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New Testament apocrypha

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience

An ancient manuscript page from the Codex Tchacos, an important historical document.

The New Testament apocrypha are special writings made by early Christians. These stories tell about Jesus, his teachings, the nature of God, and the lives and lessons of his apostles. Many people long ago read some of these writings as important holy books, or scripture.

However, since around the fifth century, most Christian groups agreed that the New Testament should only include the 27 books of the modern canon. Because of this, Protestant churches usually do not consider the New Testament apocrypha to be a part of the Bible. These writings still help us learn more about the early days of Christianity and the people who followed Jesus.

Definition

The word apocrypha means 'things put away' or 'things hidden'. It comes from an old word that means 'secret' or 'not part of the main books'. People used this word for special books that the church thought were useful but not from God.

These books were written by early Christians and talk about Jesus, his teachings, or his followers. Some people thought these books were important, but over time, most churches decided to only use 27 special books in what we call the New Testament today. Protestant churches do not include these extra books in their Bibles.

History

Development of the New Testament canon

Main article: Development of the New Testament canon

Many early writings about Jesus were debated by Christians in the first few centuries after his life. People wanted to make sure they kept the true teachings of Jesus. They used three main ways to do this: choosing trusted teachers through ordination, creating statements of belief called creeds, and making lists of important books called canons.

Not all books were chosen for the official list of the New Testament. Some books were not widely accepted and are now called apocryphal. A few of these books were not kept and only survive in small pieces or mentions by people who did not like them. The earliest lists of books were not exactly the same as the ones we have today. For example, the Book of Revelation was questioned by some, while the Shepherd of Hermas was accepted by others and appears in an old book called the Codex Sinaiticus.

Different churches had different lists of books. The Syriac Peshitta, used by Syrian churches, did not at first include some books like 2 Peter, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, and Revelation. Over time, some Syrian churches added these books. The Armenian Apostolic church sometimes included the Third Epistle to the Corinthians but did not always list it with the main New Testament books. This church did not include Revelation until the year 1200 CE.

Gospels

Main articles: Gospel and List of gospels

Many early writings told stories about Jesus that were not included in the Bible we read today. These are called the New Testament apocrypha. Some of these stories focused on Jesus' childhood and were called infancy gospels. Two important ones are the Infancy Gospel of James and the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. Others told about Jesus' later life and sufferings, like the Gospel of Peter and the Gospel of Nicodemus.

There were also gospels written by groups of early Christians, such as the Gospel of the Ebionites and the Gospel of the Hebrews. Some writers tried to combine the stories from the four main gospels into one story, like the Diatessaron. None of these books were chosen to be part of the Bible, but they give us extra information about how people in the early days thought about Jesus.

Main article: Infancy gospels

Main article: Jewish–Christian gospels

Main article: Gospel § Non-canonical gospels

Main article: Passion Gospels

Gnostic texts about Jesus Christ

Main article: Gnostic gospels

See also: Apocryphon

In recent times, many special writings from a group called the Gnostics have been found, especially from the Nag Hammadi library. These writings often tell stories where Jesus shares deep and secret ideas with his followers, who ask questions about these ideas. There is also a writing called the Epistula Apostolorum, which argues against some of these secret ideas but is written in a similar way.

Dialogues with Jesus

General texts concerning Jesus

Sethian texts concerning Jesus

The Sethians were a group who at first followed a biblical figure named Seth, and later thought of Jesus as a new version of Seth. They wrote many books sharing their special beliefs, often through visions:

Ritual diagrams

Some of these special writings include drawings and guides for religious ceremonies:

Acts

Main article: Acts of the Apostles (genre)

There are many old stories about what happened in the lives of the apostles after the main stories we know. These stories often include amazing and magical events. Some of these stories are called "The Circuits of the Apostles" and were said to be written by someone named Leucius Charinus, who was thought to be a friend of John the Apostle. These include stories about Peter, John, Andrew, Thomas, and Paul. A leader named Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople in the ninth century thought these stories were full of silly ideas and mistakes.

Some of these stories, like the Acts of Thomas and the Acts of Peter and the Twelve, are thought to be special kinds of writings called Gnostic texts. Most of these stories were probably written in the second century, but a few, like the Acts of Barnabas and the Acts of Peter and Paul, might have been written as late as the fifth century.

Epistles

Main article: Epistles

There are special letters, called epistles, written by early Christians to share messages with each other or with groups of believers. Some of these letters were very important to the early church. Here are some of these letters, with those marked by a special symbol being part of a special collection called the Apostolic Fathers:

Apocalypses

Main article: Apocalyptic literature

Some ancient writings describe visions about the future or what happens after life ends. These include stories like the Apocalypse of Paul, the Apocalypse of Peter, and the Apocalypse of Thomas, among others. These books were written a long time ago and share ideas about the world to come. One of these, called The Shepherd of Hermas, is also found in a group of early Christian writings known as the Apostolic Fathers.

Fate of Mary

Many old stories (over 50) describe what happened to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Some of these stories include:

Miscellany

These texts don’t fit into the usual groups of early Christian writings. They include church rules said to come from the apostles, like the Apostolic Constitutions and Canons of the Apostles. Others tell stories or teachings, such as the Cave of Treasures, also called The Treasure, and the Didache, which might be one of the earliest written guides for teaching about faith. There are also special prayers, like the Liturgy of St James, and letters said to be from important figures like Pilate or Tiberius.

Some books have unique names, like the Physiologus and the Book of the Bee. Others focus on heavenly beings or events, such as the Investiture of the Archangel Michael and the Revelation of the Magi. This collection includes many different kinds of writings that early Christians valued but that are not part of the main Bible we use today.

Fragments

Besides the well-known apocryphal books, there are also small pieces of texts from unknown or uncertain works. Some important fragments include:

Lost works

Many ancient sources mention several texts that might be considered part of the New Testament apocrypha, but none of these writings have survived to our time today.

These include the Gospel of Eve, the Gospel of the Four Heavenly Realms, the Gospel of Matthias (which is different from the Gospel of Matthew), the Gospel of Perfection, the Gospel of the Seventy, the Gospel of Thaddaeus, the Gospel of the Twelve, the Memoria Apostolorum, the Book of Elchasai, the Gospel of Andrew, the Gospel of Bartholomew, the Gospel of Hesychius, the Gospel of Lucius, Memoirs of the Apostles, and the Ascents of James. These texts were referenced by early Christian writers but have not been found.

Close candidates for canonization

Some old books were very popular and respected by early Christians, but they were not chosen to be part of the Bible. These books tell stories about Jesus, his teachings, and his followers. Many of these books were liked by people in the early years of Christianity, but later leaders decided not to include them in the official Bible.

These books include important messages and stories, such as letters from early leaders and guides for living a good life. Even though they were not chosen for the Bible, they still give us useful information about how people thought and lived a long time ago.

Evaluation

Present day

Among historians of early Christianity, these books are very important, especially those that almost became part of the main collection of books, like the Shepherd of Hermas. Historian Bart Ehrman explained that those who won theological debates not only changed ideas but also wrote about the history in ways that made it seem like most Christians had always agreed with them. He also noted that debates about which books to use lasted for many years, and even among Christian groups that are now considered standard, there was a lot of discussion about which books to include.

Historical development towards today's canon

The main debate in early Christian history was about whether certain books should be read during church services or only privately. These books were used often but were not always considered part of the main collection. Examples include the Didache, Shepherd of Hermas, 1 Clement, 2 Clement, the Epistle of Barnabas, and the Apocalypse of Peter.

The four gospels and letters of Paul were accepted by Christian communities as important books. It took around 200 years to decide on the final collection of 27 books. During this time, from the early 2nd Century to the mid-4th Century, none of the books in the final collection were ever rejected, except for the Revelation of John. This book was rejected by the Council of Laodicea in 363–364 CE, possibly because of concerns about a group called Montanism, which often used this book. More information can be found in the Revelation of John.

In 367 CE, Athanasius wrote his Easter letter listing the 27 books that make up the current collection. He also mentioned two other books, the Shepherd of Hermas and the Didache, as books that were useful but not part of the main collection. Early church leaders in the 3rd and 4th Centuries made a difference between the main books and those that were helpful for teaching but not part of the main collection. One reason for deciding on the main collection was to include only books believed to have been written by the Apostles or their close friends. The Muratorian fragment, an early list of books from around 150–175 CE, said about 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.

Published collections

Many books have been written to share stories about Jesus and his teachings that are not in the usual Bible. These books are called New Testament apocrypha. Some important books include translations and collections edited by scholars like Geoffrey Cumberlege, Charles Michel, and Montague Rhodes James. Others were edited by Edmundo González-Blanco, Giuseppe Bonaccorsi, and Korneli Kekeliże. More recent collections include works by Luigi Moraldi, James M. Robinson, and Mario Erbetta. Important modern editions were published by Aurelio de Santos Otero, Herbert and McNamara, J.K. Elliott, and François Bovon and colleagues. Bart Ehrman and Zlatko Pleše also created a text and translation of apocryphal gospels. Tony Burke and Brent Landau have edited multiple volumes of new noncanonical scriptures, with the latest volume published in 2023.

Related articles

Development of the New Testament canon
Early Christianity
Jesus in Christianity
God in Christianity
Apostles in the New Testament
Bible

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