>>3638341 mootblock>>Council of CarthageThe council that formed an undisputed decision on the canon took place at Carthage in 397, sixty years after Constantine's death. However, long before Constantine, 21 books were acknowledged by all Christians (the 4 Gospels, Acts, 13 Paul, 1 Peter, 1 John, Revelation). There were 10 disputed books (Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2-3 John, Jude, Ps-Barnabas, Hermas, Didache, Gospel of Hebrews) and several that most all considered heretical-Gospels of Peter, Thomas, Matthaias, Acts of Andrew, John, etc.
>>was the assembly also by divine inspiration?No...Only the word of God was divinely inspired.
Everything else was done by men.
HOWEVER, that is not to say that the decisions they arrived at are fallible. You see, it was God, and God alone, who determined which books belonged in the Bible.
It was simply a matter of God convincing His followers of what He had already decided upon. The human process of collecting the books of the Bible was flawed, but God, in His sovereignty, and despite our ignorance and stubbornness, brought the early church to the recognition of the books He had inspired.
The councils followed something similar to the following principles to determine whether a New Testament book was truly inspired by the Holy Spirit:
(1.) Was the author an apostle or have a close connection with an apostle?
(2.) Is the book being accepted by the Body of Christ at large?
(3.) Did the book contain consistency of doctrine and orthodox teaching?
(4.) Did the book bear evidence of high moral and spiritual values that would reflect a work of the Holy Spirit?
Again, it is crucial to remember that the church did not determine the canon. No early church council decided on the canon. It was God, and God alone, who determined which books belonged in the Bible.