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The Lost Books of the Bible

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This is a reprinting (no updates) of a text published in 1928. It contains Christian (New Testament) "apocrypha and pseudepigrapha" (hereafter NTAP) -- books which some considered to be scripture in the past, but which were not included in the canonical Bible as used by mainstream Christians today.

This book (available in several different printings, sometimes bound with "The Lost Books of Eden") is the most economical way to get acquainted with this material. It includes some simple critical notes describing the origins of these texts. If you have a larger budget, the current standard edition (available through AMAZON.COM) is Schneemelcher's "New Testament Apocrypha."

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 NTAP is the source of many Christian traditions. For instance, many believe that Mary's mother was Saint Anne. The only written source for this information is the "Protovangelion", in the NTAP.

On the other hand, The "Infancy Gospel", included in this book, claims to tell stories of the early days of Jesus's life. I think any committed Christian reading the "Infancy Gospel" would understand why the Church Fathers believed it was not Inspired and therefore did not include it in the canonical Bible. It presents Jesus as divine, yet also having the personality of a five-year-old boy. For example: "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)

This book contains 26 literary works from the early Christian Church. These "books" were extant in the early Church, but when the New Testament was officially organized into Canon Scripture (officially accepted books), these were among those left behind. This book was originally published in 1890, reprinted in 1926, and again in 1979.

As one might expect with any collection of stories, this one is a mixed bag of good and bad stories. Some of these works are long and tedious, while some are short and don't seem to contain anything new. However, all of them allow a fascinating glimpse into the thoughts of various factions within the early Church.

Personally, I enjoyed The Epistles of Paul the Apostle to Seneca, with Seneca's to Paul, and the Epistles of Clement. I highly enjoyed this book and recommend it to you.

Originally published in 1926, the 1979 edition of this work purports to illustrate religious works "not included" by the compilers of the New Testament. It is an interesting read, with each book prefaced by scholarly opinions of how legitimate the material is. Some books directly echo the accepted New Testament, such as the book `Infancy' and `Mary'; others have the same title, such as `Ephesians', with some of the same ideas as found in the New Testament. Others, such as the books dealing with Pontius Pilate, seem to contain historical inaccuracies (such as who exactly the Roman emperor was at the time), which lead to doubt about authenticity (although it is interesting to read). I would recommend this book, although it is dense, and the print is NOT reader-friendly, as a companion piece to other `apocryphal' literature, but a newer edition might be more instructive.

A collection of ancient Christian documents, some of which were considered and rejected when the New Testament was being compiled. I found it very interesting, particularly regarding Jesus's and Mary's childhoods.

A good variety and collection of books which, for whatever reason, were excluded by the early Church councils from what became the Old Testament and New Testament.

Initially published as a group in 1926, each one of the "Lost Books" includes a brief introduction giving background and history. Like the editors of this two-part volume, I do not feel it is necessary to share my opinion of the historicity of these works, each reader can decide for him or herself what is shadow and what is worthy in his own esteem, and consider the debate which at one time engulfed some of these books.

This volume is divided into two sections. The first is called "Lost Books of the Bible", and includes works which deal with Jesus & Company, and may at one time have been considered part of the New Testament Gospel in various bishoprics (prioe to successive Councils and later the establishment of Roman and other Orthodox sects). Includes are the following 26 "lost" books:

Mary, Protevangelion, I. Infancy, II. Infancy, Christ and Abgarus, Nicodemus, The Apostles' Creed, Laodiceans, Paul and Senica, Paul and Thecla, I. Clement, II. Clement, Barnabus, Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, Romans, Philadelphians, Smyrnaeans, Polycarp, Philippians, I. Hermas-Visions, II. Herman-Commands, III. Hermas-Similitudes, Letters of Herod and Pilate, The Last Gospel of Peter

There is even room in the margin for little notes to yourself as you read. I found it helpful to devote a specific portion of time to each chapter and consider its implications, weigh the quality of the writing, etc. This is an interesting window into the formation of Christianity during its first several hundred years. Also, don't miss the book "The Lost Books of Eden", which covers *JEWISH WORKS* :) which were not included in the Canon due to their more recent origin (ONLY about 2,200-2,000 years old).

This book contains many writings that were simply left out of the final version of the Bible. The inside flap notes that the church suppressed many of these documents. Nevertheless, these writings do not provide any information that is truly spectacular by 21st Century standards. These documents were likely omitted because they did not fit into the neat chronology of the Bible, showed women in a stronger role than was acceptable in medieval times, or suggested that Christ made mistakes as a youth.

"The Acts of Paul and Thecla" describe a woman who helped spread the word of God. The document clearly shows her as a strong woman and a true disciple. Church elders of the medieval period probably felt that a story of a strong female was inappropriate for women of that period. The events surrounding her persecution are filled with miracles. She survived attempts to kill her through burning and attacks by wild beasts. In the end, she disappeared into a crack in a rock that was created by God. God then closed the opening behind her.

The first part of the book describes the birth of the Virgin Mary and her marriage to Joseph. The book also contains writings that describe the adolescent years of Jesus and the magical powers of the cloth used to wrap him as a baby. Some events show Jesus in a less than perfect light. These writings nevertheless describe a part of the Gospel that is not widely known.

Some parts of the book flow easily while other writings are difficult to follow. The books of Hermas provide an example of easy reading and tedious reading. "The First Book of Hermas," tells an interesting story. He passes near a great beast, one hundred feet long with locusts coming out of its mouth. Hermas was not killed by the beast as he had faith that the Lord would protect him. The third book talks of mountains and stones that are used to build a tower. Only after struggling through this document does the reader learn that the tower is a metaphor for the house of God.

The end of the book contains multiple letters from Pontius Pilate and Herod. Herod talks about how he is paying the price for killing John the Baptist. Pilate sends letters to Tiberius Caesar, which recount his reasons for crucifying Jesus. His letters also discuss the miracles surrounding Jesus such as the raising of Lazarus, and the earthquake following the crucifixion. These documents note that Tiberius subsequently killed Pilate for his role in the crucifixion.

Like the Bible itself, this book is a compilation of ancient writings. Also like the Bible, the documents are presented in two vertical columns per page. This book is a fascinating companion to the Bible. It provides insight to events surrounding the New Testament that are mostly unknown. Bottom line: a semi tough read but well worth the effort.

"The Lost Books of the Bible" originally appeared in this format in 1926, and has been reprinted by several publishers; sometimes in one volume with "The Forgotten Books of Eden," which I have reviewed separately. It combined, along with a modicum of newer material, some rather old translations of the "Apostolic Fathers" -- early Christian writings sometimes included in the New Testament canon by "orthodox" writers, but later rejected from it -- and of various apocryphal, but popular, Gospels, Acts, and Epistles from later centuries.

These latter are mostly flat-out pseudepigrapha, works with false attributions, rather than genuinely early works that simply failed to be considered inspired by enough leaders of the early Churches. But they often are splendid entertainment, with many reflections in art and literature, bits and pieces of which remain in circulation as "gospel truth," their lack of support in canonical texts often missed by those who have known the stories from childhood.

The original languages of both groups seem to have been, variously, Greek or Syriac, but Latin and other translations exist for some of them, and provide important evidence. This adds more complications to the problem of multiple versions, none standardized, of extra-canonical works treated freely by some scribes.

Is the volume worth the reader's time (and money)? As long as the copy is reasonably priced, and you don't expect too much of it, and don't plan to rely on it for any serious scholarship, the answer is a qualified yes. There are alternatives, so, if possible, make some comparisons in a library before buying.

Despite the 1926 date, the set of translations of "Apostolic" works were by William Wake (1657-1737), an Archbishop of Canterbury, and the others were by his less prominent contemporary, Jeremiah Jones (1693-1724). They did not exactly reflect current scholarship! But in 1926 the book was cheaper than the shiny new 1924 Oxford University Press "The Apocryphal New Testament," edited and translated by M.R. James (yes, the ghost-story writer; that was his hobby); it filled a niche.

James' collection is currently in paperback as "The New Testament Apocrypha" at a reasonable price, although of course it is now rather antiquated itself. Those on a budget may well wish to consider it as an alternative to the present volume.

A replacement for James was published by Oxford in 1993, "The Apocryphal New Testament: A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation," edited by J.K. Elliott, with a revised edition shortly thereafter, and a paperback in 1999. And there are other up-to-date collections, although some aren't all that accessible, of the "Christian Apocrypha."

Highly regarded, although the introductions are translated from a German translation, are the two volumes of "New Testament Apocrypha" edited by Wilhelm Schneemelcher: "Gospels and Related Writings" and "Writings Relating to the Apostles; Apocalypses and Related Subjects." Against them, and the single volume edited by Elliott, is their steep cover price (although Amazon offers attractive discounts). Of course, they have a much larger selection of offerings than "Lost Books" (three or four times as many titles). Elliott has almost 800 pages in a single volume! There are also shorter modern collections (see below).

As for the specifically proto-orthodox extra-canonical works: Back in the 1920s, I suppose that the facing pages of Greek text may have intimidated potential readers of the Loeb Classical Library "Apostolic Fathers," edited and translated by Kirsopp Lake (1912), which then offered the latest word on the subject. It remained standard until quite recently, being replaced by Bart D. Ehrman's new Loeb edition, also in two volumes, in 2003. And there are various other editions and translations, individual or collected, some with elaborate commentaries. The Penguin Classics volume of "Early Christian Writings: The Apostolic Fathers" unfortunately omits a major text (see below), which prevents me from giving it unqualified support.

Some of "Apostolic Fathers" are included also in a volume of translations by Ehrman himself, "Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It Into The New Testament" (2003) which includes other non-canonical texts in a mixture similar to "Lost Books," but much richer. Unfortunately, Ehrman abridges some of the longer works, including that omitted by Penguin; my main reason for not making it a main recommendation, either. The "Apostolic" texts are not included in the other big "Apocrypha" collections, which are overstuffed already; although a couple of them might well qualify on grounds of false, rather than mistaken, claims of authorship.

I don't know how the prices compared in 1926, but I suspect that Lake's version was a better bargain all around, even then; although not nearly so entertaining in its total contents as "Lost Books."

Now, in point of fact, most of the works in "Lost Books of the Bible" had originally been brought together, not in the 1920s, in response to James, but in 1820. This proto-collection was made by William Hone, a sometime-radical turned zealous Christian. (Or so he said; some of the pieces he made more available may not have been all that welcome to the conventionally devout!) For some reason (perhaps because Wake had worked on it, and its title was confusing) the volume includes "The Apostle's Creed," directly from the Anglican "Book of Common Prayer." Not exactly "Lost," or in any way a "Book" of the Bible -- although the Apostolic attribution is a matter of pious legend.

To Hone's editorial work was added two later discoveries. One is a version of "The Lost Gospel of Peter," a Greek fragment recovered in Egypt in the 1880s, and identified as a work known to early Christian writers (Origen and Eusebius) who debated both its orthodoxy and authenticity -- it seems to have had canonical status only in very limited circles. Whether the identification of the seventh-century manuscript was correct has been disputed. The second addition was of a translation of a Syriac "Letters of Herod and Pilate," which apparently is the version by W. Wright in his "Syriac Apocrypha" of 1865 (not seen).

The textual basis available to Archbishop Wake and Jones for almost all of their material was very insecure. The translations, while fairly pleasant in their archaic English, are less than reliable in their understanding of the Greek or Latin; and the English itself is obscured a bit by those charming quaint features.

The volume does make available versions of the legends of the Virgin in "The Birth Gospel of Mary" (not a Nag Hammadi or Berlin Coptic text!) and "Protevangelion," the passion and resurrection narratives of "The Gospel of Nicodemus" (which includes "The Acts of Pilate" and "The Descent into Hell"), "The Epistle of Paul to the Laodiceans," "The Epistles of Paul and Seneca," and "The Acts of Paul and Thecla," which are otherwise difficult to find in an inexpensive form. "Nicodemus" was extremely important in the Middle Ages (there survives an Anglo-Saxon version of part of it, among other vernacular treatments), especially for the concept of Christ's "Harrowing of Hell." (The "Apostles' Creed" is set up to show that its appearance there is a late expansion -- although the point of establishing something like that for a short text with an unclear history seems to me debatable.) I don't have more recent versions of these on hand, such as Elliott or Schneemelcher, or even James, and refer to Jones' translations in this collection from time to time, instead of rushing to the library.

However, good translations of "The Gospel of Peter" and of different versions of what "Lost Books" offers as the "Infancy Gospels" attributed to Thomas and James (a confusingly overlapping complex of stories about the childhood of Jesus; the "Birth Gospel" and "Protevangelion" are related too) are now fairly readily available in "The Complete Gospels" (edited by Robert J. Miller for The Jesus Seminar, 1992, 1994), as well as the bigger collections; along with other fragments, and "heretical" works.

For "Christ and Abgarus," a supposed correspondence between Jesus and a Syrian ruler (the "Prince of Edessa"), there are a number of English versions, translated from both the (probably original) Syriac and the Greek text traditions, the latter notably including the early rendering by the Church Historian Eusebius in Book I, chapter 13, of his "Ecclesiastical History." A two-volume version in the Loeb Classical Library, edited and translated by Kirsopp Lake (1926) and J.E.L. Oulton (1932), has long been standard. It is readily available in a Penguin Classics translation, "The History of the Church." Eusebius is an important source for Christianity before Constantine, and well worth attention for those interested in the period. He is also a fairly tedious writer; the Penguin translation tries to reduce his wordiness, so it is better as an introduction than a scholarly resource.

This fascinating "Abgar" text, in which Jesus promises to send his image to the ailing Abgar, instead of interrupting his Ministry to come himself, is probably behind the later story of the miraculous relic of Christ's face imprinted on the handkerchief of St. Veronica (otherwise "the Veronicle"). It probably underlies the concept of the Shroud of Turin, too. Copies of the letters were themselves regarded as having healing powers, and amuletic versions were found even in Western Europe.

Jones, or perhaps Hone, or even the 1926 editor, omits Eusebius' explanatory narrative; which is not the only version available, but seems to be the oldest extant. This lack of a traditional context reduces the aging translation's value considerably.

In addition, a third textual tradition has since turned up, in an openly magical context, in "The Coptic Book of Ritual Power from Leiden," translated by Richard Smith in Marvin W. Meyer and Smith's "Ancient Christian Magic: Coptic Texts of Ritual Power" (1994; revised 1999). This version includes extraneous material, but it sheds some light on those who valued these traditions; and should be compared to a citation of the Abgar letter in Text 61 (page 114), and to adaptations of canonical texts elsewhere in the same volume.

The bulk of Archbishop Wakes' contributions were, as mentioned, of works now known as "The Apostolic Fathers," a modern term for a varying assortment of early works once (for the most part) attributed to associates of the original Disciples, of the Apostle Paul, or to members of their immediate circle. He included an incomplete (because based on imperfect texts) version of the so-called "First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians," and with it the problematic "Second Epistle ...," which may also be by a man named Clement, but certainly not the same Clement, and isn't really much of an Epistle. The "General Epistle of Barnabas" is in the name of a companion of Paul, but is certainly not by him, although some parts of it may be very old. (Even, although not in their present form, pre-Christian -- actually Jewish, which would have horrified pseudo-Barnabas, who insists that the Church is not only now, but always was, the "True Israel.")

The -- generally considered authentic -- "Epistles of Ignatius," to various congregations and to his friend Polycarp have a complex and controversial textual history, which had then only recently been clarified in its outlines. With them Wake included the "Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians," but not the related "Martyrdom of Polycarp," which also seems to be a very early work. (Forged epistles of Ignatius, and interpolated texts of the authentic ones, were a hot issue in the Reformation.) Again, textual issues abound, and Wake could be no more reliable than his sources.

Wake also provided the charming, but textually unreliable, translation of "The Shepherd of Hermas," a visionary work, filled with allegorical images and their angelic explicators, in the apocalyptic mode. Very long, theologically muddled, sometimes tedious but intermittently fascinating, it, like "Barnabas," once seemed likely to achieve canonical status, and is actually found in some early New Testament manuscripts. It doesn't share the violent anti-Jewish sentiments of Barnabas, with their almost Gnostic view of the Old Testament God. But its very odd views on baptism, repentance and salvation, and its strange reluctance to mention Jesus Christ as Savior (preferring instead "The Church" and sometimes "The Lord") probably militated against its acceptance.

The "Shepherd" of the title is one of the angelic figures; and the work is sometimes known by the Latin name of "Pastor," of the same meaning, but which suggests something different in modern English contexts! Hermas, the narrator, is aware of a fellow-Christian in Rome named Clement, who may or may not be, or be supposed to be, the associate of Peter (and his second successor as "Bishop of Rome"), to whom the Clementine Epistles are attributed. It was once very popular; yet in this case the Latin version is particularly important, because none of the surviving Greek manuscripts are quite complete. Wake's translation of Hermas seems to me the best of the whole group, in literary terms; but Lake and Ehrman are both far more reliable, and both are clearer. Many other translations (including Ehrman's in his "Lost Scriptures") are abridged (it is *very* long, and not always very interesting), so care may be needed in finding a full version in English elsewhere. Unfortunately, it is missing entirely from the Penguin Classics "Early Christian Writings: The Apostolic Fathers."

An incredible resource for all Christians. Gospel of Nicodemus gives incredible insight to events surrounding the Crucifixion. Very insightful works also attributed to Clement, Barnabas, Hermas and letters sent between Herod and Pilate.

There is something somewhat misleading about the title of this book - in fact, most of the selections contained in this book are not 'lost' documents at all. For example, the Dead Sea Scrolls (which are not contained in this book) were well and truly lost - they were buried for centuries, and those who buried them did not leave notice of where they were in any way that survived; hence, when they were found, they were truly recovered from having been lost. What makes the documents in this book 'lost' contextually is that they were not included in the canon of the New Testament texts.

In the early church, there was no consistent agreement about what belonged in the Bible and what was not to be included. Modern-day readers of books such as the 'Da Vinci Code' can understand some of the issues and dilemmas here - there were no printing presses, no consistency of library cataloging or copyrighting, and no central authority in the oft-persecuted church as to who could make a decision of what texts were valuable. Indeed, even the Hebrew scriptures existed in variations, and the modern day issue of apocryphal books included or not included in the Bible stems from the difference between the Greek and Hebrew translations of the Hebrew scriptures/Old Testament texts.

For example, the book of the Shepherd of Hermas, included here, was well known to the early church, and continued to be a document known to church historians and scholars in the subsequent centuries, even if it was not commonly known and read by the laity in the churches. The apostle Paul was far from the only letter writer of the early church; the New Testament includes some other letters (Peter, John, etc.), but the canonical decision at one point was made that only those attributed to the original twelve apostles and Paul would be included - the letters of Clement, very important and useful in the early church, were excluded from the canon.

However, there is an important point to be made here. Just because something was not included in the canon of scripture did not mean that it was worthless. Just because a student gets an A rather than an A+ does not mean that student did not do good and worthwhile work. Many of these texts were 'A' texts for the early church, but lacked that certain something that made them canonical. The same is true for the gospels - this collection includes some extra-canonical gospel texts, and the reason for their non-inclusion in the canon is varied, but does not mean their value is insignificant.

There has been much work done on early church documentary history and the development of the canon since this book was first published more than a century ago, but these are reasonable (if not always reader-friendly) translations of relatively unknown texts, useful for general readers and undergraduates, or those who might want to know what the early Christians were reading and being influenced by apart from the canonical text.

Nearly all knowledgeable Biblical scholars realize there have been a wide range of writings attributed to Jesus and his Apostles..... and that some of these were selected for compilation into the book that became known as the Bible.....and that some books have been removed from some versions of the Bible and others have been re-discovered in modern times.

The attention focused on Gnosticism by Dan Brown's DaVinci Code may be debatable, but the fact is that increased attention on academics tends to be predominately positive, so I welcome those with first-time or renewed interest. At least first-timers to Gnosticism are not pursuing the oh-so-popular legends of the Holy Grail, Bloodline of Christ, and Mary Magdalene.

This is great......I seldom quote other reviewers, but there is one reviewer of Pagels' books who confided that he had been a Jesuit candidate and had been required to study a wide range of texts but was never was told about the Nag Hamadi texts. He said:

"Now I know why. The Gospel of Thomas lays waste to the notion that Jesus was `the only begotten Son of God' and obviates the need for a formalized church when he says, `When your leaders tell you that God is in heaven, say rather, God is within you, and without you.' No wonder they suppressed this stuff! The Roman Catholic Church hasn't maintained itself as the oldest institution in the world by allowing individuals to have a clear channel to see the divinity within all of us: they need to put God in a bottle, label the bottle, put that bottle on an altar, build a church around that altar, put a sign over the door, and create rubricks and rituals to keep out the dis-believing riff-raff. Real `Us' versus `them' stuff, the polar opposite from `God is within You.' `My God is bigger than your God' the church(s)seem to say. And you can only get there through "my" door/denomination. But Jesus according to Thomas had it right: just keep it simple, and discover the indwelling Divinity `within you and without you.'"

Here are quickie reviews of what is being bought these days on the Gnostic Gospels and the lost books of the Bible in general:

The Lost Books of the Bible (0517277956) includes 26 apocryphal books from the first 400 years that were not included in the New Testament.

Marvin Meyers' The Secret Teachings of Jesus : Four Gnostic Gospels (0394744330 ) is a new translation without commentary of The Secret Book of James, The Gospel of Thomas, The Book of Thomas, and The Secret Book of John.

James M. Robinson's The Nag Hammadi Library in English : Revised Edition (0060669357) has been around 25 years now and is in 2nd edition. It has introductions to each of the 13 Nag Hammadi Codices and the Papyrus Berioinensis 8502.

The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (0140278079) by Geza Vermes has selected works....a complete work is more difficult to achieve than the publisher's marketing concept indicates. His commentary generates strong reactions.

Elaine Pagels has 2 books (The Gnostic Gospels 0679724532 and Beyond Belief : The Secret Gospel of Thomas 0375501568) that have received considerable attention lately. For many, her work is controversial in that it is written for popular consumption and there is a strong modern interpretation. She does attempt to reinterpret ancient gender relationships in the light of modern feminist thinking. While this is a useful (and entertaining) aspect of college women's studies programs, it is not as unethical as some critics claim. As hard as they may try, all historians interpret the past in the context of the present. Obviously there is value in our attempts to re-interpret the past in the light of our own time.

If you want the full scholarly work it is W. Schneemelcher's 2 volume New Testament Apocrypha.