The list of pseudepigrapha in this volume is astounding, including many little-known treasures. Each text is introduced by an expert, the English translations are elegant and accessible, and the notes are most helpful. An indispensable supplement to the two volumes edited by James Charlesworth of Old Testament pseudepigrapha.' Guthrie, “The Development of the Idea of Canonical Pseudepigrapha in New Testament Criticism,” in The Authorship and Integrity of the New Testament (London: SPCK, 1965), 18. To be fair, it should be acknowledged that a writer could have composed a pseudonymous work with a variety of intentions.

1. Pseudepigrapha Of The Old Testament
2. New Testament Pseudepigrapha Iirejected Scriptures King James Version
3. Pseudepigrapha Bible

(Summary of a Lecture by Richard Bauckham on 5 May 1999)

[Richard Bauckham is a Professor of New Testament at the University of St. Andrews. He is a specialist in the Gospel of John; early christology; the Book of Revelation; theological interpretation of scripture; and noncanonical Jewish and Christian literature. He has published numerous books, including a recent collection of essays in the latter area: _The Fate of the Dead: Studies on the Jewish and Christian Apocalypses_ (Leiden: Brill, 1998).–JRD]

Terminology and definition

There are two traditional terms for this body of literature: the Apocryphal NT, the title of English collections (Hone 1820, James 1924, Elliott 1993; cf. Sparks’ Apocryphal OT), and the NT Apocrypha, title of the German collections and their English translations (since the first edition of Hennecke, 1904).

There are several problems with this terminology:

(1) The term ‘NT Apocrypha’ might suggest a fixed collection of texts, like the OT apocrypha (= deutero-canonical works), whereas in fact we are dealing with a very open category, potentially inclusive of a very large number of works.

(2) Either term might suggest that the works in question were in some sense candidates for inclusion in the NT canon and at some point in the process of the formation of the NT canon were excluded. This would be very misleading. Only three of these works (Apocalypse of Peter, Acts of Paul, Gospel of the Hebrews) were ever listed among the ‘disputed’ books (antilegomena) which some treated as canonical (reading them as authoritative Scripture in Christian worship). Many which were written before and during the process of canonization are treated by later authors as ‘rejected’ (apocryphal) works, but for various reasons were complete non-starters, never seriously considered candidates for canonical status. Many more were written during and after the completion of the canon, not as potentially canonical works or as rivals to the canonical books, but as works functioning to supplement the canon.

(3) The term ‘apocrypha,’ which came to be used by the Fathers in the sense of ‘spurious’ or ‘rejected’ books, suggests literature that was rejected and suppressed in mainstream Christianity. This is true only of some of these works, to a greater or lesser degree, and differently in different periods. The Gnostic works were those first called ‘apocrypha’ and were vehemently rejected in mainstream Christianity from the second century. But many of the so-called NT apocrypha were not doctrinally unorthodox. Some of these were officially rejected but remained popular in practice. Such works continued to be written by orthodox Chtristians into the early middle ages, and some of the NT apocrypha were extremely popular throughout the middle ages, not suppressed, but not treated as authoritative in the canonical sense (e.g. the infancy Gospels and the apocalypses that revealed the fate of the dead in the afterlife). So the status of these works varies enormously, from those used only by heretics to those used widely by the orthodox, and with varying kinds of authority or usefulness for those who read them.

(4) If the terms ‘Apocryphal NT’ and ‘NT Apocrypha’ should not be understood as implying candidature for and exclusion from the NT canon, what kind of relationship to the NT is envisaged? By classifying the apocryphal literature as Gospels, Acts, Epistles, Apocalypses, the collections suggest that these are works in the same genres as those of the NT texts, and that we are dealing with the same kind of literature that we find in the NT. In fact, this is the case with only quite a small minority of the texts called NT Apocrypha. Most of the apocryphal Gospels are not comparable in literary genre with the canonical Gospels; the apocryphal Acts of Apostles resemble the canonical Acts in some ways, but also differ sufficiently to constitute a different literary genre; by contrast with the NT, there are very few apocryphal Epistles; and the apocryphal Apocalypses are mostly more like Jewish apocalypses than like the NT Apocalypse of John. Literary genre is not a satisfactory way of defining the way these texts relate to the NT. I suggest rather: the works in question are either attributed to or about NT characters.

(5) The terms ‘Apocryphal NT’ and ‘NT Apocrypha’ cannot, of course, cover works which are either attributed to or about *OT* characters. Christians did write such works (mostly apocalypses, but also narrative works), as well as editing Jewish works of this kind. Such works are included, if anywhere, in editions of the OT Pseudepigrapha. This is potentially misleading, because it suggests that the OT Pseudepigrapha are Jewish and the NT Apocrypha Christian. It is especially misleading if a collection of OT Pseudepigrapha takes (Charlesworth’s OTP does) as a criterion of inclusion that a work must preserve Jewish traditions, even if in Christian redaction. This means that Christian OT Pseudepigrapha fall between the two stools, and that the examples that do occur, e.g., in Charlesworth’s OTP are usually studied only for the sake of their possible Jewish substratum or contents. (Moreover, if we are looking for early Jewish traditions in Christian works, I think we are as likely to find them in the Apocalypse of Peter or the Apocalypse of Paul, as we are in the Ascension of Isaiah or the Coptic Apocalypse of Elijah.) Most scholarship on the OT Pseudepigrapha has been interested in them as Jewish literature, so that those which are originally Christian or the Christian redaction of others have been seriously neglected. Responding to these problems the CCSA includes both ‘NT Apocrypha’ and ‘Christian OT Pseudepigrapha,’ refusing artificial distinctions between them, and prefers the term ‘Christian apocrypha’ for the whole corpus of literature.

The content of the rest of the lecture will be found (in more detail than as given) in the following three published articles by Richard Bauckham:

• “Gospels (Apocryphal),” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, ed. J. B. Green, S. McKnight and I. H. Marshall (Downers Grove, Illinois/Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 1992) 286-291.
• “Apocryphal Pauline Literature,” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, ed. G. F. Hawthorne and R. P. Martin (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993) 35-37.
• “Apocryphal and Pseudepigraphal Literature,” in Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments, ed. R. P. Martin and P. H. Davids (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1997) 68-73.
  

  Select List of Christian Apocrypha, classified by genre

  All early and some especially important later works are listed
  * = work listed twice in different categoriesGospels

  Gospel of Thomas
  Gospel of Peter
  Papyrus Fragments of Unknown Gospels
  Jewish Christian Gospels (Gospels of Hebrews, Nazarenes, Ebionites)
  Gospel of the Egyptians
  Secret Gospel of Mark
  Gospel of Nicodemus (Acts of Pilate and Descent to Hades)

  Birth and Infancy Gospels

  Protevangelium of James
  Infancy Gospel of Thomas
  History of Joseph
  Infancy Gospel of Matthew
  Arabic Infancy Gospel
  Latin Infancy Gospel

  Post-Resurrection Gospels (Dialogues and Revelations)

  Apocalypse of Peter*
  Epistle of the Apostles*
  Questions of Bartholomew
  Testament of our Lord
  Testament of our Lord in Galilee
  Apocryphon of James*
  Book of Thomas
  Sophia of Jesus Christ
  Dialogue of the Saviour
  First Apocalypse of James
  Coptic (Gnostic) Apocalypse of Peter*
  Gospel of Mary
  Letter of Peter to Philip (2nd part)*
  Pistis Sophia
  Books of Jeu

  Apostolic Acts

  Acts of Andrew
  Acts of John
  Acts of Paul
  Acts of Peter
  Acts of Thomas
  Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles

  Apostolic Epistles

  Epistle of the Apostles*
  Apocryphon of James*
  3 Corinthians (part of Acts of Paul)
  Laodiceans
  Letter of Peter to Philip (1st part)*
  Correspondence of Paul and Seneca
  Epistle of Titus

  Other Apostolic Literature

  Preaching of Peter
  Prayer of the Apostle Paul
  Second Apocalypse of James
  Pseudo-Clementine literature
  Accounts of the Dormition/Assumption of the Virgin

  Apocalyptic and Prophetic Literature

  Apocalypse of Peter*
  Ascension of Isaiah
  Apocalypse of Thomas
  Apocalypse of Paul
  Coptic (Gnostic) Apocalypse of Paul
  Coptic (Gnostic) Apocalypse of Peter*
  (Christian) Sibylline Oracles
  5 Ezra
  6 Ezra
  Coptic Apocalypse of Elijah
  Apocalypses of the Virgin Mary
  Greek Apocalypse of Ezra
  Apocalypse of Sedrach
  Latin Vision of Ezra
  Questions of Ezra
  Apocalypses of Daniel
  Seventh Vision of Enoch

  Wisdom Literature

  Teachings of Sylvanus

  Hymnic Literature

  Odes of Solomon

  (c) 1999
  Reproduction beyond fair use only on permission of the author.

Daniel Gurtner has written an especially important book that I will be recommending to my students for years to come. Let me explain why.

It is well known that the New Testament writers often draw heavily from the Old Testament. What is less often appreciated is the way that they also use ideas and traditions found only in ancient non-biblical Jewish works (often called “the Pseudepigrapha”). Many of these books were apparently widely read in Jesus’ day. In fact, before later councils set the official canon of Scripture, a few of these works were considered “scripture” and read alongside the biblical books. Given their influence, they are indispensable for understanding certain aspects of the New Testament books.

Take, for example, 1 Enoch. The work is explicitly quoted in the New Testament epistle of Jude:

It was of these also that Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with his holy myriads, to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness which they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” (Jude 14-15)

Jude is here quoting from 1 Enoch 1:9, which speaks of the coming of the Lord God. What is interesting about this is that, in context, Jude seems to apply a passage about the coming of the Lord God to Jesus. In effect, Jude identifies Jesus as the divine kyrios (“Lord”). (On this, see Richard J. Bauckham, Jude, 2 Peter, WBC [Waco: Word, 1983], 96). The point is underscored in verse 17 where Jesus is identified as “Lord” (kyrios): “But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Pseudepigrapha Of The Old Testament

1 Enoch also has important implications for the study of Paul’s letters, the Gospels–especially Matthew!–and other works such as 2 Peter and Revelation. Given its influence, it is little wonder Ethiopic Christians came to read it as Scripture.

Whenever I teach the New Testament and turn to books like 1 Enoch, students immediately see their significance. “Where can I learn more about books like 1 Enoch?,” they ask. In the past, I did not always have an ideal recommendation. Now I do. Daniel Gurtner has written the perfect introduction to these books.

While there are numerous other books written by contemporary scholars that look at non-biblical Jewish works, many are simply too cumbersome. The standard work has been the two volume set edited by James Charlesworth. In addition to being a bit dated, this work also includes many later texts that have less value for New Testament students. A one volume introduction that is both thorough and up-to-date yet also focused in scope has long been needed. Thanks to Gurtner, one is finally available.

A little about the author. Daniel Gurtner is one of the finest New Testament scholars working in the field today. I consider his published dissertation, The Torn Veil: Matthew’s Exposition of the Death of Jesus, SNTSMS 139 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007) to be one of the most careful and yet also insightful monographs on Matthew ever written. This is a difficult balance. When a scholar has a legitimate insight, he or she often tends to overstate its importance. Insightful scholars are not always as cautious as they should be. Conversely, when a scholar seeks to be careful, he or she often becomes unwilling to say anything new. Cautious scholars are great, but they can often be accused of writing much while saying little. Gurtner is the rare scholar who is both insightful and judicious.

It should also be said that Gurtner is also a recognized expert of the Second Temple period. With Loren Stuckenbruck, Gurtner is co-editor of the premiere resource,T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism. There is no better guide to the state of scholarship regarding Second Temple matters than this fine installment. You can read my glowing endorsement of it here. The only unfortunate thing about this outstanding two-volume work is its price tag – $430! (It is so indispensable for my own work that I had to bite the bullet, but, yikes!)

Gurtner’s new book, Introducing the Pseudepigrapha of Second Temple Judaism: Message, Context, and Significance(Baker Academic, 2020), brings together his vast knowledge in an accessible, affordable publication. (You can purchase it for only $35 by clicking the link here or the ones at either the top or bottom of this post.) There is simply no better place to begin than with Gurtner’s meticulously researched, balanced study.

Notably, Loren Stuckenbruck, Gurtner’s co-editor of the T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Judaism, writes a helpful forward. Anything written by Stuckenbruck is worth reading so it was great to see a word from him here.

From the Table of Contents, you can see the breadth and depth of this book, which covers not only apocalyptic works like 1 Enoch and 2 Baruch but also looks at other key texts, including various fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls.

In addition, I should mention that the endorsements from various scholars the book has received are very impressive. You can read them here.

New Testament Pseudepigrapha Iirejected Scriptures King James Version

What is especially helpful here is the way the Gurtner not only summarizes the various works, he also treats their “significance.” If you are curious about why each book is important, Gurtner tells you. He examines what treasures we learn from each work. Some examples:

• 4 Ezra 14 has Ezra writing under the inspiration of the Spirit. The book offers some important insight into what (at least some) ancient Jews thought this must have involved.
• 2 Baruch speaks of how the righteous have a store of good deeds laid up for themselves in heavenly treasuries (24:1). This is the same kind of language used by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 6:19, 20).
• Sibylline Oracles 4 uses baptismal imagery. Gurtner points out that this is interesting since “scholars generally agree that there are no signs of Christian authorship in Sibylline Oracles 4” (p. 134).
• The Testament of Moses seems to have especially influenced Jude. Famously, Jude describes how Michael and Satan had a confrontation over the body of Moses. This, Gurtner suggests, “likely draws from the now lost ending” (p. 176).

Pseudepigrapha Bible

Again, I heartily recommend this fine work to all students of the New Testament. This is the introduction for which we have long been waiting. This should be required reading for any serious student of the New Testament who has not yet explored the Jewish literature of the Second Temple era.