Banned from the Bible

[yossarian]

Did anyone happen to catch the History channel's "Banned from the Bible" documentary regarding the various apocryphal gospels/writings?

I knew a little about this topic but not nearly as much as this documentary discussed. It was very interesting, especially, IMHO, how (at least according to some of the scholars interviewed) the Koran incorporates many of the apocryphal writings as gospel.

Thoughts/comments from people more knowledgable on this topic.....

[Mr. Bee]

Any links or hints as to the content?

[Nemesis]

I actually saw this show as well, I thought it was well done. Over the years I've managed to get a hold of translations of many of those gospels and I've been able to read them. I thought their analysis and historical background on those gospels was fascinating and has prompted me to go back and dig up those books for a second read. I particularly like the segments on Enoch and the Gospel of St. Thomas.

[yossarian]

I actually saw this show as well, I thought it was well done. Over the years I've managed to get a hold of translations of many of those gospels and I've been able to read them. I thought their analysis and historical background on those gospels was fascinating and has prompted me to go back and dig up those books for a second read. I particularly like the segments on Enoch and the Gospel of St. Thomas.

Do you know of any books that you would recommend that generally discuss the apocryphal works?

[Val1]

^^^^^^^In the past couple of years there have been several books examining the apocryphal gospels. Look up The Gospel of Philip, The Gospel of Thomas, and the Gospel of Mary, and I think'd you find something. I've read a couple, but as I've pretty much rejected them, I haven't remembered exact titles or authors...

[Nemesis]

I'd recommend these books to start...I have them at home and I've enjoyed looking at them as they are an intersting point of reference. I've always been interested in the books of Enoch and Thomas so those are the ones I've read about the most.

The Lost Book of Enoch: Comprehensive Transliteration of the Forgotten Book of the Bible

Fallen Angels and the Origins of Evil: Why Church Fathers Suppressed the Book of Enoch and Its Startling Revelations (This may or may not be interesting to you depeding on your beliefs about the first part of the title)

Beyond Belief : The Secret Gospel of Thomas (Excellent book)

The Theology of the Book of Revelation (I've had this book recommended to me as an excellent source of material on how gospels were or were not added to the bible)

Pretty fascinating stuff.

[Mel Brennan]

Read anything by Eliane Pagels, and anything that criticizes Pagels, and then the notes and sourcework of those two bodies of work. That fleshes out the understanding of not only the multiple re-castings of the Bible, but the thinking out there in terms of WHY those re-castings happened.

[MikeLastort2]

This is a pretty good link to the "Gnostic gospels (http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/gnostics.html)."

I also think the Arian heresy is pretty fascinating.