A volume of texts and translations of canon-lists in early Christianity, specifically from the first four centuries CE on the grounds that this is the most formative period in the development of the early Christian canon.

The authors provide a helpful source book on one significant aspect of the nature and development of the ancient Christian canon of Scripture that will be of use in discussing issues of New Testament introduction and in examining the role of apocryphal writings in ancient Christianity.

The primary virtue of the book is that it brings together in one volume essentially all the canon lists and relevant commentary from the primary and secondary literature. The volume will be a boon to those who research or teach on the biblical canon, and the book will save its users significant time in locating the standard information in the field

Further work on the biblical canon from these two scholars is a desideratum. Their focus on a neglected element of canon studies could be usefully placed into a more general introduction to the canon debate. Such work could help students and scholars assimilate late their research into the broader discussion of the biblical canon. That they have produced such a useful work on one element of the canon debate bate, suggests that they may have more to contribute to the field of canon studies.

Gallagher and Meade supply commentary on the canon lists to assist the reader's engagement with the primary sources, but their chief aim is that readers would study the lists themselves and process their own questions about the history of the biblical canon in conversation with the ancient church. It is the contention of this reviewer that they accomplished their goal ... The extensive analytical footnotes merit a final commendation of BCLEC. These footnotes comment on the text and translation of the canon lists and offer extensive secondary literature on the canon list under discussion. They frequently present a range of interpretive options and exercise caution where caution is due.

will be a useful resource for readers who wish to engage academically with how the Christian Bible came to take the forms in which it is found today.

Gallagher and Meade have provided a useful and much-needed tool in the study of the biblical canon. No doubt it will be a key resource for anyone wishing to explore the reception history of either the Old or New Testament.

[Gallagher and Meade] have produced what I think may well remain the standard volume on canon lists that scholars and students alike will appreciate for years to come. I heartily recommend this impressive volume.

[T]his book is a valuable compendium of sources and summaries of scholarship pertaining to the history of the formation of the biblical canons... [A] valuable reference to students and researchers at all levels.

Readers interested in the history of the Christian canon will find a helpful resource in this single-volume compilation of the biblical canon lists from the first four Christian centuries... This is an excellent and detailed compilation of primary sources for the study of the Christian canon.

The Biblical Canon Lists from Early Christianity is a unique, well-written, and clearly presented volume that provides both students and scholars with a valuable resource for the study of the canonical history of the biblical writings. Gallagher and Meade are to be commended for producing a definitive and up-to-date study of the early canon lists in an accessible format.

This is a reference text I envisage consulting frequently.

Edmon L. Gallagher is Associate Professor of Christian Scripture at Heritage Christian University in Florence, Alabama. He is the author of Hebrew Scripture in Patristic Biblical Theory (Brill, 2012). John D. Meade is Associate Professor at Phoenix Seminary in Phoenix, Arizona.