The Lost Books of the Bible

The Lost Books of the Bible

These books consists of all the available ecclesiastical writings of early Christian authorities that are known to exist, and yet were omitted from the authorized New Testament.
Whether they are canonical or not, at least these writings are of very great importance.

Links to each of the Lost Books and a short description are below. Use the search feture to search for words or phrases and you can listen to your section by clicking on the open book icon.

Contents:

The Gospel of the Nativity of Mary
A story about Mary’s origin and gives a brief account of her life leading to the birth of Christ. This account of Mary states that her birth was foretold to her parents by an angel of the Lord who also said that she would give birth to the Messiah. In both accounts her parents were told to give her the name Mary just as Mary was told to give her son the name of Jesus.

The Book of James, or Protevangelion
The first historical reference to the Book of James can be found in the writings of Origin. He states that the 'brethren of the Lord' were sons of Joseph by a former wife. Ancient Greek and and Syriac manuscripts are extant in libraries around the world. According to tradition, James was executed by the the Sanhedrin. He was thrown from the temple walls and afterwards clubbed to death around 62 A.D.

The Gospel of the Infancy of JESUS CHRIST
I Infancy, The Gospel of the Infancy of JESUS CHRIST
II Infancy, The Gospel of Thomas
III Infancy, The Gospel of Thomas
IV Infancy, The Gospel of Thomas
Reportedly written by Thomas and thought to have been originally connected with the Gospel of Mary, Thomas’ Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ is an account of the miracles and supernatural actions that occurred during the infancy of Jesus Christ.

The Epistle of JESUS CHRIST and Abgarus, King of Edessa
A copy of a letter written by King Abgarus to Jesus; and sent to him by Ananius, his footman, to Jerusalem,inviting him to Edessa.

The Gospel of Nicodemus, or Acts of Pilate
The Acts of Pilate does not purport to have been written by Pilate, but does claim to have been derived from the official acts preserved in the praetorium at Jerusalem.

The Apostles Creed
The basic creed of Reformed churches, as most familiarly known, is called the Apostles' Creed. It has received this title because of its great antiquity; it dates from very early times in the Church, a half century or so from the last writings of the New Testament.

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Laodiceans
It is mentioned by various writers from the fourth century onwards, notably by Gregory the Great, to whose influence may ultimately be due the frequent occurrence of it in Bibles written in England; for it is commoner in English MSS. than in others. As will be seen, it is wholly uninteresting, and was merely written to justify or explain St. Paul's mention of the letter from Laodicea in Col.4:16.

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Seneca
The Correspondence of Paul and Seneca existed in the fourth century, for Jerome mentions it, says it was 'read by many', and is led by it to insert Seneca in his catalogue of Christian authors.

The Acts of Paul and Thecla
The discovery of a Coptic text of the Acts of Paul containing the Thecla narrative suggests that the abrupt opening of the Acts of Paul and Thecla is due to its being an excerpt of that larger work. It is attested as early as Tertullian, De bapistero 17:5 (AD 190), who inveighed against its use in the advocacy of a woman's right to preach and to baptize.

The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
The epistle is customarily dated to the end of the reign of Domitian AD. 95.

The Second Epistle of Clements to the Corinthians
Archbishop Wake is the translator of this Second Epistle, which he says was not of so great reputation among the primitive Fathers as the first.

The General Epistle of Barnabas
 It is traditionally ascribed to Barnabas who is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, though some ascribe it to another Apostolic Father of the same name, a "Barnabas of Alexandria", or simply attribute it to an unknown early Christian teacher.

The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans
The Epistle of Ignatius to Polycarp
Ignatius, bishop of Antioch in Syria, is known mainly as the author of 7 letters that had exceptional influence in the early church. A Catholic Encyclopedia article is online at St. Ignatius of Antioch. He was apparently anxious to counteract the teachings of two groups: the Judaizers, who did not accept the authority of the New Testament and the Docetists, who held that Christ's sufferings and death were only apparent. The letters have often been cited to determine what beliefs were held in the early church.

The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians
Polycarps Letter to the Philippians composed around 110 to 140 AD. Irenaeus, "There is also a forceful epistle written by Polycarp to the Philippians, from which those who wish to do so, and are anxious about their salvation, can learn the character of his faith, and the preaching of the truth."

The Shepherd of Hermas
The Shepherd had great authority in the second and third centuries. Along with the Apocrypha, it was bound with in the Codex Sinaiticus, and it was listed between the Acts of the Apostles and the Acts of Paul in the stichometrical list of the Codex Claromontanus. Although Early Christians afforded the work high respect, they did not consider the work to be on a par with those considered "divine" but rather apocryphal.

The Lost Gospel According to Peter
A parchment codex was found in 1886 by the French Archaeological Mission while they were excavating the grave of a monk in the upper Nile Valley. This codex was discovered to be a portion of the Gospel According to Peter. The Lost Gospel According to Peter gives another view of the supernatural events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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