Customer Reviews

New Testament Apocrypha, Vol. 2: Writings Relating to the Apostles; Apocalypses and Related Topics

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. . .this volume does for the Acts and Apocalypses of the Apostles.

This book "New Testament Apocrypha: Writings Relating to the Apostles Apocalypses and Related Subjects" , like the companion volume, is THE definitive scholarly English-language edition of the sub-canonical, post New Testament era Acts of various Apostles, lives of various Apostolic personalities, and Apocalypses and Revelations of all sorts.

Again, like the first volume, each text is expertly translated (with textual variants properly explained) and is preceded by a scholarly introduction discussing issues of critical importance. Appropriate references are also provided, so that the student or researcher has a "jumping-off" point for further study.

Any serious student of the New Testament and post New Testament era cannot affford to be without both of these texts. I highly recommend them both.

In this volume, and its companion, Wilson's English language translation of Schneemelcher's magnum opus, is presented in a most scholarly, critical edition. This book is a must, not only for the serious student of sub-New Testament literature, but also for pastors who wish to be informed as to the highest scholarship in this field.

This second volume, dealing with the apocryphal Acts of many of the Apostles (John, Andrew, etc.), and also with Apocalyptic material, demonstrates how the Early Church viewed the Apostles, as well as how heretical sects tried to "appropriate" the names and careers of early Christians in attempts to justify their own theologies. This volume also demonstrates the importance of Apocalyptic writing, both in Jewish and Christian circles. Finally, like it's companion volume, this book shows how early popular piety influenced early Christian writings.

Both volumes are highly recommended.

*****

This authoritative edition of the Apocryphal writings, relating to the New Testament, covers all the non canonical texts, detailed later on in this review. As a teen, I read the OT Pseudo-Epigrapha which fascinated me. I heard about the Gospel of Barnabas, which I read in Arabic, became suspicious of the translators, but developed an eagerness to read more. It was a lucky day in September when I carried back home the four hard covers, on the OT and NT Apocryphal texts. The novice reader may start with volume I which includes a concise introduction covering the NT canonization process, and reference to the testimony of Church Fathers Origen, Eusebius and Athanasius. This revised edition presents, one of the finest traditions of German scholarship on the extra canonicals. Together with its first volume, they cover all sources of ancient Apocryphal writings in Coptic, Greek and Latin.

All serious Bible scholars should examine, not just read, the wide spectrum of NT writings attributed to Jesus and his Apostles. Most of those, which were in existence at the time of the canon sealing by Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, in his Paschal letter of 367, have been scrutinized by the great Churches of the East. The New Testament compilation started with the letters of Paul, and the last book added was the Apocalypse of "Elder John', an associate of the beloved disciple. The twenty seven books; Gospels, letters and epistles formed the New Testament, by the Biblical leadership of Alexandria, confirmed by the consensus of the churches of rome and Antioch. Although ancient holy texts from the Judeo-Christian traditions of the wide Alexandrian canon, already included in the Septuagint, became the authorized version in all the Greek speaking East, and Latin West for the OT. The NT never confronted the same problem after 367, with minor exceptions in Antioch, but all Eastern Orthodox churches never teach or preach the Apocalypse of John, since Dionysius the Great to this day.

New Testament Apocrypha may allude to synonymous OT books, thus casting a status comparable to that of the OT Pseudo-epigrapha to have been recognized as canonical. The Britannica mentions that in few cases such has been true, but the adjective apocryphal, i.e. secret, is applied mainly to Gnostic writings. As early as the 2nd century, the Apocryphon (secret book) of John started to go into circulation. Origen in his Homily on Luke, made five or more quotations of few Apocryphal writings, including the Gospel of Thomas. Four writings; I Clement, Epistle of Barnabas, Didache, and The Shepherd of Hermas, are part of the Apostolic Fathers writings. Didymus the blind, the celebrated head of the catechetical school at Alexandria, adored by Athanasius, Rufinus and Jerome, declared that all four writings, are worthy of inclusion in the Church lectionary. While The Gospel of Thomas, and the Gospel of Truth, are originally part of the Chenboskion Coptic writings (Nag Hammadi library). No other Gnostic writing was ever mentioned in a scriptural context by any Early Christian Father.

Yet, there exists other NT apocryphal writings, beyond the scope of this great compendium, not being mentioned by name by an early authority, in my opinion. Almost included was, 'The Third Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians'. It was considered scripture by the fourth century Syrian Fathers Aphra'at, and Ephraem. Although it forms part of the composite Acts of Paul, neither writing was included in the Peshitta: Syrian Church's version of the Bible. Some other examples are: The Proto-evangelium of James, The Infancy Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Nicodemus, The Acts of Peter, The Apocalypse of Paul, and The Letters of Abgar.

Noncanonical Writings and New Testament Interpretation

Volume II of New Testament Apocrypha represents a comprehensive collection of the pseudo-apostolic writings of early Christianity. The introductions are quite good. The translations, however, are marred by frequent use of achaic, pseudo-biblical language which has thankfully been done away with in most modern translations of ancient texts. Do we really need to read words like "haply", "whilst", and "such-like", or a phrase like "do ye repent you" in the late 20th century? For those just interested in sampling a variety of these works, and more, a good portion of the translations of this book are available at a lower price in "The Other Bible". For the hard core, however, this book does contain material unavailable elsewhere.

the Nag Hammadi find was my first introduction to something other than the bible as a way to god. there's so much more to religion than just believing.this book is part of an intellictal growth.thanks