How the Bible Became Holy (Online) by Michael L. Satlow Traces the story of how, when, and why Jews and Christians gradually granted authority to texts we now know as Scripture. The Bible, Satlow maintains, was not the consecrated book it is now until quite late in its history.

How the Bible Became a Book: The Textualization of Ancient Israel by William M. Schniedewind Provides insight into why the biblical text came to have authority as Scripture and explores why Ancient Israel, an oral culture, began to write literature, challenging the assertion that widespread literacy first arose in Greece during the fifth century BCE.

The Canon Debate by Lee Martin McDonald; James A. Sanders How was the New Testament canon formed and closed? What role was played by Marcion? By gnostics? By the church fathers? What did the early church make of the apocrypha and pseudepigrapha? By what criteria have questions of canonicity been decided? Read to find out.

The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance by Bruce M. Metzger Provides information from Church history concerning the recognition of the canonical status of the books of the NT. Canonization was a long and gradual process of sifting through scores of gospels, epistles, and other books that enjoyed local and temporary authority.

The New Testament Canon: Its Making and Meaning by Harry Y. Gamble Argues that the history of the canon indicates that the contents of the New Testament were determined by the church on the basis of tradition