These are books that describe the life of Jesus, but which most Christian churches consider illegitimate. Therefore, they do not enter the canon – set of texts considered sacred – of the Bible. In addition to the gospels, however, there are other types of apocrypha that describe, for example, the origin and end of the world, as do the biblical Genesis and Revelation, respectively. “The canon was established to unify the Christian faith, delimit what was said about God and his Son, and to reinforce its dogmas. Those texts that, according to the Church, are not authored by an apostle (as is the case with the Apocrypha) or have content that differs from the biblical text, cannot be considered sacred”, says Jonas Lopes, doctor in Theology and Sciences of Religion and researcher of apocryphal texts Christians. Even among Christians, there is no consensus on the sacred canon: the Catholic Bible has seven more books than the Protestant one, for example. The apocryphal gospels and the Apocalypse of Peter are not considered sacred by any Christian church, with exceptions in some of the cases below.
alternative bible
Some texts rejected by Catholics and Protestants are sacred to other aspects of Christianity
ENOCH I
IS SACRED ONLY FOR Beta Israel Jewish Church, Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Eritrean Orthodox Church
The author would be Enoch, Noah’s great-grandfather. It tells the story of the vigilantes: fallen angels who fertilize human women and generate a race of giants who devour men. These giants, who would be the cause of evil on Earth, are not mentioned in the Bible.
GOSPEL OF FELIPE
In addition to declaring that “God is a man-eater”, it presents Mary Magdalene as a possible companion of Jesus. It is on this text that those who believe there is a lineage of descendants of Christ are based. Sound familiar? The Apocrypha Influenced The Da Vinci Code
GOSPEL OF JUDAS
Revealed in 2006, it would have been written by Judas Iscariot, the hated traitor of Jesus. Contrary to what the four canonical gospels tell, Judas would be the most faithful and close disciple of Christ. According to the report, the master orders his favorite to denounce him and keep the secret from his colleagues.
APOCALYPSE OF PETER
It describes what the punishments in hell and the pleasures of heaven would be like. Underground, adulterous women are hung by their hair, sinners are left in a lake of blood and remains, blasphemers are hung by their tongues, and homosexuals are left walking up and down hills. Obs.: In the Bible, the description of the Last Judgment is not as heavy as in the Apocalypse of Saint Peter
GOSPEL OF CHILDHOOD ACCORDING TO JAMES
It refers to the life of Jesus’ parents and grandparents, but it strongly diverges from the biblical text. Maria’s parents are unhappy with not having children, until Joachim fasts in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights, receives divine intervention and then Maria is born. The mother of Jesus is even refused by the fiancé Joseph, who only accepts taking her home when he is threatened with punishment
JUBILEUS
IS SACRED ONLY FOR Ethiopian Orthodox Church
The book divides into jubilees – periods of 49 years – the history of the world from Creation until the prophet Moses received the Ten Commandments. In one of the most controversial accounts, Cain, son of Adam and Eve, marries his sister, Avan – a fact not recorded in the Bible
Curiosity: Books discarded by religious authorities also exist in Eastern religions. The Rigveda of Hinduism is made up of 1028 hymns and has 11 apocrypha.
SACRED PATH
It’s hard, but a new book can become official for Catholicism
If new texts with Christian content are found, a team of archaeologists and researchers must attest to the legitimacy of the documents. This happened with the Dead Sea Scrolls in the 1940s. However, to be included in the Catholic canon, the content would have to pass through the scrutiny of a commission formed by Church authorities. To be considered sacred, it is necessary to have the recognized authorship of one of the apostles of Christ.
SOURCES The Apocryphal Gospels, by Joseph Carter; Apocrypha of the Old and New Testaments (various authors)