Most people take the New Testament for granted. We open to the table of contents, see the 27 books from Matthew to Revelation, and assume it was always that way.

But in the early second century, the "Bible" as we know it didn't exist. Instead, there was a chaotic explosion of letters, memoirs, and "secret" gospels circulating through the Roman Empire. Some of these books were beloved, read in every church, and almost made the final cut—yet they were ultimately rejected. Others were discarded, then brought back, while some were burned by the state.

‍In this week’s video, we go behind the scenes of a high-stakes historical mystery:

‍The "Mutilated" List: Meet the man who tried to delete almost the entire New Testament to fit his own "crazy" philosophy—and how his actions forced the early church to finally draw a line in the sand.
‍The Survival Test: Imagine being told by a Roman official to hand over your sacred books to be burned or face execution. Which books would you be willing to die for, and which ones would you hand over to save your life?
‍The Missing Seven: Why were seven books of our current New Testament—including Revelation and Hebrews—initially disputed or rejected by the earliest Christians?
‍The "Almost" Apostles: Discover the popular writings that the early church loved and respected, yet ultimately decided were not "breathed by God."

We are tracing the evidence left by men who actually sat at the feet of the Apostles. If you’ve ever wondered how we can be certain that the words we read today are the same ones written 2,000 years ago, you won't want to miss this next Session in our series of, “Why Only 27 Books in the New Testament?”.