tlying communities where the doctrines of the
pre-existence of Christ and the identity of this pre-existent One with
the divine Logos were not recognised as the orthodox belief.[66] They
may have first become an "apostolic confession of faith" through the
Nicene Creed. But even this creed was not adopted all at once.

B. _The designation of selected writings read in the churches as New
Testament Scriptures or, in other words, as a collection of apostolic
writings_.[67]

Every word and every writing which testified of the [Greek: kurios]
(Lord) was originally regarded as emanating from him, that is, from his
spirit: [Greek: Hothen he kuriotes laleitai ekei Kurios estin]. (Didache
IV. 1; see also 1 Cor. XII. 3). Hence the contents were holy.[68] In
this sense the New Testament is a "residuary product," just as the idea
of its inspiration is a remnant of a much broader view. But on the other
hand, the New Testament is a new creation of the Church,[69] inasmuch as
it takes its place alongside of the Old--which through it has become a
complicated book for Christendom,--as a Catholic and apostolic
collection of Scriptures containing and attesting the truth.

Marcion had founded his conception of Christianity on a new canon of
Scripture,[70] which seems to have enjoyed the same authority among his
followers as was ascribed to the Old Testament in orthodox Christendom.
In the Gnostic schools, which likewise rejected the Old Testament
altogether or in part, Evangelic and Pauline writings were, by the
middle of the second century, treated as sacred texts and made use of to
confirm their theological speculations.[71] On the other hand, about the
year 150 the main body of Christendom had still no collection of Gospels
and Epistles possessing equal authority with the Old Testament, and,
apart from Apocalypses, no new writings at all, which as such, that is,
as sacred texts, were regarded as inspired and authoritative.[72] Here
we leave out of consideration that their content is a testimony of the
Spirit. From the works of Justin it is to be inferred that the ultimate
authorities were the Old Testament, the words of the Lord, and the
communications of Christian prophets.[73] The memoirs of the Apostles
([Greek: apomnemoneumata ton apostolon] = [Greek: ta euangelia]) owed
their significance solely to the fact that they recorded the words and
history of the Lord and bore witness to the fulfilment of Old Testament
predictions. There