In the East, the 39th Festal Letter of Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, written in AD 367, contained an authoritative list of New Testament books, corresponding to the New Testament we know today.9 In the West, a Church council at Carthage in AD 397 agreed on the same list of authentic New Testament books. This list was called the “canon” of the New Testament, from the Greek word for “rule” or “standard”.10
