There is a myth that certain nefarious things occurred at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. One of these is that the four gospels of the New Testament were chosen and other gospels rejected at this council. The original source of this myth is a fictitious pseudo-historical account of early Church councils known as the Synodicon Vetus written in 887 AD. The French philosopher Voltaire popularized this false account in the 18th century, and Christian radical Robert Taylor revived it in the 19th. Though fully debunked, this trope goes on being popular today. The canon was decided by popular use over time. The first time the subject of the canon was brought up at an ecumenical council was at the Council of Trent in the 16th century.
My friends and I are getting old. The title of this blog implies posts I hope people in the future will read, even if there is little interest in them now. Hence the title, "Letters to the Living."