The New Testament apocrypha (singular apocryphon) are a number of writings by

early Christians Early Christianity, otherwise called the Early Church or Paleo-Christianity, describes the historical era of the Christian religion up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Christianity spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and bey ...

that give accounts of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

and his teachings, the nature of

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

, or the teachings of his

apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

and of their lives. Some of these writings were cited as

scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

by early Christians, but since the fifth century a widespread consensus has emerged limiting the New Testament to the 27 books of the modern canon. Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant churches generally do not view the New Testament apocrypha as part of the Bible.

Definition

The word ''

apocrypha Apocrypha () are biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of scripture, some of which might be of doubtful authorship or authenticity. In Christianity, the word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to ...

'' means 'things put away' or 'things hidden', originating from the

Medieval Latin Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. It was also the administrative language in the former Western Roman Empire, Roman Provinces of Mauretania, Numidi ...

adjective , 'secret' or 'non-canonical', which in turn originated from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

adjective (), 'obscure', from the verb (), 'to hide away'. in turn comes from the Greek prefix , meaning 'away', and the Greek verb , meaning 'to hide'. The general term is usually applied to the books that were considered by the church as useful, but not divinely inspired. As such, to refer to

Gnostic Gnosticism (from Ancient Greek: , romanized: ''gnōstikós'', Koine Greek: �nostiˈkos 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems that coalesced in the late 1st century AD among early Christian sects. These diverse g ...

writings as "apocryphal" is misleading since they would not be classified in the same category by orthodox believers. Often used by the Greek Fathers was the term

antilegomena ''Antilegomena'' (from Ancient Greek, Greek ) are written texts whose authenticity or value is disputed. Eusebius in his ''Church History (Eusebius), Church History'' (c. 325) used the term for those Christian scriptures that were "disputed", lite ...

, or 'spoken against', although some canonical books were also spoken against, such as the Apocalypse of John in the East. Often used by scholars is the term

pseudepigrapha A pseudepigraph (also :wikt:anglicized, anglicized as "pseudepigraphon") is a false attribution, falsely attributed work, a text whose claimed author is not the true author, or a work whose real author attributed it to a figure of the past. Th ...

, meaning 'falsely inscribed' or 'falsely attributed', in the sense that the writings were written by an anonymous author who appended the name of an apostle to his work, such as in the

Gospel of Peter The Gospel of Peter (), or the Gospel according to Peter, is an ancient text concerning Jesus Christ (title), Christ, only partially known today. Originally written in Koine Greek, it is a non-canonical gospel and was rejected as apocryphal by the ...

or the Ethiopic Apocalypse of Enoch: almost all books, in both Old and New Testaments, called "apocrypha" in the Protestant tradition are pseudepigrapha. In the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, what are called the apocrypha by Protestants include the

deuterocanonical The deuterocanonical books, meaning 'of, pertaining to, or constituting a second Biblical canon, canon', collectively known as the Deuterocanon (DC), are certain books and passages considered to be Biblical canon, canonical books of the Old ...

books: in the Catholic tradition, the term ''apocrypha'' is synonymous with what Protestants would call the pseudepigrapha, the latter term of which is almost exclusively used by scholars.

History

Development of the New Testament canon

That some works are categorized as New Testament apocrypha is indicative of the wide range of responses to the ministry of

. During the first centuries following Jesus' ministry, considerable debate was held in regards to safeguarding the authenticity of his teachings. Three key methods developed to address this survive to the present day:

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

, where groups authorize individuals as reliable teachers of the message;

creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) which summarizes its core tenets. Many Christian denominations use three creeds ...

s, where groups define the boundaries of interpretation of the message; and

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

s, which list the primary documents certain groups believe contain the message originally taught by Jesus. The first centuries of Christianity saw substantial debate in regards to which books should be included in the canons. In general, those books that the majority regarded as the earliest books about Jesus were the ones included. Books that were not accepted into the canons are now termed ''

l''; some were vigorously suppressed and survive only as fragments, or only in mention in the writings of those condemning them. The earliest lists of canonical works of the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

were not quite the same as modern lists; for example, the

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse or the Apocalypse of John, is the final book of the New Testament, and therefore the final book of the Bible#Christian Bible, Christian Bible. Written in Greek language, Greek, ...

was regarded as disputed by some Christians (see

Antilegomena ''Antilegomena'' (from Ancient Greek, Greek ) are written texts whose authenticity or value is disputed. Eusebius in his ''Church History (Eusebius), Church History'' (c. 325) used the term for those Christian scriptures that were "disputed", lite ...

), while the

Shepherd of Hermas A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of pastoralist animal husbandry. Because t ...

was considered genuine by others, and appears (after the Book of Revelation) in the

Codex Sinaiticus The Codex Sinaiticus (; Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), also called the Sinai Bible, is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old Testament, including the deuterocanonica ...

. The

Syriac Peshitta The Peshitta ( ''or'' ') is the standard Syriac Bible translations, edition of the Bible for Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christianity, Christian Church (congregation), churches and traditions that follow the ritual family, liturgies of the Syri ...

, used by all the various Syrian churches, originally did not include 2 Peter, 2 John, 3 John, Jude and Revelation. This

of 22 books is the one cited by

John Chrysostom John Chrysostom (; ; – 14 September 407) was an important Church Father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and p ...

(~347–407) and

Theodoret Theodoret of Cyrus or Cyrrhus (; AD 393 – 458/466) was an influential theologian of the School of Antioch, biblical commentator, and Christian bishop of Cyrrhus (423–457). He played a pivotal role in several 5th-century Byzantine ...

(393–466) from the

School of Antioch The Catechetical School of Antioch was one of the two major Christian centers of the study of biblical exegesis and theology during Late Antiquity; the other was the Catechetical School of Alexandria, School of Alexandria. This group was known by ...

.Peshitta
/ref> Western Syrians have added the remaining five books to their New Testament canons in modern times (such as the ''Lee Peshitta'' of 1823). Today, the official

lectionaries A lectionary () is a book or listing that contains a collection of scripture readings appointed for Christian or Jewish worship on a given day or occasion. There are sub-types such as a "gospel lectionary" or evangeliary, and an epistolary wit ...

followed by the

Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, also known as the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church, Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church, or the Syriac Orthodox Church in India is an autonomous maphrianate of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch bas ...

and the

East Syriac The East Syriac Rite, or East Syrian Rite (also called the Edessan Rite, Assyrian Rite, Persian Rite, Chaldean Rite, Nestorian Rite, Babylonian Rite or Syro-Oriental Rite), is an Eastern Christian liturgical rite that employs the Divine Liturg ...

Chaldean Catholic Church The Chaldean Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic Catholic particular churches and liturgical rites, particular church (''sui iuris'') in full communion with the Holy See and the rest of the Catholic Church, and is ...

, which is in communion with the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

, still only present lessons from the 22 books of the original Peshitta. The

Armenian Apostolic The Armenian Apostolic Church () is the autocephalous national church of Armenia. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christian churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church, like the Armenian Catholic Church, belongs to the Arme ...

church at times has included the

Third Epistle to the Corinthians The Third Epistle to the Corinthians is an early Christian text written by an unknown author claiming to be Paul the Apostle. It is also found in the Acts of Paul, and was framed as Paul's response to a letter of the Corinthians to Paul. The earl ...

in its biblical canon, but does not always list it with the other 27 canonical New Testament books. The church did not accept Revelation into its Bible until 1200 CE.

Modern scholarship and translation

English translations were made in the early 18th century by

William Wake William Wake (26 January 165724 January 1737) was a minister in the Church of England and Archbishop of Canterbury from 1716 to his death. Life Wake was born in Blandford Forum Blandford Forum ( ) is a market town in Dorset, England, o ...

and by Jeremiah Jones, and collected in 1820 by

William Hone William Hone (3 June 1780 – 8 November 1842) was an English writer, satirist and bookseller. His victorious court battle against government censorship in 1817 marked a turning point in the fight for British press freedom. Biography Hon ...

's ''Apocryphal New Testament''. The series ''

Ante-Nicene Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...

'', volume 8, contains translations by Alexander Walker. New translations by

M. R. James Montague Rhodes James (1 August 1862 – 12 June 1936) was an English medievalist scholar and author who served as provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918), and of Eton College (1918–1936) as well as Vice-Chancellor of the Univers ...

appeared in 1924, and were revised by J.K. Eliott, ''The Apocryphal New Testament'', Oxford University Press, 1991. The "standard" scholarly edition of the New Testament Apocrypha in German is that of Schneemelcher, and in English its translation by Robert McLachlan Wilson.

Constantin von Tischendorf Constantin is an Aromanian language, Aromanian, Megleno-Romanian language, Megleno-Romanian and Romanian language, Romanian male given name. It can also be a surname. For a list of notable people called Constantin, see Constantine (name). See ...

and other scholars began to study New Testament apocrypha seriously in the 19th century and produce new translations. The texts of the

Nag Hammadi library The Nag Hammadi library (also known as the Chenoboskion Manuscripts and the Gnostic Gospels) is a collection of early Christian and Gnostic texts discovered near the Upper Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945. Thirteen leather-bound papyrus c ...

are often considered separately but the current edition of Schneemelcher also contains eleven Nag Hammadi texts. Books that are known objectively not to have existed in antiquity are usually not considered part of the New Testament apocrypha. Among these are the Libellus de Nativitate Sanctae Mariae (also called the "Nativity of Mary") and the Latin Infancy gospel. The latter two did not exist in antiquity, and they seem to be based on the earlier Infancy gospels.

Gospels

Infancy gospels

Information about the childhood of Jesus was supplied by a number of 2nd-century and later texts, known as infancy gospels, none of which were accepted into the

biblical canon A biblical canon is a set of texts (also called "books") which a particular Jewish or Christian religious community regards as part of the Bible. The English word ''canon'' comes from the Ancient Greek, Greek , meaning 'ruler, rule' or 'measu ...

. Despite this, some scholars have noted that the very number of surviving infancy manuscripts attests to their continued popularity. Most of these manuscripts were based on the earliest infancy gospels, namely the

Infancy Gospel of James The Gospel of James (or the Protoevangelium of James) is a second-century Infancy gospels, infancy gospel telling of the Immaculate Conception, miraculous conception of the Mary, mother of Jesus, Virgin Mary, her upbringing and marriage to Sain ...

(also called the "Protoevangelium of James") and the

Infancy Gospel of Thomas The ''Infancy Gospel of Thomas'' is an apocryphal gospel about the childhood of Jesus. The scholarly consensus dates it to the mid-to-late second century, with the oldest extant fragmentary manuscript dating to the fourth or fifth century, ...

, and on their later combination into the

Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew The Latin Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew (or The Infancy Gospel of Matthew) is a part of the New Testament apocrypha. In antiquity, the text was called The Book About the Origin of the Blessed Mary and the Childhood of the Savior. Pseudo-Matthew is one ...

(also called the "Infancy Gospel of Matthew" or "Birth of Mary and Infancy of the Saviour"). The other significant early infancy gospels are the Arabic Infancy Gospel, the Georgian Infancy Gospel, the Ethiopian Infancy Gospel / History of Jesus and Mary, the Libellus de Nativitate Sanctae Mariae, the Armenian Infancy Gospel, the Slavonic Infancy Gospel, the Infancy Gospel of the Savior, the Coptic Infancy Gospel, the

History of Joseph the Carpenter The ''History of Joseph the Carpenter'' (''Historia Josephi Fabri Lignari'') is a compilation of traditions concerning Mary (mother of Jesus), Joseph, and the Holy Family, probably composed in Byzantine Egypt in Greek in the late sixth or earl ...

, the Transitus Mariae / Gospel of the Dormition, and the Life of John the Baptist.

Jewish-Christian gospels

The Jewish–Christian Gospels were

gospels Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the second century AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message was reported. In this sen ...

of a

Jewish Christian Jewish Christians were the followers of a Jewish religious sect that emerged in Roman Judea during the late Second Temple period, under the Herodian tetrarchy (1st century AD). These Jews believed that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah and ...

character quoted by

Clement of Alexandria Titus Flavius Clemens, also known as Clement of Alexandria (; – ), was a Christian theology, Christian theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Among his pupils were Origen and Alexander of Jerusalem. A ...

Origen Origen of Alexandria (), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an Early Christianity, early Christian scholar, Asceticism#Christianity, ascetic, and Christian theology, theologian who was born and spent the first half of his career in Early cent ...

Eusebius Eusebius of Caesarea (30 May AD 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilius, was a historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian polemicist from the Roman province of Syria Palaestina. In about AD 314 he became the bishop of Caesarea Maritima. ...

, Epiphanius,

Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known ...

and probably

Didymus the Blind Didymus the Blind ( Coptic: ; 398), alternatively spelled Dedimus or Didymous, was a Christian theologian in the Church of Alexandria, where he taught for about half a century. He was a student of Origen, and, after the Second Council of Constant ...

. Most modern scholars have concluded that there existed one gospel in Aramaic/Hebrew and at least two in Greek, although a minority argue that there were only two: one Aramaic/Hebrew and one Greek. None of these gospels survive today, but attempts have been made to reconstruct them from references in the

Church Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical peri ...

. The reconstructed texts of the gospels are usually categorized under New Testament Apocrypha. The standard edition of Schneemelcher describes the texts of three Jewish–Christian gospels as follows: #The

Gospel of the Ebionites The Gospel of the Ebionites is the conventional name given by scholars to an apocryphal gospel extant only as seven brief quotations in a heresiology known as the '' Panarion'', by Epiphanius of Salamis; he misidentified it as the "Hebrew" ...

("GE") – 7 quotations by Epiphanius. #The

Gospel of the Hebrews The Gospel of the Hebrews (), or Gospel according to the Hebrews, is a lost Jewish–Christian gospel. The text of the gospel is lost, with only fragments of it surviving as brief quotations by the early Church Fathers and in apocryphal writi ...

("GH") – 1 quotation ascribed to Cyril of Jerusalem, plus GH 2–7 quotations by Clement, Origen, and Jerome. #The

Gospel of the Nazarenes The Gospel of the Nazarenes (also ''Nazareans'', ''Nazaraeans'', ''Nazoreans'', or ''Nazoraeans'') is the traditional but hypothetical name given by some scholars to distinguish some of the references to, or citations of, non- canonical Jewish-C ...

("GN") – GN 1 to GN 23 are mainly from Jerome; GN 24 to GN 36 are from medieval sources. Some scholars consider that the two last named are in fact the same source.

Non-canonical gospels

Gospel of Marcion The Gospel of Marcion, called by its adherents the Gospel of the Lord, or more commonly the Gospel, was a text used by the mid-2nd-century Christian teacher Marcion of Sinope to the exclusion of the other gospels. The majority of scholars agree t ...

(mid-2nd century) *

Gospel of Mani The ''Living Gospel'' (also ''Great Gospel'', ''Gospel of the Living'' and variants) was a 3rd-century gnostic gospel written by the Manichaean prophet Mani. It was originally written in Syriac and called the ''Evangelion'' (), from the Greek ...

(3rd century) * Gospel of

Apelles Apelles of Kos (; ; fl. 4th century BC) was a renowned Painting, painter of ancient Greece. Pliny the Elder, to whom much of modern scholars' knowledge of this artist is owed (''Natural History (Pliny), Naturalis Historia'' 35.36.79–97 and '' ...

(midlate 2nd century, similar to Marcion) * Gospel of

Bardesanes Bardaisan (11 July 154 – 222 AD; , ''Bar Dayṣān''; also Bardaiṣan), known in Arabic as ibn Dayṣān () and in Latin as Bardesanes, was a Syriac-speaking Prods Oktor Skjaervo. ''Bardesanes''. Encyclopædia Iranica. Volume III. Fasc. 7-8. . ...

(late 2ndearly 3rd century) * Gospel of Basilides (mid-2nd century) *

Gospel of Thomas The Gospel of Thomas (also known as the Coptic Gospel of Thomas) is a non-canonical Logia, sayings gospel. It was discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945 among a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library. Scholars speculate the works ...

(1st century; sayings gospel) * Gospel of Gamaliel *

Gospel of Barnabas The Gospel of Barnabas is a Biblical apocrypha, non-canonical, Pseudepigrapha, pseudepigraphical gospel, written during the Late Middle Ages and attributed to the early Christian disciple Barnabas, who (in this work) is one of the Apostles in ...

Passion Gospels

A number of gospels are concerned specifically with the "

Passion Passion, the Passion or the Passions may refer to: Emotion * Passion (emotion), a very strong feeling about a person or thing * Passions (philosophy), emotional states as used in philosophical discussions * Stoic passions, various forms of emotio ...

" (from the Latin verb ''patior, passus sum''; "to suffer, bear, endure", from which also "patience, patient", etc.)) of Jesus: *

Gospel of Nicodemus The Gospel of Nicodemus, also known as the Acts of Pilate (; ), is an apocryphal gospel purporting to be derived from an original work written by Nicodemus, who appears in the Gospel of John as an acquaintance of Jesus. The title "Gospel of Nicod ...

(also called the "

Acts of Pilate The Gospel of Nicodemus, also known as the Acts of Pilate (; ), is an apocryphal gospel purporting to be derived from an original work written by Nicodemus, who appears in the Gospel of John as an acquaintance of Jesus. The title "Gospel of Nicod ...

") * Pseudo-

Cyril of Jerusalem Cyril of Jerusalem (, ''Kýrillos A Ierosolýmon''; ; 386) was a theologian of the Early Church. About the end of AD 350, he succeeded Maximus as Bishop of Jerusalem, but was exiled on more than one occasion due to the enmity of Acacius of ...

, ''

On the Life and the Passion of Christ ''On the Life and the Passion of Christ'' (CPC 0113) is an apocryphal account of Jesus Christ, Jesus written in Coptic language, Sahidic. According to its written introduction, it is "a homily which the holy Apa Cyril ..delivered", meaning Cyri ...

'' * Gospel of Bartholomew * '' Questions of Bartholomew'' * '' Book of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, by Bartholomew the Apostle'' Although three texts take Bartholomew's name, it may be that either the ''Questions of Bartholomew'' or the ''Resurrection of Jesus Christ'' is in fact the unknown ''Gospel of Bartholomew''.

Harmonized gospels

A number of texts aim to provide a single harmonization of the canonical gospels, that eliminates discordances among them by presenting a unified text derived from them to some degree. The most widely read of these was the ''

Diatessaron The ''Diatessaron'' (; c. 160–175 AD) is the most prominent early gospel harmony. It was created in the Syriac language by Tatian, an Assyrian early Christian apologist and ascetic. Tatian sought to combine all the textual material he fou ...

''.

Gnostic texts about Jesus Christ

In the modern era, many

texts have been uncovered, especially from the

. Some texts take the form of an expounding of the esoteric cosmology and ethics held by the Gnostics. Often this was in the form of dialogue in which Jesus expounds esoteric knowledge while his disciples raise questions concerning it. There is also a text, known as the

Epistula Apostolorum The Epistle of the Apostles () is a work of New Testament apocrypha. Despite its name, it is more a gospel or an apocalypse than an epistle. The work takes the form of an open letter purportedly from the remaining eleven apostles describing k ...

, which is a polemic against Gnostic esoterica, but written in a similar style as the Gnostic texts.

Dialogues with Jesus

Apocryphon of James The Apocryphon of James, also called the Secret Book of James or the Apocryphal Epistle of James, is a Gnostic epistle. It is the second tractate in Codex I of the Nag Hammadi library. The tractate is a Coptic translation of a Greek original, p ...

(also called the "Secret Book of

James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

") *

Book of Thomas the Contender The ''Book of Thomas the Contender'' or The ''Book of Thomas'' is a Gnostic revelation dialogue. It is the seventh tractate in Codex II of the Nag Hammadi library. The tractate is a Coptic translation of a Greek original, likely composed in Sy ...

Dialogue of the Saviour The Dialogue of the Saviour is a Gnostic Christian writing. It is the fifth tractate in Codex III of Nag Hammadi library. The only existing copy, written in Coptic, is fragmentary. Its final form was likely completed c. 150 AD. The textual style ...

Gospel of Judas The Gospel of Judas is a non-canonical religious text. Its content consists of conversations between Jesus and his disciples, especially Judas Iscariot. The only copy of it known to exist is a Coptic language text that is part of the Codex ...

(also called the "Gospel of

Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot (; ; died AD) was, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane, in exchange for thirty pieces of sil ...

") *

Gospel of Mary The Gospel of Mary is an early Christian text discovered in 1896 in a fifth-century papyrus codex written in Sahidic Coptic. This Berlin Codex was purchased in Cairo by German diplomat Carl Reinhardt. Although the work is popularly known as t ...

Gospel of Philip The Gospel of Philip is a non-canonical Gnostic Gospel dated to around the 3rd century but lost in medieval times until rediscovered by accident, buried with other texts near Nag Hammadi in Egypt, in 1945. The Gospel is not accepted as canonical ...

* Greek Gospel of the Egyptians (distinct from the

Coptic Gospel of the Egyptians The ''Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit'', also known as the ''Coptic Gospel of the Egyptians'', is a Sethian Gnostic text found in Codices III and IV of the Nag Hammadi library. The text describes the origin of three powers: the Father, t ...

) *

The Sophia of Jesus Christ The ''Sophia The Christ'', also known as the ''Wisdom of Jesus Christ'', is a Gnostic text that was first discovered in the Berlin Codex (a Codex purchased in Cairo in 1896 and given to the Berlin Museum which also contains the ''Gospel of Mary'', ...

* Letter of Peter to Philip

General texts concerning Jesus

Coptic Apocalypse of Paul The Coptic ''Apocalypse of Paul'' (Sahidic Coptic: ⲧⲁⲡⲟⲕⲁⲗⲩⲯⲓⲥ ⲙ̄ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ), also known as the ''Revelation of Paul'', is a Gnostic apocalyptic writing. It was originally written in Koine Greek, but the surv ...

(distinct from the

Apocalypse of Paul The Apocalypse of Paul (, literally "Revelation of Paul"; more commonly known in the Latin tradition as the or ) is a fourth-century non-canonical apocalypse and part of the New Testament apocrypha. The full original Greek version of the Apoc ...

) * Gospel of Truth *

Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter The Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter, also known as the Coptic Apocalypse of Peter and Revelation of Peter, is the third tractate in Codex VII of the Nag Hammadi library. The work is associated with Gnosticism, a sect of early Christianity, and i ...

(distinct from the

Apocalypse of Peter The Apocalypse of Peter, also called the Revelation of Peter, is an early Christian text of the 2nd century and a work of apocalyptic literature. It is the earliest-written extant work depicting a Christian account of heaven and hell in detail ...

) * Letter of Lentulus *

Pistis Sophia ''Pistis Sophia'' () is a Gnostic text discovered in 1773, possibly written between the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The existing manuscript, which some scholars place in the late 4th century, relates one Gnostic group's teachings of the transfigu ...

Second Treatise of the Great Seth The Second Treatise of the Great Seth, also known as the Second Discourse of the Great Seth and Second Logos of the Great Seth, is a Gnostic text. It is the second tractate in Codex VII of the Nag Hammadi library. It was likely originally writ ...

Secret Gospel of Mark The Secret Gospel of Mark or the Mystic Gospel of Mark (), also the Longer Gospel of Mark, is a wikt:putative, putative longer and secret or mystic version of the Gospel of Mark. The gospel is mentioned exclusively in the Mar Saba letter, a docum ...

*Book of Baruch (Gospel by Justin)

Sethian texts concerning Jesus

The Sethians were a gnostic group who originally worshipped the biblical

Seth Seth, in the Abrahamic religions, was the third son of Adam and Eve. The Hebrew Bible names two of his siblings (although it also states that he had others): his brothers Cain and Abel. According to , Seth was born after Abel's murder by Cain, ...

as a messianic figure, later treating Jesus as a re-incarnation of Seth. They produced numerous texts expounding their esoteric cosmology, usually in the form of visions: *

Apocryphon of John The ''Apocryphon of John'', also called the ''Secret Book of John'' or the ''Secret Revelation of John'', is a 2nd-century Sethianism, Sethian gnosticism, Gnostic Christian pseudepigrapha, pseudepigraphical text attributed to John the Apost ...

(also called the "Secret Gospel of John") *

(distinct from the Greek Gospel of the Egyptians) * Trimorphic Protennoia

Ritual diagrams

Some of the Gnostic texts appear to consist of diagrams and instructions for use in religious rituals: *

Ophite Diagrams The Ophite Diagrams are ritual and esoteric diagrams used by the Ophites, Ophite sect of Gnosticism, who revered the serpent from the Garden of Eden as a symbol of wisdom, which the malevolent Demiurge tried to hide from Adam and Eve. Celsus and ...

Books of Jeu The Books of Jeu are two Gnostic texts. Though independent works, both the First Book of Jeu and the Second Book of Jeu appear, in Sahidic Coptic, in the Bruce Codex. They are a combination of a gospel and an esoteric revelation; the work profes ...

Acts

Several texts concern themselves with the subsequent lives of the apostles, usually with highly

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

events. Almost half of these, anciently called ''The Circuits of the Apostles'' and now known by the name of their purported author, "

Leucius Charinus Leucius, called Leucius Charinus by Photios I of Constantinople in the ninth century, is named by Evodius, bishop of Uzala, as the author of a cycle of what M. R. James termed " Apostolic romances".Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople Photius I of Constantinople (, ''Phōtios''; 815 – 6 February 893), also spelled ''Photius''Fr. Justin Taylor, essay "Canon Law in the Age of the Fathers" (published in Jordan Hite, T.O.R., and Daniel J. Ward, O.S.B., "Readings, Cases, Mate ...

in the ninth century to be full of folly, self-contradiction, falsehood, and impiety. The ''Acts of Thomas'' and the ''Acts of Peter and the Twelve'' are often considered Gnostic texts. While most of the texts are believed to have been written in the 2nd century, at least two, the ''Acts of Barnabas'' and the ''Acts of Peter and Paul'' are believed to have been written as late as the 5th century. *

Acts of Andrew The ''Acts of Andrew'' () is a Christian apocryphal work describing acts and miracles of Andrew the Apostle. It is alluded to in a Coptic 3rd-century work titled the '' Manichaean Psalm Book'', so it must have been composed prior to that cent ...

* Acts of Barnabas *

Acts of John The Acts of John refers to a collection of stories about John the Apostle that began circulating in written form as early as the 2nd-century AD. Translations of the Acts of John in modern languages have been reconstructed by scholars from a number ...

Acts of Mar Mari The ''Acts of Mar Mari'' �ܪܲܟܣܝ̣ܣ ܕܡܳܪܝ ܡܳܐܪܝ̣is a Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian New_Testament_apocrypha#Acts, apocryphal acts. It pertains to the introduction of Christianity in northern and southern Mesopotamia by ...

Acts of the Martyrs Acts of the Martyrs () are accounts of the suffering and death of Christian martyrs which were collected and used in early Catholic church liturgies, as attested by Augustine of Hippo, Saint Augustine."Acts of the Martyrs." Cross, F. L., ed. The Ox ...

Acts of Paul The Acts of Paul is one of the major works and earliest pseudepigraphal series from the New Testament apocrypha also known as Acts of the Apostles (genre), Apocryphal Acts. This work is part of a body of literature either about or purporting to ...

Acts of Paul and Thecla The ''Acts of Paul and Thecla'' () is an apocryphal text describing Paul the Apostle's influence on a young virgin named Thecla. It is one of the writings of the New Testament apocrypha. Edgar J. Goodspeed called it a " religious romance". ...

Acts of Peter The Acts of Peter is one of the earliest of the apocryphal Acts of the Apostles (genre), Acts of the Apostles in Christianity, dating to the late 2nd century AD. The majority of the text has survived only in the Vetus Latina, Latin translation of ...

* Acts of Peter and Andrew *

Acts of Peter and Paul The Acts of Peter and Paul is a pseudepigraphical 5th century Christian text of the genre Acts of the Apostles. An alternate version exists, known as the ''Passion of Peter and Paul'' (''Passio sanctorum Petri et Pauli''), with variances in the in ...

* Acts of Peter and the Twelve *

Acts of Philip The Greek ''Acts of Philip'' (''Acta Philippi'') is an episodic gnostic apocryphal book of acts from the mid-to-late fourth century, originally in fifteen separate ''acta'', that gives an accounting of the miraculous acts performed by the Apostle ...

Acts of Thomas ''Acts of Thomas'' is an early 3rd-century text, one of the New Testament apocrypha within the Acts of the Apostles subgenre. The complete versions that survive are Syriac and Greek. There are many surviving fragments of the text. Scholars d ...

Acts of Timothy The Acts of Timothy (''Acta Timothei'') are a work of New Testament apocrypha, most likely from the 5th century, which are primarily concerned with portraying the apostle Timothy as the first bishop of Ephesus and describing his death during a vi ...

Acts of Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca The ''Acts of Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca'' is a work of New Testament apocrypha dating from the third or fourth century. Regarding its place in literature, 20th-century classicist scholar Moses Hadas writes: "Christians learned not only fr ...

* The Lost Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles * Acts of John in Rome * Acts of Andrew and Bartholomew * Acts of Andrew and Matthias *

Act of Peter :''This article discusses a text which is quite distinct from the Acts of Peter''. The ''Act of Peter'' is a brief miracle text celebrating virginity that is found in the 5th-century papyrus Berlin Codex (Berolinensis Gnosticus 8502). It treats ...

* Acts of Thaddeus *

Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity The ''Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity'' () is a diary by Vibia Perpetua describing her imprisonment as a Christian in 203, completed after her death by a redactor. It is one of the oldest and most notable early Christian texts. Along wi ...

Epistles

There are also non-canonical epistles (or "letters") between individuals or to Christians in general. Some of them were regarded very highly by the early church. Those marked with a lozenge (♦) are included in the collection known as the

Apostolic Fathers The Apostolic Fathers, also known as the Ante-Nicene Fathers, were core Christian theologians among the Church Fathers who lived in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD who are believed to have personally known some of the Twelve Apostles or to have be ...

: *

Epistle of Barnabas The Epistle of Barnabas () is an early Christian Greek epistle written between AD 70 and AD 135. The complete text is preserved in the 4th-century Codex Sinaiticus, where it appears at the end of the New Testament, following the Book of Revelati ...

♦ *

First Epistle of Clement The First Epistle of Clement () is a letter addressed to the Christians in the city of Corinth. The work is attributed to Clement I, the fourth bishop of Rome and was almost certainly written by him. Based on internal evidence some scholars say ...

♦ *

Second Epistle of Clement The Second Epistle of Clement (), often referred to as 2 Clement (pronounced "Second Clement"), is an early Christian writing. It was at one point possibly considered canonical by the Coptic Orthodox Church and Eastern Orthodox Church. 1 and 2 Cl ...

♦ *

Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans The Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans (often simply called ''Smyrnaeans'') is an epistle from circa 110 A.D. attributed to Ignatius of Antioch, a second-century bishop of Antioch, addressed to the Early Christians in Smyrna. Composition ''Sm ...

♦ *

Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians The Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians (often abbreviated ''Trallians'') is an epistle attributed to Ignatius, a second-century Bishop of Antioch and martyr, and addressed to the church in Tralles. It was written during the bishop's transport f ...

♦ * Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians ♦ *

Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians (often abbreviated ''Magnesians'' or Ign. Mag.) is an epistle attributed to Ignatius of Antioch, a second-century bishop of Antioch, and addressed to the church in Magnesia on the Maeander. It claims to ha ...

♦ * Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans ♦ *

Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians The Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians (often abbreviated Ign. Phil.) is an epistle attributed to Ignatius of Antioch, a second-century bishop of Antioch, and addressed to the church in Philadelphia of Asia Minor. It was written during Ignat ...

♦ * Epistle of Ignatius to Polycarp ♦ *

Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians (commonly abbreviated Pol. Phil.) is an epistle attributed to Polycarp, an early bishop of Smyrna, and addressed to the early Christian church in Philippi. It is widely believed to be a composite of mate ...

♦ *

Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus The ''Epistle to Diognetus'' () is an example of Christian apologetics, writings defending Christianity against the charges of its critics. The Greek writer and recipient are not otherwise known. Estimates of dating based on the language and othe ...

♦ *

Martyrdom of Polycarp ''Martyrdom of Polycarp'' (latin: ''Martyrium Polycarpi'') is a manuscript written in the form of a letter that relates the religious martyrdom of Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (the site of the modern city of İzmir, Turkey) in the 2nd centuryAD. It ...

♦ *

Epistle to the Laodiceans The Epistle to the Laodiceans is a possible writing of Paul the Apostle, the original existence of which is inferred from an instruction in the Epistle to the Colossians that the congregation should send their letter to the believing community in ...

(an epistle in the name of Paul) * Epistle to Seneca the Younger (an epistle in the name of Paul) *

– accepted in the past by some in the

Armenian Orthodox The Armenian Apostolic Church () is the autocephalous national church of Armenia. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christian churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church, like the Armenian Catholic Church, belongs to the Arme ...

church. *

* Epistle of Pseudo-Titus * Epistle to the Alexandrians

Apocalypses

Several works frame themselves as visions, often discussing the future, afterlife, or both: *

(distinct from the

; also called the Apocalypse of the Virgin) *

(distinct from the

) *

Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius Written in Syriac in the late seventh century, the ''Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius'' shaped and influenced Christian eschatological thinking in the Middle Ages.Griffith (2008), p. 34.Debié (2005) p. 228.Alexander (1985) p. 13.Jackson (2001) p ...

* Apocalypse of Thomas (also called the ''Revelation of Thomas'') * Apocalypse of Stephen (also called the ''Revelation of Stephen'') * Arabic Apocalypse of Peter *

First Apocalypse of James The First Apocalypse of James is a Gnostic Apocalypse, apocalyptic writing. Its initial rediscovery was a Coptic language, Coptic translation as the third Masekhet, tractate of Codex V in the Nag Hammadi library. Additional copies were later foun ...

(also called the ''First Revelation of James'') * Second Apocalypse of James (also called the ''Second Revelation of James'') * Second Apocalypse of John (also called the '' irstApocryphal Apocalypse of John'') * Apocalypse of James (Syriac) * Apocalypse of John Chrysostom *

Apocalypse of Adam The Apocalypse of Adam is a Sethian Gnostic apocalyptic writing. It is the fifth tractate in Codex V of the Nag Hammadi library, transcribed in Coptic. The date of the original work has been a point of scholarly contention because the writing ...

Apocalypse of Abraham The ''Apocalypse of Abraham'' is an apocalyptic Jewish pseudepigrapha (a text whose claimed authorship is uncertain) based on biblical Abraham narratives. It was probably composed in the first or second century, between 70–150 AD. It has survi ...

* Apocalypse of John the Little * Apocalypse of Sedrach * Apocalypse of Simeon Kepha *

The Shepherd of Hermas ''The Shepherd of Hermas'' (; ), sometimes just called ''The Shepherd'', is a Christian literary work of the late first half of the second century, considered a valuable book by many Christians, and considered canonical scripture by some of the ...

(also included in the collection known as the

)

Fate of Mary

Several texts (over 50) consist of descriptions of the events surrounding the varied fate of

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

(the mother of Jesus): *The Home Going of Mary * The Falling Asleep of the Mother of God *The Descent of Mary

Miscellany

These texts, due to their content or form, do not fit into the other categories: *

Apostolic Constitutions The ''Apostolic Constitutions'' or ''Constitutions of the Holy Apostles'' (Latin: ''Constitutiones Apostolorum'') is a Christian collection divided into eight books which is classified among the Church Orders, a genre of early Christian litera ...

(church regulations supposedly asserted by the apostles) *

Canons of the Apostles The Apostolic Canons, also called Apostolic canons (Latin: ''Canones apostolorum'', "Canons of the Apostles"), Ecclesiastical Canons of the Same Holy Apostles, or Canons of the Holy Apostles, is a 4th-century Syrian Christian text. It is an Anc ...

Cave of Treasures The ''Cave of Treasures'' (, , Ge'ez: ''Baʿāta Mazāgebet'', Tigrinya: መዝገብ ገዛ), is an apocryphal and pseudoepigraphical work, that contains various narratives related to the Christian Bible. It was written in the Syriac language ...

(also called ''The Treasure'') *

Clementine literature The Clementine literature (also referred to as the Clementine Romance or Pseudo-Clementine Writings) is a late antique third-century Christian romance containing an account of the conversion of Clement of Rome to Christianity, his subsequent lif ...

Didache The ''Didache'' (; ), also known as ''The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations'' (), is a brief anonymous early Christian treatise ( ancient church order) written in Koine Greek, dated by modern scholars to the first or (l ...

(possibly the first written

catechism A catechism (; from , "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of Catholic theology, doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult co ...

) (also included in the collection known as the

.) * Liturgy of St James *

Doctrine of Addai The ''Doctrine of Addai'' ( Syriac: ܡܠܦܢܘܬܐ ܕܐܕܝ ܫܠܝܚܐ ''Malp̄ānūṯā d-Addai Šlīḥā'') is a Syriac Christian text, written in the late 4th or early 5th century CE. It recounts the legend of the Image of Edessa as well a ...

* Prayer of Paul *

Sentences of Sextus The ''Sentences of Sextus'', also called the ''Sayings of Sextus'', is a Hellenistic Pythagorean collection of maxims which was popular among Christians and translated into several languages. The identity of the Sextus who originated the collec ...

Physiologus The ''Physiologus'' () is a didactic Christian text written or compiled in Greek by an unknown author in Alexandria. Its composition has been traditionally dated to the 2nd century AD by readers who saw parallels with writings of Clement of Alexa ...

Book of the Bee __NOTOC__ The ''Book of the Bee'' () is a historiographic and theological compilation, containing numerous Biblical stories. It was written around 1222, by Solomon of Akhlat, who was Bishop of Basra, within the Church of the East. It is written ...

* The Mysteries of John (Mysteries of Saint John and the Holy Virgin) *

Investiture of Abbaton The ''Investiture of Abbaton'', the ''Enthronement of Abbaton'', or the ''Encomium on Abbaton'' (alternatively spelled ''Abaddon''; Or. 7025), is an apocalyptic, pseudepigraphical, and apocryphal text. It describes the creation of Adam by God, J ...

* Investiture of the Archangel Michael *

Investiture of the Archangel Gabriel The ''Investiture of the Archangel Gabriel'' is a Coptic language work of Christian apocrypha on Christian angelology. It was probably composed between the 6th and 9th centuries by an Egyptian Christian. There is only a single surviving compl ...

Didascalia Apostolorum ''Didascalia Apostolorum'', or just ''Didascalia'', is an early Christian legal treatise which belongs to the genre of the Church Orders. It presents itself as being written by the Twelve Apostles at the time of the Council of Jerusalem; however ...

* Sunday Letter * Apostolic Church-Ordinance *

Apostolic Canons The Apostolic Canons, also called Apostolic canons (Latin: ''Canones apostolorum'', "Canons of the Apostles"), Ecclesiastical Canons of the Same Holy Apostles, or Canons of the Holy Apostles, is a 4th-century Syrian Christian text. It is an Anc ...

Letter of Pilate to Claudius The Pilate cycle is a group of various pieces of early Christian literature that purport to either be written by Pontius Pilate, or else otherwise closely describe his activities and the Passion of Jesus. Unlike the four gospels, these later wri ...

* Letter of Pilate to Herod * Letter of Pilate to Tiberius *

Letter of Tiberius to Pilate The Pilate cycle is a group of various pieces of early Christian literature that purport to either be written by Pontius Pilate, or else otherwise closely describe his activities and the Passion of Jesus. Unlike the four gospels, these later wri ...

* Mors Pilati *

Alexandrine Sinodos The Alexandrine Sinodos (or ''Clementine Heptateuch'') is a Christian collection of Church Orders. This collection of earlier texts dates from the 4th or 5th century CE. The provenance is Egypt and it was particularly used in the ancient Coptic a ...

* Ethiopic Book of the Rooster
Sirate Tsion (the book of order)Mäshafä Kidan
* Testamentum Domini *

Testament of Adam The Testament of Adam is a Christian work of Old Testament pseudepigrapha that dates from the 2nd to 5th centuries AD in origin, perhaps composed within the Christian communities of Syria. It purports to relate the final words of Adam to his son ...

Josephus on Jesus Flavius Josephus was a first-century Jewish historian who provided external information on some people and events found in the New Testament. Josephus was a general in Galilee, which is where Jesus ministered and people who knew him still lived; ...

Nishmat Nishmat ( or 'the soul of every living thing') is a Jewish prayer that is recited during Pesukei D'Zimrah between the Song of the Sea and Yishtabach on Shabbat and Jewish holidays, Yom Tov. It is also recited during the Passover seder. Shochen A ...

(The Jews of the Middle Ages said that it was the Apostle Peter who composed) * Gabriel's Revelation *

Apology of Aristides The ''Apology of Aristides'' was written by the early Christians, Christian writer Aristides (Apologist), Aristides (fl. 2nd century). Until 1878, knowledge of Aristides was confined to some references in works by Eusebius of Caesarea and Saint ...

Peri Pascha Peri Pascha (Greek language, Greek: Περὶ Πάσχα) (English title On the Pascha) is a 2nd-century homily of Melito of Sardis written between A.D.160 and 170 in Asia Minor. It was discovered last century and first published in 1940. It desc ...

* On the Priesthood of Jesus * The Dream of the Rood *

Ecclesiastical History (Eusebius) The ''Ecclesiastical History'' (, ; ), also known as ''The History of the Church'' and ''The Church History'', is a 4th-century chronological account of the development of Early Christianity from the 1st century to the 4th century, composed by Eu ...

*Letter of Abgar to Jesus *

Apostles' Creed The Apostles' Creed (Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith". "Its title is first found c.390 (Ep. 42.5 of Ambro ...

Mystery of Heaven and EarthLiber Requiei Mariae
*

Revelation of the Magi The Revelation of the Magi is an early Christianity, early Christian writing in Syriac language, Syriac. It is part of the broader set of New Testament apocrypha, religious stories of early Christian figures that did not become canonized in the ...

Fragments

In addition to the known apocryphal works, there are also small fragments of texts, parts of unknown (or uncertain) works. Some of the more significant fragments are: *The

Gospel of the Saviour The ''Gospel of the Saviour'' is a fragmentary Coptic text from an otherwise unknown gospel that has joined the New Testament apocrypha. It consists of a fragmentary fire-damaged parchment codex that was acquired by the Egyptian Museum of Ber ...

*The Naassene Fragment *The

Fayyum Fragment The Fayyum Fragment (Papyrus Vindobonensis Greek 2325 . Vienna G. 2325 is a papyrus fragment containing text that could be from part of the New Testament, and consists of only about 100 Greek letters. The fragment was originally discovered in Al ...

*The

, whose authenticity has been challenged *The

Oxyrhynchus Gospels The Oxyrhynchus Gospels are two fragmentary manuscripts discovered among the rich finds of discarded papyri at Oxyrhynchus in Egypt. They throw light on early non-canonical Gospel traditions. Oxyrhynchus 840 Oxyrhynchus 840 (P. Oxy. V 840), found ...

*The

Egerton Gospel The Egerton Gospel (British Library Egerton Papyrus 2) refers to a collection of three papyrus fragments of a codex of a previously unknown gospel, found in Egypt and sold to the British Library, British Museum in 1934; the physical fragments are ...

Agrapha Agrapha (; Greek for "non written"; singular ) are sayings of Jesus that are not found in the canonical Gospels. The term was used for the first time by J.G. Körner, a German Bible scholar, in 1776. Definition of agrapha According to A. J. Maa ...

*The Preaching of Peter * Greek Gospel of the Egyptians *Armenian Gospel of the Baptism * Gospel of Jesus' Wife

Lost works

Several texts are mentioned in many ancient sources and would probably be considered part of the apocrypha, but no known text has survived: * Gospel of Eve (a quotation from this gospel is given by Epiphanius (''Haer.'' xxvi. 2, 3). It is possible that this is the Gospel of Perfection he alludes to in xxvi. 2. The quotation shows that this gospel was the expression of complete

pantheism Pantheism can refer to a number of philosophical and religious beliefs, such as the belief that the universe is God, or panentheism, the belief in a non-corporeal divine intelligence or God out of which the universe arisesAnn Thomson; Bodies ...

) * Gospel of the Four Heavenly Realms * Gospel of Matthias (probably different from the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells the story of who the author believes is Israel's messiah (Christ (title), Christ), Jesus, resurrection of Jesus, his res ...

) * Gospel of Perfection (used by the followers of Basilides and other Gnostics. See Epiphanius, ''Haer.'' xxvi. 2) * Gospel of the Seventy *Gospel of Thaddaeus (This may be a synonym for the

. The name Thaddeus was often used to not to confuse

Jude the Apostle Jude the Apostle (Ancient Greek: Ἰούδας Ἰακώβου translit. Ioúdas Iakóbou Syriac/Aramaic: ܝܗܘܕܐ translit. Yahwada) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is generally identified as Tha ...

for

) *

Gospel of the Twelve The ''Gospel of the Twelve'' (), possibly also referred to as the ''Gospel of the Apostles'', is a lost gospel mentioned by Origen in '' Homilies on Luke'' as part of a list of heretical works. Schneemelcher's standard edition of the ''New Te ...

Memoria Apostolorum Memoria Apostolorum, which means ''(in) memory of the apostles'', is one of the lost texts from the New Testament apocrypha. A reference to the ''Memoria Apostolorum'' appears in a letter, dated about 440, from Turibius of Astorga to Hydatius and ...

Book of Elchasai The ''Book of Elchasai'' or the ''Book of Elxai'' is a lost prophetic book, written during the reign of Trajan (reigned 98–117), that contained laws and apocalyptic prophecies pertaining to Jewish Christian and Gnostic doctrines. It is known o ...

* Gospel of Andrew * Gospel of Bartholomew *Gospel of Hesychius – mentioned only by Jerome and the Gelasian Decree, both of which list it as apocryphal *Gospel of Lucius – mentioned only by Jerome and the Gelasian Decree, which list it as apocryphal *Memoirs of the Apostles – a lost narrative of the life of Jesus, mentioned by Justin Martyr; the passages quoted by Justin may have originated from a gospel harmony of the Synoptic Gospels composed by Justin or his school. * Ascents of James

Close candidates for canonization

While many of the books listed here were considered heretical (especially those belonging to the gnostic tradition—as this sect was considered heretical by

Proto-orthodox Christianity The term proto-orthodox Christianity or proto-orthodoxy describes the early Christian movement that was the precursor of Christian orthodoxy. Older literature often referred to the group as "early Catholic" in the sense that their views were the ...

of the early centuries), others were not considered particularly heretical in content, but in fact were well accepted as significant spiritual works. Those marked with a lozenge (♦) are also included in the collection known as the

. While some of the following works appear in complete Bibles from the fourth century, such as 1 Clement and The Shepherd of Hermas, showing their general popularity, they were not included when the canon was formally decided at the end of that century. *

♦ *

♦ * Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians ♦ *

♦ * Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans ♦ *

♦ * Epistle of Ignatius to Polycarp ♦ *

♦ *

Evaluation

Present day

Among historians of early Christianity, the books are considered invaluable, especially those that almost made it into the final canon, such as

Bart Ehrman Bart Denton Ehrman (born October 5, 1955) is an American New Testament scholar focusing on textual criticism of the New Testament, the historical Jesus, and the origins and development of early Christianity. He has written and edited 30 books ...

, for example, said:

The victors in the struggles to establish Christian Orthodoxy not only won their theological battles, they also rewrote the history of the conflict; later readers then naturally assumed that the victorious views had been embraced by the vast majority of Christians from the very beginning ... The practice of Christian forgery has a long and distinguished history ... the debate lasted three hundred years ... even within "orthodox" circles there was considerable debate concerning which books to include.

Historical development towards today's canon

The historical debate primarily concerned whether certain works should be read in the church service or only privately. These works were widely used but not necessarily considered ''Catholic'' or 'universal.' Such works include the Didache, Shepherd of Hermas, 1 Clement, 2 Clement, the Epistle of Barnabas, and to a lesser extent the

. Considering the generally accepted dates of authorship for all of the canonical New Testament works (), as well as the various witnesses to canonicity extant among the writings of Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus, etc., the four gospels and letters of Paul were held by the gentile Christian community as scriptural, and 200 years were needed to finalize the canon; from the beginning of the 2nd Century to the mid-4th Century, no book in the final canon was ever declared spurious or heretical, except for the Revelation of John which the

Council of Laodicea The Council of Laodicea was a regional Christian synod of approximately thirty clerics from Asia Minor which assembled about 363–364 in Laodicea, Phrygia Pacatiana. Historical context The council took place soon after the conclusion of the wa ...

in 363–364 CE rejected (although it accepted all of the other 26 books in the New Testament). This was possibly due to fears of the influence of

Montanism Montanism (), known by its adherents as the New Revelation, was an History of Christianity#Early Christianity (c. 31/33–324), early Christian movement of the Christianity in the 2nd century, mid-to-late 2nd century, later referred to by the n ...

which used the book extensively to support their theology. See

Revelation of John The Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse or the Apocalypse of John, is the final book of the New Testament, and therefore the final book of the Christian Bible. Written in Greek, its title is derived from the first w ...

for more details.

Athanasius Athanasius I of Alexandria ( – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, Athanasius the Confessor, or, among Coptic Christians, Athanasius the Apostolic, was a Christian theologian and the 20th patriarch of Alexandria (as Athanasius ...

wrote his Easter letter in 367 CE which defined a canon of 27 books, identical to the current canon, but also listed two works that were "not in the canon but to be read": The Shepherd of Hermas and the

. Nevertheless, the early church leaders in the 3rd and 4th Centuries generally distinguished between canonical works and those that were not canonical but 'useful,' or 'good for teaching,' though never relegating any of the final 27 books to the latter category. One aim with establishing the canon was to capture only those works which were held to have been written by the Apostles, or their close associates, and as the

Muratorian fragment The Muratorian fragment, also known as the Muratorian Canon (Latin: ), is a copy of perhaps the oldest known list of most of the books of the New Testament. The fragment, consisting of 85 lines, is a Latin manuscript bound in a roughly 8th-centur ...

canon (c. 150–175 CE) states concerning the Shepherd of Hermas:

...But Hermas wrote The Shepherd very recently, in our times, in the city of Rome, while bishop Pius, his brother, was occupying the chair of the church of the city of Rome. And therefore it ought indeed to be read; but it cannot be read publicly to the people in church either among the Prophets, whose number is complete, or among the Apostles, for it is after their time.The Muratorian Fragment : 74–76

Published collections

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

References

Sources

* * * * * * * (6th German edition, translated by George Ogg) *

External links

New Testament Apocrypha textsNew Testament Apocrypha resources
– Tabulation includes Gnostic Gospels (23) and Gnostic Acts (29), linked to English translations. * {{DEFAULTSORT:New Testament Apocrypha fi:Apokryfiset kirjat

Definition

History

Development of the New Testament canon

Modern scholarship and translation

Gospels

Infancy gospels

Jewish-Christian gospels

Non-canonical gospels

Passion Gospels

Harmonized gospels

Gnostic texts about Jesus Christ

Dialogues with Jesus

General texts concerning Jesus

Sethian texts concerning Jesus

Ritual diagrams

Acts

Epistles

Apocalypses

Fate of Mary

Miscellany

Fragments

Lost works

Close candidates for canonization

Evaluation

Present day

Historical development towards today's canon

Published collections

See also

References

Sources

External links