C. Historical Books
11. Jeremiah 19. Lamentations 12. Ezekiel 20. Ecclesiastes 13. The Twelve (minor prophets) 21. Esther
C. Historical Books 22. Daniel 23. Ezra-Nehemiah 24. Chronicles (1&2)
The same three key tests of canonicity that applied to the Old Testament also applied to the New Testament. In the case of Mark and Luke/Acts, the authors were considered to be, in effect, the penmen for Peter and Paul respectively. James and Jude were written by Christ's half brothers. While Hebrews is the only New Testament book whose authorship is unknown for certain, its content is so in line with both the Old Testament and New Testament, that the early church concluded it must have been written by an apostolic associate. The 27 books of the New Testament have been universally accepted since c. A.D. 350– 400 as inspired by God.
Preservation
How can one be sure that the revealed and inspired, written word of God, which was recognized as canonical by the early church, has been handed down to this day without any loss of material? Furthermore, since one of the devil's prime concerns is to undermine the Bible, have the Scriptures survived this destructive onslaught? In the beginning, he denied God's word to Eve (Gen. 3:4). Satan later attempted to distort the Scripture in his wilderness encounter with Christ (Matt. 4:6–7). Through King Jehoiakim, he even attempted to literally destroy the word (Jer. 36:23). The battle for the Bible rages, but Scripture has and will continue to outlast its enemies.
God anticipated man's and Satan's malice towards the Scripture with divine promises to preserve his word. The very continued existence of Scripture is guaranteed in Isa. 40:8, "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever" (cf. 1 Pet. 1:25). This even means that no inspired Scripture has been lost in the past and still awaits rediscovery.
The actual content of Scripture will be perpetuated, both in heaven (Ps. 119:89) and on earth (Isa. 59:21). Thus the purposes of God, as published in the sacred writings, will never be thwarted, even in the least detail (cf. Matt. 5:18; 24:25;