Davidson begins by addressing the concept of "canon" itself, explaining its meaning as a collection of books deemed authoritative and inspired by God for guiding faith and practice. He then examines the historical context in which the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) was formed, discussing the development of the Jewish canon and the criteria used by Jewish scholars to determine which books were included.Moving to the New Testament, Davidson explores how the early Christian church determined which writings were authoritative. He traces the gradual recognition of the New Testament canon, discussing the role of church councils, early church fathers, and theological debates in shaping the final collection of 27 books. Davidson also covers the historical debates over apocryphal and deuterocanonical books, explaining why certain texts were excluded from the canon.