Describe in your own words, the three major criteria the twenty-seven books of the New Testament had to meet to be included in the New Testament.

[Austin]

In order to be included in the New Testament, each book had to meet three criteria:
1. Consistency – The message of each book had to be consistent with and not contradict previous scripture.
2. Catholicity – The writings had to be universally accepted beyond one particular sect of Christianity. They had to be relevant to a wide variety of
Christians.
3. Apostolic Authority – Each book needed to be written either by an apostle or a close companion of an apostle.

[Austin]

To be included in the New Testament, the 27 books had to include a high degree of consistency, catholicity, and apostolic authority. The books had to be consistent with the Old Testament, adhering to and being coherent with what had been written as the Word of God. The new books had to have a widespread acceptance as the Truth. Finally there had to be an abundance to evidence to render plausible that the books had actually been written by an apostle or close associate.