What was the Muratorian fragment?

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TL;DR:

The Muratorian Fragment shows that Christians were recognizing most of the New Testament as Scripture long before church councils formally affirmed the canon. Far from being a fourth-century invention, the biblical canon was recognized, preserved, and passed down by early believers as God faithfully worked through His people.

what does the bible say?

The Muratorian fragment is believed to be a part of a Greek document from near the end of the second century. It includes lists containing 22 or 23 of the 27 books of the New Testament canon. Its significance is that it predates any formal church council on the canon, demonstrating that believers received the canon within the first hundred years after its completion, countering the notion that fourth-century scholars decided it. The books it references include: the four Gospels, Acts, thirteen Pauline epistles, Jude, 1–2 John, and Revelation. It omits Hebrews, James, 1–2 Peter, and 3 John, though it should be noted that because this is a fragment, it’s incomplete. Those other books may be listed in the lost portion. Note that we do not have a second-century copy of the Greek document. The fragment we have is from the fourth century and is a Latin translation. The name “Muratorian” comes from the name of its discoverer, Ludovico Antonio Muratori, an Italian scholar who discovered and published it in 1740. It exemplifies how God preserves His word through normal means (e.g., Deuteronomy 17:18; Ezra 7:6), strengthening our confidence that it teaches us everything we need to know to live godly lives (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

from the old testament

The Muratorian fragment dates to the second century and thus is not referenced in Scripture. However, it demonstrates that God uses ordinary means to pass along Scripture from one generation to another.
Some such examples from the Old Testament include kings making copies of the Law (Deuteronomy 17:18–19), prophets like Ezra also being skilled scribes (Ezra 7:6), and Moses’ careful recording of the Law and storing it for preservation (Deuteronomy 31:24–26).

from the new testament

Scripture is divine in nature because it’s the very breath of God, written down. This is why Paul said, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17).
The Muratorian fragment is an example of men and women carefully preserving Scripture and passing it along. Because the Holy Spirit illuminates believers to understand it (1 Corinthians 2:12–14), believers throughout history have been able to recognize what is truly Scripture, and why lists were already being made in the second century that separated canonical books from others. Councils in the fourth century merely affirmed what second-century believers already recognized as the canon.

implications for today

The Muratorian fragment is just one of several ancient documents from the second century that demonstrate the reliability of our biblical canon and are byproducts of Christians carefully copying and transmitting Scripture to future generations.

The Bible you read today is not the product of church councils or “secret groups” of assertive individuals promoting their particular ideological view of Christianity. It’s the result of believers having the illuminating work of the Spirit read and recognize God’s Word in community as the Spirit works through the church.

Don’t fall for some quarters of modern scholarship that arrogantly dismiss the testimony of those who lived far closer to the apostles than we do. Fragments such as this one show that there was significant early agreement on which books believers received as Scripture, and even the books they disagreed on show that Christians were carefully and seriously thinking them through. In the end, the books of the Bible are the books because God intended them to be included, and second-century believers began recognizing them as such early on.

Know, then, that when you read your Bible, you are truly reading His words (2 Timothy 3:16). More than a historical document, Scripture is God’s instructions on who He is, who we are, how we are called to live, what pleases Him, and how to be saved through Jesus. Open the Bible, not with the eyes of modern skepticism but as one ready to hear from God.

understand

The Muratorian fragment is a second-century canonical list that predates any formal church council, demonstrating that believers recognized the New Testament canon within the first hundred years after its completion.
The fragment lists 22 or 23 of the 27 New Testament books, omitting Hebrews, James, 1–2 Peter, and 3 John, though the fragment is incomplete and some of those books may appear in the lost portion.
The fragment exemplifies how God preserved His word through ordinary human means, such as kings copying the law, scribes transmitting it, and early believers recognizing and circulating apostolic writings.

reflect

How does the Muratorian fragment's early date challenge any views you may hold that the biblical canon was arbitrarily decided by powerful church leaders in the fourth century?
In what ways does knowing that early believers were already recognizing and listing canonical books within a hundred years of their completion strengthen your confidence in the reliability of the New Testament you hold today?
How does God’s preservation of His Word through ordinary people and processes deepen your understanding of how divine inspiration and human cooperation work together?

engage

How does the fact that fourth-century councils affirmed rather than invented the biblical canon clarify where the authority of Scripture ultimately comes from?
What does the Spirit's role in illuminating believers to recognize Scripture reveal about how the early church was able to identify canonical writings without a formal decision-making body?
What can the early church’s careful process of recognizing and passing down Scripture teach us about how we should approach the Bible today?

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