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Lost scriptures : books that did not make it into the New Testament / [edited by] Bart D. Ehrman.
- Format:
- Book
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Apocryphal books (New Testament).
- Physical Description:
- vi, 342 pages ; 25 cm
- Place of Publication:
- Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2003.
- Summary:
- We may think of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament as the only sacred writings of the early Christians, but this is not at all the case. Lost Scriptures offers an anthology of up-to-date and readable translations of many non-canonical writings from the first centuries after Christ -- texts that have been for the most part lost or neglected for almost two millennia. Here is an array of remarkably varied writings from early Christian groups whose visions of Jesus differ dramatically from our contemporary understanding. Readers will find Gospels supposedly authored by the apostle Philip, James the brother of Jesus, Mary Magdalen, and others. There are Acts originally ascribed to John and to Thecla, Paul's female companion; there are Epistles allegedly written by Paul to the Roman philosopher Seneca. And there is an apocalypse by Simon Peter that offers a guided tour of the afterlife, both the glorious ecstasies of the saints and the horrendous torments of the damned, and an Epistle by Titus, a companion of Paul, which argues page after page against sexual love, even within marriage, on the grounds that physical intimacy leads to damnation. In all, the anthology includes fifteen Gospels, five non-canonical Acts of the Apostles, thirteen Epistles, a number of Apocalypes and Secret Books, and several Canon lists. Ehrman has included a general introduction, plus brief introductions to each piece. Lost Scriptures gives readers a vivid picture of the range of beliefs that battled each other in the first centuries of the Christian era. It is an essential resource for anyone interested in the Bible or the early Church.
- Contents:
- Non-Canonical Gospels 7
- The Gospel of the Nazareans 9
- The Gospel of the Ebionites 12
- The Gospel According to the Hebrews 15
- The Gospel According to the Egyptians 17
- The Coptic Gospel of Thomas 19
- Papyrus Egerton 2: The Unknown Gospel 29
- The Gospel of Peter 31
- The Gospel of Mary 35
- The Gospel of Philip 38
- The Gospel of Truth 45
- The Gospel of the Savior 52
- The Infancy Gospel of Thomas 57
- The Proto-Gospel of James 63
- The Epistle of the Apostles 73
- The Coptic Apocalypse of Peter 78
- The Second Treatise of the Great Seth 82
- The Secret Gospel of Mark 87
- Non-Canonical Acts of the Apostles 91
- The Acts of John 93
- The Acts of Paul 109
- The Acts of Thecla 113
- The Acts of Thomas 122
- The Acts of Peter 135
- Non-Canonical Epistles and Related Writings 155
- The Third Letter to the Corinthians 157
- Correspondence of Paul and Seneca 160
- Paul's Letter to the Laodiceans 165
- The Letter of 1 Clement 167
- The Letter of 2 Clement 185
- The "Letter of Peter to James" and its "Reception" 191
- The Homilies of Clement 195
- Ptolemy's Letter to Flora 201
- The Treatise on the Resurrection 207
- The Didache 211
- The Letter of Barnabas 219
- The Preaching of Peter 236
- Pseudo-Titus 239
- Non-Canonical Apocalypses and Revelatory Treatises 249
- The Shepherd of Hermas 251
- The Apocalypse of Peter 280
- The Apocalypse of Paul 288
- The Secret Book of John 297
- On the Origin of the World 307
- The First Thought in Three Forms 316
- The Hymn of the Pearl 324
- Canonical Lists 329
- The Muratorian Canon 331
- The Canon of Origen of Alexandria 334
- The Canon of Eusebius 337
- The Canon of Athanasius of Alexandria 339
- The Canon of the Third Synod of Carthage 341.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references.
- ISBN:
- 0195141822
- OCLC:
- 51886442
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