Church History · About AD 170 to 200

The Muratorian Fragment: The Oldest List of New Testament Books

The Muratorian Fragment is the oldest known list of New Testament books, usually dated to the late 100s. It accepts most of our New Testament and rejects books written by false teachers. Around the same time, Irenaeus insisted there are four Gospels, no more and no fewer.

Read it in the Bible: Luke 1:1-4 Galatians 1:8 2 Timothy 3:16 2 Peter 3:16

The Muratorian Fragment is the oldest known list of New Testament books. Most scholars date the original to about AD 170 to 200, written in or near Rome. It accepts 22 or 23 of our 27 books and openly rejects writings by false teachers. Around the same time, Irenaeus of Lyons wrote that the church has four Gospels, no more and no fewer. Together they show that the heart of the New Testament was recognized long before any church council met.

What Is the Muratorian Fragment?

It is a short Latin text, about 85 lines long, found in a seventh or eighth century manuscript from the monastery of Bobbio in northern Italy. The Italian historian Ludovico Antonio Muratori discovered it in a library in Milan and published it in 1740, which is how it got his name. It is also called the Muratorian Canon.

The Latin is rough, and the copyist made plenty of mistakes. Most scholars think it is a translation of a Greek original. The beginning and end are missing, which is why it is called a fragment. It starts mid sentence, like someone tore off the top of the page. Every church historian wishes they could find that missing piece.

When Was the Muratorian Fragment Written?

The text says the Shepherd of Hermas was written very recently, in our times, while Pius was bishop of Rome. Pius led the church in Rome around AD 140 to 155. That is the main reason most scholars date the list to the late second century. A minority of scholars argue for the 300s, closer to the time of Athanasius. The traditional and majority view remains the late 100s.

Which Books Does the Muratorian Fragment Include?

The surviving text lists:

Gospels: it begins with the end of a line about Mark, then calls Luke the third Gospel and John the fourth. Matthew was almost certainly in the missing opening.
Acts, which it credits to Luke.
Thirteen letters of Paul: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Philemon, Titus, and 1 and 2 Timothy.
Jude and two letters of John.
Revelation.

It does not mention Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, or one of John's letters. That does not always mean the author rejected them. Some may have dropped out in the damaged text, and some were still being discussed in parts of the church.

Luke explains why the early church cared so much about books tied to eyewitnesses.

Many have undertaken to compose an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Luke 1:1 to 2

Which Books Does It Reject?

The fragment is just as clear about what does not belong. It rejects two letters forged in Paul's name, one to the Laodiceans and one to the Alexandrians, saying they were made up to support the teaching of Marcion. It also rejects writings by the false teachers Valentinus, Basilides and others.

It also mentions a few borderline books. It accepts the Wisdom of Solomon, and it says some churches read the Apocalypse of Peter while others do not. It says the Shepherd of Hermas may be read privately but not in church as Scripture, because it was too recent to be from the apostles. That last point shows the test the early church used: did this book come from the apostles and their circle?

What Did Irenaeus Say About the Four Gospels?

Irenaeus was bishop of Lyons in what is now France, and as a boy he had heard Polycarp, the student of John. About AD 180 he wrote a five volume work usually called Against Heresies. In book 3 he argued that there are exactly four Gospels. He compared them to the four corners of the world and the four winds, saying it is not possible for the Gospels to be more or fewer than four.

His point was not that the number four is magic. He was saying the church had received Matthew, Mark, Luke and John from the apostles and would not swap them out or add to them. Irenaeus quoted from almost every book of our New Testament.

Who Were the Gnostics?

Irenaeus was writing against groups we now call Gnostics, from the Greek word gnosis, meaning knowledge. They taught that the physical world was bad, that a lesser god made it, and that salvation came through secret knowledge for a few insiders. Many denied that Jesus had a real body.

Gnostic teachers produced their own gospels, such as the Gospel of Truth and the Gospel of Judas, which Irenaeus mentions by name. These were written in the second century or later, long after the apostles. Many of them were found again in 1945 at Nag Hammadi in Egypt. The FAQ on this site called What About the Gnostic Gospels explains why the early church did not accept them.

Paul had warned that some would try to change the message.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! Galatians 1:8

Why the Muratorian Fragment Matters Today

You will sometimes hear that the church picked the books of the Bible hundreds of years later, or that the Council of Nicaea voted on them. The Muratorian Fragment and Irenaeus show that is not how it happened. By the late 100s, the four Gospels, Acts, Paul's letters and Revelation were already treated as Scripture across the church. Later lists, like the one by Athanasius in 367, confirmed what Christians had been reading for generations.

The church did not create the New Testament. It recognized the books God had already given through the apostles, the same books that point us to Jesus.

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8

Get Nate's Highlighting Guide Free

Free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Questions People Ask

What is the Muratorian Fragment?

It is the oldest known list of New Testament books, a short Latin text found in Milan and published by Ludovico Antonio Muratori in 1740. The original was probably written around AD 170 to 200. It accepts most of our New Testament and rejects books by false teachers.

Which New Testament books are missing from the Muratorian Fragment?

The surviving text does not mention Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter or one of John's letters. Matthew is also missing, but it was almost certainly in the lost opening lines. Some books may have dropped out because the text is damaged.

Why did Irenaeus say there are four Gospels?

About AD 180, in Against Heresies, Irenaeus argued that the church had received exactly four Gospels from the apostles: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. He compared them to the four winds and four corners of the earth. He wrote against Gnostic groups who used other gospels.

Did the early church accept the Gnostic gospels?

No. Church leaders like Irenaeus rejected them because they were written later than the apostles and taught ideas that contradicted the apostles' teaching, such as denying that Jesus had a real body. Most were written in the second century or later.

Sources

← Polycarp: 86 Years I Have Served Him Rome's Great Persecutions: Decius and Diocletian →

See the whole Church History