The book is dedicated to events from the history of the church concerning issues of giving canonical status to the books of the New Testament. The formation of the canon was a long and gradual process of sifting out dozens of gospels, epistles and other books that had local or temporary recognition; Some of them we were able to read only recently, thanks to the discoveries of Nag Hammadi. Professor Metzger raises other questions, such as which version of the text should be considered canonical; whether the formation of the canon is completed; whether the canon should be sought within the canon itself; and “whether the canon is a collection of authoritative books or an authoritative collection of books.” The book is addressed to teachers, students, clergy, catechists.

“Metzger’s views are prudent and restrained... Carefully organized factual information with many details, a detailed bibliography make this "A very valuable book, not only because it is a thorough historical study, but also a significant contribution to modern scholarship." American Historical Review

“This book, like Metzger’s previous works on textual criticism and early manuscripts, is destined to become a standard in its field.” Restoration Quarterly

Approved by the Council on Theology of the Educational and Methodological Association for Classical University Education as a textbook benefits for students of higher educational institutions