Forgotten scriptures : the selection and rejection of early religious writings / Lee Martin McDonald.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McDonald, Lee Martin, 1942-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Apocryphal books--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Apocryphal books.

Bible--Canon.

Bible.

Canon.

Physical Description:

xiv, 313 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Louisville, Ky. : Westminster John Knox Press, [2009]

Summary:

The early Christian church had a variety of Scriptures and other source material that informed their faith and shaped their thinking. But after a few centuries the church decided to keep the twenty-seven books of our present New Testament and to treat them as canonical in faith and practice.

But what of the other books?

Many of them have survived and remain valuable for understanding the diversity of the early Christian church and the astounding claims of faith on which it was founded. Learning about these ancient documents need not threaten the church's current orthodoxy and authority; in fact, learning about these texts can help today's Christians form a deeper understanding of the early church.

Contents:

The problem of adequate language

The lost scriptures of early Judaism

The ancient manuscripts : what they tell us

Ancient translations of the Jewish scriptures

The text and stabilization of the Jewish scriptures

The scriptures of Jesus and the early church

Ancient Christian manuscripts and their contents

Texts and translations of scripture.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN:

9780664233570

0664233570

OCLC:

301705370