2026.09.07 | Stanley Porter and Benjamin P. Laird, eds. The New Testament Canon in Contemporary Research. Leiden: Brill, 2026. 656 pp., $185.00.
Review by Ched Spellman, Cedarville University
Stanley E. Porter and Benjamin P. Laird’s edited volume, The New Testament Canon in Contemporary Research, provides a wide-ranging examination of the historical formation, content, and reception of the New Testament canon. Bringing together twenty-three essays from scholars representing several different perspectives, the volume is organized around three major areas: the formation of the canon, the components of the canon, and the witnesses to the canon.
The first part considers the forces that contributed to canon formation, including inspiration, apostolicity, catholicity, the rule of faith, Gnosticism, Marcion, theological controversy, and ecclesiastical decisions. It also addresses the disputed chronology of canon formation, including competing arguments concerning when a recognizable core emerged and when the twenty-seven book New Testament became established.
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Biblical and Early Christian Studies 