Variuous groups were rejected, notably the Gnostic Christians. People like Marcion, (decried by The Roman Church as a heretic) were excommunicated for his views that were not accepted by early church fathers.
Gnostic groups were always rejected by the early church fathers. We have Paul's warning regading the false gnosis to Timothy: Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.
We have the Polycarp's (a disciple of the Apostle John) reaction to Marcion in Iraneaus' Against Heresies :
"But Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and acquainted with many that had seen Christ, but was also appointed by apostles in Asia bishop of the church of Smyrna. We too saw him in our early youth; for he lived a long time, and died, when a very old man, a glorious and most illustrious martyr's death, having always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, which the Church also hands down, and which alone are true.
To provide you with some background, Against Heresies was written far before the Church became a political institution. Polycarp was second in line after John's death. Marcion was a founder of a gnostic sect.
In addition, the works of the early church fathers demonstrate that they had definite viewpoints, and used the scrolls and citations that were available to them to prop up their beliefs.
Well of course. What did you expect, that they have no viewpoints? They did. They taught what they had learned from their predecessors, which in turn learned it in a chain back to the Apostles.
The bible canon was commisioned after the Church became the official state religion. The establishment of the Church was itself a political exercise.
The Church was established in the 1st C. Not the 4th.
I think the opposite of the question is: What is the basis for the claim that the bible is a product of holy spirit? Thousand of scrolls, with tons of variant readings, held among various groups and tribes is what one finds as to how the bible came around.
The Church founded by Jesus Christ said that these Scriptures in the Christian Bible are divinely inspired. This is the same Church of which Christ said: on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
I don't believe in the Christianity because of the Bible. I believe in the Bible because of the Christian Church. The Christian Church wrote the writings, preserved them, transmitted them, and taught which ones were inspired. When there were issues about which ones were authentic, a Council was made where all the Episkopoi rendered their decision as a body. This is no different than what we see in the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15.
ATJ, Have you studied any SOURCE documents? Have you read any of the Anti-Nicene Fathers? Have you read any of the ancient Church histories, such as for example Eusebius'? I doubt it.
http://www.ccel.org/
BTS
