Customer Reviews

The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden (Meridian)

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This text is a reprinting of two books (written in 1926 and 1927) containing "pseudepigrapha" -- books which some considered to be scripture in the past, but which were not included in the canonical Bible that almost all Christian churches use, nor in the Bible that almost all Jews use. Some of these books were quoted in books in the Christian New Testament; St. Paul quotes from 1 Enoch. The "Forgotten Books of Eden" half of this book will be of interest to students of the Jewish scriptures, and is available by itself through Amazon. Anybody who takes Bible scholarship seriously and who can afford to spend $10 should have a copy of these pseudepigrapha.

The original publication dates are important here, because biblical archaeology and textual studies have progressed substantially in the past seventy years. For example, this book predates the discovery of the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas, and accordingly does not include it.

The paperback edition of this book is the most economical way I know to get all of this material together. Some critical notes describing the origins of these texts are included. If you have a larger budget, the current standard editions of these texts (also available through AMAZON.COM) are Charlesworth's "Old Testament Pseudepigrapha" and Schneemelcher's "New Testament Apocrypha."

You can pre-read a chapter of this book by searching for the words "Infancy Gospel" on the web. The "Infancy Gospel", included in this book, tells stories of the early days of Jesus' life. It presents Jesus as divine, yet also having the personality of a five-year-old boy. For example, one of his playmates maltreats him, so: "When the Lord Jesus was coming home in the evening with Joseph, he met a boy who ran so hard against him, that he threw him down; To whom the Lord Jesus said `As thou hast thrown me down, so shalt thou fall, nor ever rise.' And that moment the boy fell down and died." (I infancy, Ch. XIX, vv. 22-24)

A good book to put some of this in context is James Kugel's "The Bible as it Was" (also available through AMAZON.COM).

The book contains a nice variety of works from early Christianity and to some extent the old testament era. If you are a beginer of the study of such works this is a nice starting book as you can see a small sampling of each of the many types of works that were written and the very different messages these books sometimes gave (part of why they aren't widely studied today in Churchs). However, every book contained in this work is to be found in other collections and I know of single collective books that contain most of these works and more with better translations. A nice starting point but not something that is really valuable to someone who has been already been studying other works from the time of the formation of the cannon.

This book contains insight into the minds of the people of the early Christian church and earlier. Although not accepted as Scripture it serves to give you an idea of how people thought about things back then.

This is a great book which gives readers who have an interest in history and Scripture a chance to enrich their knowledge of the past. It also gives readers a chance to further appreciate the sincerity and wisdom of the Church Fathers who had to evaluate many, many gospels and other writings before they compiled the Canon. I like the book especially because it provided me with a chance to recognize why these books do not belong as part of the canonical collection. And I like it because it also enhanced my knowledge of how writers have a tendency to embellish history with legend, myth and conjecture to make their point. But these apocryphal and pseudepigraphic writings, while very misleading and sometimes outright false, do on occasion offer additional perspectives on the Cannon, for the canonical authors we are so familiar with were men of very few words.

Being raised Southern Baptist with a strong emphasis on the KJV of the Bible and later converting to Catholicism because my husband was Catholic and then spending many years working for a Jewish law firm, I was exposed to many different religious beliefs, customs, traditions and aspects. When I became older, I wanted to know "more". Just from a purely logical standpoint, there had to be a beginning, a middle and an "end"...yet there were too many gaps in the "history" depicted by the Bible. Yet I do believe in God and I am in Christian in that I believe in Jesus being the only son of God, but there were parts of the story missing. This book fills in all those gaps. It is beautifully written. It is easy to read. It is comprehensive. It is rational. It is direct. I do not dare to believe that one religion is the "perfect" religion and I think anyone in this modern day and time who does think that way has a lot to learn. This book fills in the gaps from where Adam and Eve left the garden, how their bodies transformed into their "animal" state, and explains many, many, many other details that make the bible really make SENSE to those of us who need that little boost of logic sometimes to help edge that faith on just a bit. It is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to fill in all those gaps and empty spots that are left by the beautifully written, yet very incomplete KJV of the bible. Even the Catholic version of the bible which has more books than the KJV does not do justice to these beautiful books that were left out. I am appalled that in the 21st Century these books are still not included. But not so very long ago, women could not vote, blacks were segregated from whites, illegitimacy was a social tabu, women had no rights to own a business, get a phone, or even get a credit card...so why am I not surprised that these beautiful books are still "not included" in our modern day bibles? I think it is time for people to wake up, know what all the facts are, and then they will find plausible explanations for things that make it even "easier" to confirm their faith...rather than the 2,000 years of being led by a select few in determining what we "need to know".

I was raised with the King James version of the Bible and have difficulty accepting other translations.I acquired my copy of The Lost Books at a garage sale and I enjoy it so much I ordered one for my grandson. Not only is it great to read from a historical point, it is easy to read.It reads like a very good novel.The chapters are tied together chronologicaly which holds you attention and keeps you reading for hours on end.I have heard of this book all of my life .To finally have a copy is a treasure and a dream come true.

"... The very words of Jesus were in many instances, suggested by sayings current in his day, more or less as unconscious quotations from the Testaments of the 12 Patriarchs."
The Rev. Dr. William Guthrie, Rector of St. Mark's-in-the-Bouwerie.



Ancient Sacred Writings:
Indeed, by the Hebrews a story was popularly presumed to have its hero for its author. Moses wrote the account of his own death. Deuteronomy was of course, his own work, although obviously intended to alter the traditional religion. Jonah wrote the little novel about himself. David was the author of the Psalms because reported to have instituted the first temple choir, and as a lad to have played the harp soothing the nerves of King Saul. When an author for the book of Job was wanted, though the whole discussion of the work proves it was written to refute the Wisdom literature which by tradition began with the Proverbs of Solomon, Moses was chosen as a suitable author!
So for centuries among the Jews, and Christians, writers sought to shelter themselves behind the names of the great dead. In this they were guilty of no fraud. They imagined what Solomon or Enoch would say, or sing, upon a particular theme under given circumstances. It was not really they themselves, but their Solomon, their Enoch, Solomon or Enoch in them, who uttered the new prophesies or temple praises.

Brief History of Esoteric Writings:
People who felt endowed with special talents could hardly adapt themselves to the corset of established faith. They went underground. Yet they endeavoured to contact kindred spirits and pupils willing to follow in their footsteps to pass on the work. This applies above all to the Gnostic movement which made ancient Alexandria its seat. Esoteric tradition became handed down in spiritual groups, communes, or fraternities. Their mutual devotion resulted in a high degree of perfection comparable to the guilds of craftsmen. In their mystical experiences they beheld a spiritual reality that could hardly be reconciled with the dogmatic traditions of the churches. When passing on their experiences, they had to exercise caution, to avoid being accused of heresy. Yet knowledgeable minds would understand their veiled writings, symbolic representations, or even gestures.
Questioned by the early Church fathers who compiled the books of the Bible, these Apocrypal and Pseudoepigrapha Books have for centuries been shrouded in silence, and copied in secrecy. Now, since the advent of the New Age, after WWII, modern readers can discover the hidden beauties of those long neglected Books. Renewed interest in these spiritual, religious and magical traditions had a strong impact on the minds of man. The latest revival in a popularized form is that of the New Age movement in the late sixties.

Rediscovered Non Canonicals:
To be found in some editions, is a wide range of varieties from the Apostles' Creed, to the Odes of Solomon, and other Apocryphal writings that have become part of the Judeo Christian religious heritage. You could encounter some in the Koran like, the story of Joseph with the wife of Potiphar, the girlhood and betrothal of Mary, and the childhood of Jesus. They are narrated in all warmth, intimacy, and humanity of their authors, and imaginative additions and edition of their first story tellers.

Pseudepigrapha and Apocrypha:
Thus arose that body of literature, called by modern scholars, "Pseudepigrapha," that is, writings erroneously, unhistorically, and yet sincerely, ascribed to heroic figures summed from the vastly deep by a self-denying imagination, eager to alter man's belief and custom, to interpret his hope and sorrow, without personal gain or fame, and also, may one add, without the deterrent of persecution to arrest free utterance! Now it is a foolish modern prejudice against an ancient piece of literature that its author veiled his person in this fashion. The only question is: Was the writing of inherent value? Did it exercise influence? William Guthrie

I'm in the beginning stages of reading this book, so I cannot comment on all of it just yet. I will say, however, that it has answered some of the questions that I've often had about principles characters in the bible. I've also often wondered why these books were left out of the bible. As a woman, I found it very uplifting to read the story of Mary's childhood as well as other stories that mentioned or focused on women. From what I've read so far, I definitely recommend it!

During my first 50 years on this earth, I often wondered if there wasn't more to the Bible than we were receiving. It always seemed odd that a group of men could decide what should and should not be in the Bible. These additional gospels, letters & stories seem to tie up some loose ends, at least for me. More of Jesus's childhood days are written about as well as a detailed history of Adam and Eve and their descendents and how the "family tree" ties all of the Old Testament together. One must, however, keep an open mind and realize that these stories, like the ones in the Bible, have been handed down from word of mouth throughout the centuries until a method of preserving them was perfected. This book is great for a Bible Study group and will open the eyes of those who have never been, up to now, able to hear this collection of great books before. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in the history of mankind.

Ever since I watched an episode on the History Channel about books that were not included in the Bible, I have been interested in what might be in those books. I checked this book out of our local library, but found that I wanted my own copy as a reference. It has met my expectations and is a good addition to my personal library.