In 1945, 52 papyrus manuscripts were discovered at Nag Hammadi in Egypt. Some of the books were titled \u201cGospels.\u201d These writings date from the second to fourth centuries AD. Scholars have known of their existence since the time they were written, but until 1945 the books were assumed forever lost. Their rediscovery caused much controversy and speculation. Upon reading the documents, skeptics charged that the early church lied about Jesus and suppressed the books that told His true story.<\/p>\n
The so-called \u201clost gospels” fall into two categories: New Testament apocrypha and gnostic writings.\u00a0Apocrypha<\/em>\u00a0means \u201chidden things.\u201d The apocryphal writings deal with two periods of Jesus\u2019s life barely covered (hence,\u00a0hidden<\/em>) in the New Testament: His childhood and the three days between His death and resurrection.<\/p>\n Motivations for writing such works apparently included entertainment and a desire to rede\ufb01ne Jesus. The most shocking of the apocryphal writings is the\u00a0Infancy Gospel of Thomas<\/em>. It includes a story in which the child Jesus calls another child an \u201cunrighteous, irreverent idiot\u201d (3:1-3). It features stories in which young Jesus strikes other children dead for o\ufb00enses like bumping into him (4:1-2; see also 14:3).<\/p>\n Then there are the gnostic (gnosis<\/em>\u00a0means \u201cknowledge\u201d) writings, which present Jesus as a gnostic philosopher. The following chart shows the sharp di\ufb00erences between Gnosticism and the biblical worldview:<\/p>\n Only<\/em>\u00a0spirit and soul are good.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Popular gnostic writings include the\u00a0Gospel of Thomas<\/em>\u00a0and the\u00a0Gospel of Judas<\/em>. In the latter, Jesus invites Judas to betray him.\u00a0The Gospel of Thomas<\/em>\u00a0is even more scandalous. \u201cSimon Peter said to them, \u2018Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of life.\u2019 Jesus said, \u2018I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven\u2019\u201d (Saying 114). Both quotations \ufb01t with the gnostic worldview but clash badly with the biblical one.<\/p>\n The apocryphal and gnostic gospels were not lost to the early church; rather, early Christians knew about and rejected them because they were written long after Jesus\u2019s original followers had died and clearly contained fanciful and heretical ideas (see Irenaeus in AD 180). While historically interesting, the so-called “lost gospels” do not o\ufb00er us true information about the historical Jesus. As always, the New Testament writings are the earliest and most reliable witnesses to Jesus\u2019s true words and works.<\/p>\n This post is an excerpt from the\u00a0<\/em>Apologetics Study Bible for Students\u00a0by Holman Bible Publishers. It is used with permission. You can purchase this resource in its entirety\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In 1945, 52 papyrus manuscripts were discovered at Nag Hammadi in Egypt. Some of the books …<\/p>\n\n\n
\n Biblical Worldview<\/strong><\/td>\n Gnosticism<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n One God and Creator<\/td>\n Multiple creators<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n The world, body, soul, and spirit are good.<\/td>\n The world and body are evil.<\/p>\n \n Jesus is fully human and fully divine.<\/td>\n Jesus only\u00a0appeared<\/em>\u00a0human; he was only a spirit.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Jesus came to restore relationships broken by sin.<\/td>\n Ignorance, not sin, is the ultimate problem.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Faith in Christ brings salvation; it\u2019s available to all.<\/td>\n \u201cSpecial knowledge\u201d brings salvation; it\u2019s available to a few.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n