The Apocryphal Gospels: Texts and Translations

by Bart Ehrman, Zlatko Plese

Overview

Bart Ehrman—the New York Times bestselling author of Misquoting Jesus and a recognized authority on the early Christian Church—and Zlatko Plese here offer a groundbreaking, multi-lingual edition of the Apocryphal Gospels, one that breathes new life into the non-canonical texts that were once nearly lost to history.

In The Apocryphal Gospels, Ehrman and Plese present a rare compilation of over 40 ancient gospel texts and textual fragments that do not appear in the New Testament. This essential collection contains Gospels describing Jesus's infancy, ministry, Passion, and resurrection, as well as the most controversial manuscript discoveries of modern times, including the most significant Gospel discovered in the 20th century—the Gospel of Thomas—and the most recently discovered Gospel, the Gospel of Judas Iscariot. For the first time ever, these sacred manuscripts are featured in the original Greek, Latin, and Coptic languages, accompanied by fresh English translations that appear next to the original texts, allowing for easy line by line comparison. Also, each translation begins with a thoughtful examination of key historical, literary, and textual issues that places each Gospel in its proper context. The end result is a resource that enables anyone interested in Christianity or the early Church to understand—better than ever before—the deeper meanings of these apocryphal Gospels.

The Apocryphal Gospels is much more than an annotated guide to the Gospels. Through its authoritative use of both native text and engaging, accurate translations, it provides an unprecedented look at early Christianity and the New Testament. This is an indispensable volume for any reader interested in church history, antiquity, ancient languages, or the Christian faith.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199732104
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/21/2011
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	624
Sales rank:	1,034,783
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the author of numerous volumes on the early Christian Church, including Lost Scriptures, Lost Christianities, Misquoting Jesus, and The Gospel of Judas Iscariot.

Zlatko Plese is Associate Professor of Ancient Mediterranean Religions at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the author of Poetics of the Gnostic Universe: Narrative and Cosmology in the Apocryphon of John.

Table of Contents

Preface
Infancy Gospels
Infancy Gospel of Thomas
Infancy Gospel of Thomas C
Proto-Gospel of James
Gospel of Pseudo Matthew
Latin Infancy Gospels
Coptic History of Joseph the Carpenter
Ministry Gospels
Jewish Christian Gospels
Gospel of the Nazareans
Gospel of the Ebionites
Gospel according to the Hebrews
Gospel of the Egyptians
A Gospel Harmony: The Diatesseron
Papyrus Berlin 11710
Papyrus Cairensis 10735
Papyrus Egerton 2
Papyrus Merton 51
P Oxy 210
P Oxy 840
P Oxy 1224
P Oxy 2949
P Oxy 4009
P Vindob G 2325
Sayings Gospels and Agrapha
Gospel of Thomas
Gospel of Thomas: Greek fragments
Agrapha
Passion / Resurrection/ and Post-Resurrection Gospels
Gospel of Peter
Gospel of Judas
Abgar Legend
Gospel of Nicodemus A
Gospel of Nicodemus B
Report of Pilate
Handing over of Pilate
Letter of Pilate to Claudius
Letter of Pilate to Herod
Letter of Herod to Pilate
Letter of Tiberius to Pilate
Vindicta Salvatoris
Mors Pilati
Narrative of Joseph of Arimathea
Gospel of Mary
Gospel of Mary: Greek fragments
Greater Questions of Mary

Editorial Reviews

"Ehrman and Plese have done a great service to students of ancient Christian texts and languages. This volume is sure to be enthusiastically received into both personal libraries and university syllabi" — Library Journal

"This volume will find its way to the classics and will have a long life. Essential." — Choice

From the Publisher

Ehrman has once again teamed up with Oxford University Press, now with the help of his UNC-Chapel Hill religious studies colleague Plese, to make lesser-known resources more readily available to students of early Christianity. This time they offer up a bilingual collection of apocryphal Gospel accounts. Although some of these materials, such as the Infancy Gospel of Thomas or the Gospel of Judas, are not entirely unknown to general audiences, thanks in part to Ehrman's previous publications (e.g., Lost Scriptures), what we find here is a much more comprehensive corpus, including papyri and other fragments, that only more ambitious learners are likely to have come across before. That they are perhaps the intended readers is suggested by the inclusion of original-language materials in Greek, Latin, and Coptic, although the absence of a general introduction and index seems regrettable. VERDICT Ehrman and Plese have done a great service to students of ancient Christian texts and languages. This volume is sure to be enthusiastically received into both personal libraries and university syllabi.—Matthew Sullivan, Hallowell, ME

Library Journal