Criteria for Canonization: The Choice of the Four Gospels
Response to your question can be formulated as follows. In early Christian tradition, the selection and recognition of these four Gospels as divinely inspired were based on a number of both historical and theological considerations.
Firstly, it is observed that by the second half of the first century there were exactly four texts that were perceived as the most authoritative and deserving of unconditional acceptance. For example, according to the statement, “Bishop of Lyon, a city in Gaul, France, Irenaeus writes: ‘Four Gospels, like the four corners of the world,’” which symbolically emphasizes the completeness and universality of their testimony (source: link txt).
Secondly, the authors of these texts were connected with the apostolic tradition. For instance, Origen, in his commentaries, notes that the first Gospel was composed according to the tradition of Matthew, and the second according to Mark, who was closely linked to the teachings of the apostle Peter (source: link txt). This connection fostered a high degree of trust in both the origin and the content of these sources.
Thirdly, alongside the historical and authoritative factors, the selection was also based on theological doctrine. It is believed that the existence of exactly four Gospels was determined by the Divine plan of salvation. This is expressed in the statement, “The existence of 4 Gospels is determined by the Divine plan of the Housekeeping of our salvation. The prophet Ezekiel… had visions in which four animals symbolized the character and content of each of the four Gospels” (source: link txt). This underscores not only the historical but also the prophetic significance of this selection.
Thus, the criteria for choosing these divinely inspired texts included the historical consistency of tradition, the connection with apostolic sources, and, importantly, theological justification, which was even expressed through symbolism embedded in the visions of ancient prophets. Only these four texts, which met all the aforementioned conditions, were recognized as canonical, as they presented a unified, unaltered testimony about the life, teachings, miracles, sufferings, death, and resurrection of Christ, thereby justifying their exceptional place in the canon.
Supporting citation(s):
“We have four Gospels.
The question arises: why four?… Irenaeus writes: ‘Four Gospels, like the four corners of the world,’ …” (source: link txt)
“The existence of 4 Gospels is determined by the Divine plan of the Housekeeping of our salvation. The prophet Ezekiel (1:4-25) had a vision of four animals…” (source: link txt)
“Among the four Gospels that are unconditionally accepted in the Church of God, … the first was written according to Matthew’s account … The second, by Mark, …” (source: link txt)