before God and our Lord Jesus Christ, who wants to judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word. (2 Tim. 4:1-2) Have the pattern of sound words, which you have heard from me (2 Tim. 1:13). Finishing the review of the second series of letters of the Apostle Paul, written from the time of his first imprisonment, we find that most of them should have been in the hands of Timothy. Keeping with the assumption made above that he certainly left with himself lists of those epistles that were written in his presence and sent with the inscription of his name, along with Paul’s, we must assume that the Bishop of Ephesus had lists of epistles to the Philippians, to the Colossians and to Philemon. The letters to the Ephesians and two to Timothy were in the originals. We repeat, just respect for the face of a high mentor is enough for a faithful student to keep lists of his creations. If we take into account the authority of the Apostle, as the messenger of Jesus Christ, who abounded in spiritual gifts more than many of his brethren, and on the other hand, we keep in mind the need for the shepherd to guide the Apostolic word in the field of his activities, and the own zeal of his beloved disciple Pavlov in defending the truth of Christ; then there will be no doubt that the shepherd of Ephesus collected for his church everything that was possible from the writings of the Apostle Paul. The Apostle himself indicated that some of his epistles should be read in other churches (Col. 4:16). Thus, their lists naturally had to multiply and move from one church to another, uniting into more or less complete congregations. And in the Church of Ephesus it was very convenient for them to unite in large numbers, and, moreover, first-hand, and with direct evidence of their authenticity, through the Bishop of Ephesus and Pavlov’s disciple, Timothy. After the Apostle Paul, more than the other Apostles, the beloved disciple of Christ John left us writings, of whom we have the Gospel, three Epistles and Revelation, or Apocalypse. The last years of his life also belonged to the Church of Ephesus. His writings also date from this period of his life. Consequently, they should have been preserved here and from here spread to other churches. The stay of the Apostle John in Ephesus is attested to by St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, who, in his youth, himself being a disciple of St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, a direct disciple of John the Theologian, well remembered the conversations of his mentor about the time when he lived and treated the Apostle and others who saw the Lord 1. St. Irenaeus directly writes: “The Church of Ephesus, founded by Paul, due to the presence of John in it even until the time of Trajan, is the true witness of the Apostolic tradition” 2. Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus in the second half of the second century, mentions that John, who reclined on the Lord's chest, rested in Ephesus 3. We do not cite other later witnesses. When St. John moved to Ephesus and what particularly attracted him here is unknown to us. But the letters of the Apostle Paul to Timothy give us the right to conclude that before the suffering and death of the founder of the Church of Ephesus, Paul, John had not yet lived there; in them there is not even a hint of the presence of Christ’s beloved disciple there. From the letters of the Apostle Paul to the Galatians, we know that John, together with James, Bishop of Jerusalem, and the Apostle Peter, gave Paul's hand, that is, they agreed that Paul would preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, and they would act among the Jews (Galatians 2:9). But when the Apostle was gone, and the preaching of the Gospel among the pagans spread with extraordinary speed, meanwhile Jerusalem underwent final destruction and the Jews were scattered everywhere; then the Church of Ephesus could especially attract the attention of the last witness of the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the cities of Asia Minor the beginnings of a Gnostic mixture of the truth of the Gospel with the inventions of superstition and alien beliefs have already begun to appear. The Church of Ephesus, which took precedence among all the churches of Asia Minor, as the Apostle Paul foresaw, was most in danger from such false teachers. The relations of Ephesus with other cities and regions, with the favorable coastal position of the city, opened up the most extensive opportunities for the spread of the Gospel from here, as well as for opponents of the truth. In the second half of the Apostolic century, Apollonius of Tyana taught and acted here, whom blind paganism, clothed in mythical clothing, wanted to contrast with Jesus Christ. Here one of the oldest Gnostics, Cerinthos, preached his false teaching. Here, at the beginning of the next century, St. Justin the philosopher argues with Tryphon the Jew. Ephesus represented so many hostile elements to the young Christian church even after the long labors of the Apostle of the Languages! During the persecution of Domitian, as Eusebius testifies, St. John was persecuted by the pagans; According to Western legends, he was in Rome, and there he was thrown into boiling oil, but remained unharmed. Upon returning from imprisonment on the island of Patmos, he again settled in Ephesus, and was engaged in the establishment of the local and other churches in Asia Minor. Thus, the Church of Ephesus, more than all other churches, had the opportunity to benefit from the instructions and leadership of the Apostle. St. Apostle Paul wrote to the Church of Ephesus that Christ gave his church two Apostles, two prophets, two evangelists, and two shepherds and teachers (Eph. 4:11). The Church of Ephesus, represented by St. John the Theologian had all her egos inseparably: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd and Teacher. A rumor arose between Christians, which is mentioned at the end of the Gospel of John, that the disciple did not die, as if according to the promise of the Lord. John himself did not promise himself such immortality, and, prompted by the requests of his spiritual children, from whom sooner or later he had to be separated, he decided to leave them his story about the life, teaching, suffering, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the confirmation of believers in His name. St. Irenaeus 4 testifies that the false teaching of the Nicolaitans and Cerinthos was an external incentive to ask the Apostle to refute the false wisdom of the heretics by expounding the true teaching of Jesus Christ. This is how the Gospel of St. John. The Church of Ephesus in it received written confirmation of the sermon that it heard from the lips of the Evangelist, and which in turn confirmed the teaching of the Apostle, expanding and directing it, according to new needs, against new false teachers. The first letter of the Apostle John was probably addressed to the same Church of Ephesus, with particular insistence reminding believers of the commandment of love and revealing the main signs by which false teachers can be recognized. In addition, the fruit of John's pastoral care remained his two short epistles, to Kyria or the lady, and to Gaius. Their preservation along with other Apostolic writings, despite their brevity and private purpose, is most conveniently explained by the care of the surrounding saints. John in the last time, and therefore directly points to Ephesus. Finally, the book of Revelation about the destinies of the future church, written in captivity for the word of God, first of all should have become known to the church of Ephesus because St. John, from captivity, again settled in Ephesus, and because of the seven apocalyptic epistles (chapters 2 and 3), the first, at the command of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, was addressed to the Church of Ephesus (Apoc. 2:1). Thus, in the Church of Ephesus, all the writings of St. known to us. John, even during his lifetime, could easily have been collected, combined with the writings of the Apostle Paul, and from here spread to all countries. Therefore, it is not surprising that for a long time a tradition was kept in the church that an authentic, handwritten copy of the Gospel of St. John 5. This is the abundance of the Apostolic writings that the Church of Ephesus possessed, above all others, as well as the long activity in it of the Apostle Paul and then St. John the Theologian, explain to us why the tares of false teaching, especially the Gnostics, could not spread here for a long time. The purity of faith of the Church of Ephesus was witnessed by the apocalyptic letter of the Apostle John (Apoc.2:2-6), and later confirmed by St. Ignatius the God-Bearer, based on the review of Bishop Onesimus of Ephesus. “Onesimus himself,” writes St. Ignatius, extremely praises your well-ordered behavior in God, that you all live as the truth demands, and that you have no heresy, but that you do not listen to anyone except Jesus Christ, who preaches the truth.” 6 To him who has it will be given everywhere, said the Lord (Matt. 25:29), indicating that every spiritual gift does not decrease from use, but increases and develops, through the action of grace. Likewise, the gift of the Word of God, arousing a thirst for hearing it, naturally should have disposed the pastors of the Church of Ephesus to find and acquire writings that bore the names of other Apostles and their collaborators. The instructions of the Apostles Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:21) and John (1 John 4:1) distinguish the spirits, or directions in which different teachers acted at that time, without a doubt indicating direct means for distinguishing true apostolic epistles from false ones, pure ones from distorted ones. St. John the Theologian, at the conclusion of his Apocalypse, laid down a terrible threat against those who would decide to either add anything to the words of the prophecy of his book, or take away from it (Rev. 22:18–19). His strict commandment was supposed to sharpen the attention and legibility of the shepherds, who received the writings dedicated to other churches and persons; and in some cases, even more accurately, the testimony of the Apostle and Evangelist John himself could guide them in this. Thus, according to church traditions, it is known, and even from the content of the Gospel of John, it is clear that this Gospel, confirming the truth of the previously written first three Gospels, had the goal of completing their narrative with a description of such events and speeches of the Savior that were omitted by them, and indicating the chronological limits among which they took place, to determine more precisely the course of the Gospel events. Thus Eusebius writes: “they say that the three Gospels written before, which were distributed everywhere and reached him (John), he accepted, testified to their truth, but began with Theology, as provided to him by the spirit of God, due to his superiority over others” 7 . Eusebius here has in mind the inspired introduction to the Gospel of John, which contains the essence of the teaching about God the Word, as if extracted from the content of the whole Gospel, according to which the teachers of Alexandria called his Gospel primarily “spiritual” 8. The Eusebius tradition is confirmed with even greater detail by Bishop Theodore of Moisuesta, famous for his interpretative works. From this it is revealed that St. John knew the first three Gospels and were approved by him as reliable; they were also in the hands of the Christians of Ephesus, at whose request they were supplemented with John’s own account of the Gospel events. This should have been the end of the series of Gospel narratives, which had a guarantee of authenticity, as written by eyewitnesses of the events themselves, or at least witnessed by them. Thus, a canon of the four God-given Gospels was compiled in Ephesus. The position of the Christians of Ephesus opened up the opportunity for them to be the first readers of the letters of the Apostle Peter. His first message, according to the inscription, was also intended for Christians in Asia, where the main city was Ephesus; and the second says of itself that it was written to the same churches to which the first was written (2 Peter 3:1). The Apostle Peter, although he determined for himself the circle of action primarily among the circumcision, that is, the Jews, and the churches of Asia Minor, founded by the Apostle Paul, consisted mostly of converted pagans; but the turmoil and disasters that Christians suffered, partly from false teachers, partly from unbelievers, also caused the leading Apostle to confirm the Christians of Asia Minor in the conviction that the grace of salvation in which they stand is true (1 Peter 5:12). Distinguishing himself from the first preachers of the Gospel who worked in these countries, at the same time he felt the need to testify to his complete agreement with the founder of many churches Asia Minor, Apostle Paul. Particularly noteworthy is the similarity of Petrov's first letter with the two letters of the Apostle Paul, to the Romans and to Ephesians 10. And in his second letter, the Apostle Peter even deliberately mentions the letters of Paul, defending them from criticism from the ignorant and unconfirmed (2 Peter 3:16). Such a close relationship of Petrov’s epistles to the Christians of Asia Minor in general, and to those of Ephesus in particular, gives the right to conclude that lists of Petrov’s epistles were soon delivered to Paul’s disciples and co-workers in Ephesus, according to their purpose for the “elect” in Asia (1 Peter 1:1). Let us also remember that Silvanus, whom the Apostle Peter used to write his first epistle, and Mark, from whom he sends greetings (1 Peter 5:12–14), were both colleagues of the Apostle Paul, together with Timothy (2 Cor. 1:19), and recently Mark was with Timothy in Ephesus (2 Tim. 4:11). So in the Church of Ephesus, during the lifetime of the Apostles themselves, a collection of the epistles of the Apostles Paul, Peter and John could and should have been compiled. We are convinced of this, one might say, by clear traces of the then existing relations between the churches and individuals, seen in these writings themselves. We did not say anything about the letters of the Apostle Paul to Titus and to the Hebrews, because in the circumstances we examined we did not find a direct relationship between these letters to the members of the Church of Ephesus; they did not mention the book of Acts; The ways by which the messages of St. Apostles James and Jude. But as for the first, that is, the epistle to Titus, one should not ignore its similarity with the first epistle to Timothy: the similarity of the position of both persons to whom these epistles were written gave rise to identical instructions from the Apostle, and could just as easily have united them in the hands of newly appointed shepherds. The Epistle to the Hebrews, according to the mention of Timothy (Heb. 13:23), should have been written to a church that knew him well, valued information about his situation, and could expect him to come to them along with Paul. With such a relationship between this church and Timothy, of course, this message could not remain unknown to him. The Book of Acts, constituting the second word of the Evangelist Luke, naturally had to be distributed along with the first, that is, with the Gospel. As for the epistles of the Apostles James and Jude, one might think that they also remained unknown in Ephsah for a long time. The Epistle of James, intended for the converted Jews in dispersion (James 1:1), applied in part to the Church of Ephesus, since in its midst there were also those who formerly belonged to the Church of Judea (Acts 19:10,17; 20:21). The Epistle of the Apostle Jude is closely related to the second Epistle of Peter in denouncing the same false teachers, and both of them explain each other and confirm each other (2 Peter 3). These false teachers, as can be seen from the letters of the Apostle John (in the Apocalypse) and Paul, acted primarily in Asia Minor. Based on the above considerations, we can conclude that the collection of St. books of the New Testament and the establishment of their canonical dignity most likely could and should have taken place in the Church of Ephesus. St. John the Theologian, who spent the last years of his life in Ephesus and died here, was the last of the figures chosen by Jesus Christ himself to spread his kingdom on earth. After him, there was no one to expect writings of equal dignity to those of the Apostles, and, probably, there was nothing left to collect from what had previously been written by the Apostles. The Apostle John, who lived for a long time in Palestine, knew what was there. The disciples of the Apostles Peter and Paul knew what came out of the hands of these holy Apostles. Epistle to Florus, in the Church. Histor. Eusevia. V, 20. Against Heresies III, 3. In Eusebius III, 23. Commentar. In Iohan. Patrolog. Graec. Curs. Complete. T.66. p.728. Introduction to the New Testament Books of the Holy Scriptures Garike. I. c. 241 approx. 12.