Lost Books of the Bible For Dummies [Paperback]

Daniel L. Smith-Christopher (Author), Spignesi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2008

Lost Books of the Bible For Dummies is your one-stop guide to once-hidden works that add a new dimension to Biblical teachings. Most people have heard about the discovery of strange ancient religious writings that are not part the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament, such as the Gnostic Gospels. Now, you will find new insights and a fresh perspective on long-lost works that may have once been in the running for Biblical inclusion, but didn't make the final cut.

This easy-to-understand guide examines the sometimes weird, provocative, and profoundly moving texts that have been "lost" as well as those hotly debated works that are in some Bibles and not others. You will come away with a clearer understanding of the Judeo-Christian religion and the development of the Biblical canon. You’ll learn about the origins of the Bible, explore early scriptures, and understand why translations affect the meanings of texts. You’ll even learn how the Greek influenced early Biblical writing. Find out how to:

• Explain what the term “lost books” means
• Understand the definition of “canon”
• Take translation differences into consideration
• Divide early writings into style categories
• Take another look at scripture with the Dead Sea Scrolls
• See how the Greeks influenced early scripture
• Decode apocalyptic visions

Complete with a list of ten of the weirdest Jewish lost books, ten of the weirdest Christian lost books, ten sayings of Jesus NOT in the Bible, and ten “lost books that every student of the Bible should read, Lost Books of the Bible For Dummies is your one-stop guide to understanding and reading the Biblical lost books.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Uncovers the mystery behind ancient Christian and Jewish writings

Your complete resource for exploring the major lost books and the Judeo-Christian religion

Are you intrigued by the discoveries of strange ancient religious writings that are not part of the Bible? This fun, friendly guide examines these largely unknown works, offering prominent scholars' views on their meanings and importance. From the Book of Enoch to the Gnostic Gospels to the Gospel of Judas, you'll understand the differences between the writings and their impact on religion.

Discover:

• How the biblical canon developed

• The different categories of ancient religious writing

• Why these works are not in the Bible

• What the lost books teach us about God

• Sayings of Jesus not in the Bible

About the Author

Dr. Daniel L. Smith-Christopher was recently named Undergraduate Theology Teacher of the Year by Augsburg Fortress Press.

Stephen Spignesi is the author or coauthor of over 40 books, including Native American History For Dummies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 366 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (June 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470243805
• ISBN-13: 978-0470243800
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,826 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Book of the Dead (Egyptian)
  • #50 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Apocrypha

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, Accurate, Admirably Wide-Ranging, Fascinating!, October 15, 2008

By 

John Howard Reid (Wyong, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lost Books of the Bible For Dummies (Paperback)

A most informative and highly accurate account of the so-called "lost" books of the Bible, this latest addition to the splendid "Dummies" series, deserves the widest possible readership. By "lost", the authors mean, of course, all the works not included in approved Protestant Bibles, not just early religious books that have in fact either wholly or partly disappeared. Using this yardstick, the authors discuss all the extra books included in current Catholic and Orthodox Bibles, of which the most important are undoubtedly Wisdom and Ben Sirach, as well as compositions regarded as authoritative only by some Orthodox churches, such as Third and Fourth Maccabees and Psalm 151. Also included are celebrated works that "almost" made it into the New Testament (and were in fact actually included in early editions in some instances) like "The Shepherd of Hermas" and "The Didache". Recently rediscovered Gnostic Gospels and other literature are also dealt with at length. In fact, so much information is laid at the reader's fingertips, it is almost overwhelming. The authors have obviously examined much (if not all) of this material at first hand. On a few occasions (perhaps the result of unwarily consulting faulty translations), they miss the point. For example, the whole thrust of the inspired author's argument in the early chapters of the so-called "Wisdom of Solomon" is that the personified Wisdom is the Holy Spirit. Although content to quote Wisdom 6:12-15, the present compilers do not move on to the end of his argument in chapter 7, when the inspired author declares that Wisdom "is a breath of the power of God, a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty," who "in every generation passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God and prophets" (RSV). However, aside from this one sticking point, I heartily agree with almost everything that is said about other ancient Biblical writings with which I am expertly familiar and which I have recently translated in my book, BIBLE WISDOM FOR MODERN TIMES: Selections from the Orthodox Old Testament

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction for anyone interested in the Lost Books, January 18, 2009

By 

Aaron P. Hart "dangerr" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lost Books of the Bible For Dummies (Paperback)

I must admit, that overall I liked this book. I knew I was in for a treat when I saw the main scholar was a Quaker Christian who was a professor at a Catholic college. I was only disipointed by the fact that there wasn't as much description as I would have liked (author warned in the beginning that this was a brief overview). However, if you never knew anything about the lost books of the Bible, this book gives you a complete overview of all the books that have been discovered. It includes descriptions, cultinural reasons for the writings, dates, basic summaries of what the text talk about, and several reasons as to why these text were not canonized in the Holy Bible. If you are a Protestant Christian, you are in for a treat because he also discusses the Deutrocanonical books that are found in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox texts.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars dont lose lost books for dummies, December 16, 2009

By 

B. Fisher "christian scholar at large" (northern ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lost Books of the Bible For Dummies (Paperback)

I'm extremely happy with my purchase. It covered everything I wanted to know the authors are experts in the field and they did their research. It explained why the books that were included got in, how some were left out and how some were debated for inclusion but didnt make the cut. it has quotes from some books but it dosent have the actual lost books however it does have a list in the back with alot of books that do.