The Forbidden Gospels and Epistles

Yet another hidden gem (J.Lundy)

(5 stars)

Lundy...

Excellent book. Anyone who considers themselves a true Christian should read this...

Miss CJP invites with grace as usual :)

(4.5 stars)

Michael Loud

Excellent job!

(2.5 stars)

Dances with Prose

The Forbidden Gospels and Epistles These books were considered apocryphal and were forbidden. That reminds me of something else that was forbidden as well, a fruit, and what happened? “This is a compilation of ancient books attributed to the writings of the apostles of Jesus Christ and their disciples. These books were once regarded with reverence by the early Christian Church during the first four centuries.” (LibriVox) To me, the information presented in these books was interesting but not surprising. Many chronological gaps, religious practices, and mysterious events contained in the Old and New Testament were meticulously explained in these books. For example, the young childhood life of Jesus is fully described along with His not so ‘holy’ character traits. This provided ‘historical’ continuity based on causality and gave reason to many religions practices. It also raised doubts in the minds of many scholars as to the authenticity of this work. Were some of these ‘dubious’ books written for no other purpose but to fill in chronological gaps? Were they written to explain certain events and practices? Were they written by the person claiming to be the author? Genuine or apocryphal? Some of these texts are considered by modern scholars to be forgery (or not authentic) created in antiquity. How they came to this conclusion is a fascinating study in itself; regardless, even well written forgery created before the fourth century AD makes an excellent reading experience. In my opinion, everyone who is interested in biblical studies should have The Forbidden Gospels and Epistles on their reading list.

Inconsistent with the rest of the Bible

(3 stars)

E.W.

It’s easy to understand why this is not included in the Protestant Bible. It reads more like an imaginary yarn than like Scripture. It makes Mary look like a holy saint rather than a common young woman who was surrendered to God’s will.