Why were none of the Apostolic fathers' writings included in the last canon accepted in the Ecumenical Councils?
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Why is it so that none of the Apostolic fathers' writings was included in the last canon accepted during the time of the Seven Ecumenical Councils?
By the "last canon" I mean the one that we have until today.
From the wikipedia article on the Development of the New Testament Canon I learned that Irenaeus of Lyons considered the letter to the Corinthians, known now as 1st Clement, and the Polycarp's Epistle to be of great worth.
Clement of Alexandria had a similar attitude to the 1st Clement.
And in the book "The Apostolic Constitutions", in the chapter named "The Canons of the Apostles", both of Clement's epistles are listed among the "sacred books of the New Testament" as it says there, and the list of books is attributed to the Twelve Apostles themselves:
> 85. Let the following books be esteemed venerable and holy by you, both of
> the clergy and laity. Of the Old Covenant: the five books of
> Moses—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; one of
> Joshua the son of Nun, one of the Judges, one of Ruth, four of the
> Kings, two of the Chronicles, two of Ezra, one of Esther, one of
> Judith, three of the Maccabees, one of Job, one hundred and fifty
> psalms; three books of Solomon—Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of
> Songs; sixteen prophets. And besides these, take care that your young
> persons learn the Wisdom of the very learned Sirach. But our sacred
> books, that is, those of the New Covenant, are these: the four Gospels
> of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; the fourteen Epistles of Paul; two
> Epistles of Peter, three of John, one of James, one of Jude; **two
> Epistles of Clement**; and the Constitutions dedicated to you the
> bishops by me Clement, in eight books; which it is not fit to publish
> before all, because of the mysteries contained in them; and the Acts
> of us the Apostles
Asked by brilliant
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Jun 9, 2015, 01:08 AM
Last activity: Oct 23, 2018, 01:14 AM
Last activity: Oct 23, 2018, 01:14 AM