Instead, says Baden, they see a much more gradual process, in which material from numerous smaller sources was layered together over a longer period of time. Beginning around 70 A. But for more than a century, scholars have generally agreed that the Gospels, like many of the books of the New Testament, were not actually written by the people to whom they are attributed.
In fact, it seems clear that the stories that form the basis of Christianity were first communicated orally, and passed down from generation to generation, before they were collected and written down.
Traditionally, 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament were attributed to Paul the Apostle , who famously converted to Christianity after meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus and wrote a series of letters that helped spread the faith throughout the Mediterranean world. These are believed to have been written between A. The first step in assembling the Bible involves the 39 books of the Old Testament, also referred to as the Hebrew Bible.
Beginning with Moses, who wrote the first five books of the Bible, these books were written over the centuries by prophets and leaders. By the time of Jesus and his disciples, the Hebrew Bible had already been established as 39 books. This was what Jesus meant when he referred to "the Scriptures. After the early church was established, people such as Matthew started writing historical records of Jesus' life and ministry, which became known as the Gospels.
Church leaders such as Paul and Peter wanted to provide direction for the churches they established, so they wrote letters that were circulated throughout congregations in different regions. We call these the Epistles. A century after the launch of the church, hundreds of letters and books explained who Jesus was and what he did and how to live as his follower. It became clear that some of these writings weren't authentic.
Church members began to ask which books should be followed and which ignored. Eventually, Christian church leaders worldwide gathered to answer major questions, including which books should be regarded as "Scripture.
After a few decades of debate, these councils largely settled which books should be included in the Bible. A few years later, all were published by Jerome in a single volume. Even so, how can we answer these questions?
It is clear that Old Testament figures all accepted the Law of Moses. It is clear that the authors of Old Testament books claimed to write at the command of God. While these were well known among the Jews, writers such as Josephus and Rabbinical writers make it clear they were not viewed as inspired.
Jesus and New Testament writers do not quote from the Apocrypha, and even ancient religious scholars after the New Testament such as Jerome deny their inspiration. That demonstrates a broad acceptance of what comprised and restricted the books of the Old Testament.
What about the New Testament? While New Testament writers do not quote one another, they do assert their own inspiration and that of other New Testament writers. If we are considering whether a text should be a part of the New Testament or not we must ask if the text itself makes these kinds of assertions. If the writer never claims inspiration, what reason would be have to think that the text is inspired?
As mentioned above, the evidence from early Christian writers is quite compelling. We have a number of texts from the Second Century which have survived. Here are a few:. The Gospel of Peter : Only a fragment of this text was recovered in in Egypt, but it includes the only narrative account of the resurrected Jesus leaving his tomb. According to Peter's version, two giant angels descended to the tomb and escorted the resurrected Jesus out, who was also suddenly gigantic.
But the oddest note was that the three figures were followed by a floating cross that could talk. The Gospel of Mary : Combs says that some apocryphal texts reflected theological and doctrinal debates going on within the early church, such as the role of women.
In the Gospel of Mary discovered in the late 19th century , Mary Magdalene is not only referred to as one of Jesus's disciples, but perhaps his favorite one.
In this text, after Jesus is resurrected, he relays esoteric teachings to Mary, who then tells the other disciples. Peter asks why they should listen to a woman, to which another disciple Levi [Matthew] responds:. Surely the Savior knows her full well. That is why he has loved her more than us. The text is famous for its description of the "Watchers," fallen angels mentioned briefly in the Old Testament book of Genesis.
These angels lusted after human women and came down to Earth to be with them, creating giant offspring. In 1 Enoch, these angels also introduce evil into the world in the form of weapons, magic and sexy makeup.
If you're curious, you can read English translations of dozens of New Testament apocrypha and Old Testament apocrypha online. Sign up for our Newsletter!
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