This is a subsidiary post of The Stages of New Testament Formation.
Key Figures: Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Papias, Marcion, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus of Lugdunum. For more, see Post-Apostolic Church Leaders – 1st through 5th Centuries.
Allert, Craig D. “The State of the New Testament Canon in the Second Century: Putting Tatian’s Diatessaron in Perspective” in Bulletin for Biblical Research 9 (1999) p. 1-18 (Institute for Biblical Research).
Farmer, William R. and Denis M Farkasfalvy. The Formation of the New Testament Canon: An Ecumenical Approach. Paulist Press, 1983, 182 pages. Both of these essays focus on second-century activity.
Hurtado, Larry W. “The New Testament in the Second Century: Text, Collections and Canon” in Transmission and Reception: New Testament Text-Critical and Exegetical Studies, eds. J.W. Childers & D. C. Parker. Gorgias Press, 2006. p. 3-27. Also available on Hurtado’s blog.