The Bible, as we know it today, contains four Gospels that tell the story of Jesus Christ. But what if I told you there were many more accounts of Jesus’ life and teachings that didn’t make it into the official canon? These lost Gospels, written in the early days of Christianity, offer different perspectives on Jesus and his message. Some were considered too controversial, while others simply faded into obscurity over time.
In this blog post, I’ll explore 15 of these forgotten Gospels that could have dramatically changed how we understand Christianity.
Gospel of Thomas
The Gospel of Thomas is a collection of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus. It was found in Egypt in 1945 and caused a stir among scholars. Unlike other gospels, it doesn’t tell a story about Jesus’ life. Instead, it focuses on his teachings and wisdom. Some sayings are similar to those in the Bible, while others are completely new. This gospel suggests that finding the meaning of Jesus’ words leads to eternal life. It also hints at a more mystical understanding of Jesus’ teachings, encouraging readers to look within themselves for enlightenment.
Gospel of Mary
This gospel puts Mary Magdalene in the spotlight as a key disciple of Jesus. It shows her sharing secret teachings from Jesus with other disciples. Some of the male disciples question her authority, but Peter supports her. The text talks about the nature of matter, sin, and the soul. It gives a different view of early Christianity where women had important roles. Only parts of this gospel survive today. The existing fragments suggest a spiritual path that involves overcoming the material world and finding inner peace.
Gospel of Judas
The Gospel of Judas turns the story of Jesus’ betrayal upside down. In this version, Judas is Jesus’ closest friend and most trusted disciple. Jesus asks Judas to turn him in, saying it’s part of a divine plan. This gospel presents a very different view of God and creation from mainstream Christianity. It suggests that the material world is a mistake made by lesser divine beings. The text was lost for centuries and only rediscovered in the 1970s. It challenges traditional ideas about good and evil, presenting a complex cosmic drama where Judas plays a crucial role.
Gospel of Peter
This gospel gives a unique account of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. It describes a talking cross and giant angels at Jesus’ tomb. The text also blames the Jews more strongly for Jesus’ death than the canonical gospels do. Only a fragment of this gospel survives, but it shows how diverse early Christian stories were. Some parts agree with the Bible, while others add dramatic new details. The gospel includes a vivid description of Jesus emerging from the tomb, supported by two angels, with his head reaching beyond the clouds.
Gospel of Philip
The Gospel of Philip is a collection of teachings, not a narrative like the Bible’s gospels. It focuses on the sacraments, especially baptism and marriage. The text suggests that spiritual marriage is very important. It also hints at a close relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. This gospel uses a lot of symbolism and is hard to understand at times. It gives us insight into a different branch of early Christianity. The text also explores complex ideas about the nature of reality and the human soul, suggesting that true knowledge comes from spiritual experience rather than intellectual understanding.
Infancy Gospel of Thomas
This text tells stories about Jesus as a child, filling in gaps left by the Bible. It shows young Jesus performing miracles, some of which seem mean or mischievous. For example, he brings clay birds to life and strikes dead a child who bumps into him. The gospel portrays Jesus learning to use his powers responsibly as he grows up. It gives a more human picture of Jesus, showing him as a child who makes mistakes. This text was popular in the Middle Ages but was never accepted as official scripture. It also includes stories of Jesus impressing teachers with his wisdom and knowledge, suggesting he was extraordinary even as a young boy.
Gospel of the Egyptians
The Gospel of the Egyptians is mostly lost, but we know about it from quotes in other ancient writings. It seems to have promoted a strict, ascetic lifestyle. The text apparently taught that marriage and having children were wrong. It suggested that the separation of male and female was the source of evil. The gospel predicted that when men and women stop being different, the world would end. This shows how some early Christians had very different ideas about family and gender. The text also seems to have included teachings about the soul’s journey and the nature of salvation, suggesting a complex spiritual cosmology.
Gospel of the Hebrews
We only know about the Gospel of the Hebrews from quotes in other ancient writings. It seems to have been used by Jewish Christians who still followed Jewish law. The gospel apparently had some unique stories about Jesus. For example, it said that Jesus’ mother was the Holy Spirit. It also had a different version of Jesus’ baptism. This text shows how some early Christians tried to blend their new faith with Jewish traditions. Unfortunately, the full gospel has been lost to history. The surviving fragments suggest it may have included teachings that emphasized the continued importance of Jewish law and practices for followers of Jesus.
Secret Gospel of Mark
The Secret Gospel of Mark is a mysterious and controversial text. We only know about it from a letter that mentions some of its content. The letter claims this was a secret, expanded version of the Gospel of Mark. It includes a story about Jesus raising a young man from the dead and teaching him secretly. Some scholars think this gospel is real, while others believe it’s a modern fake. If real, it could change how we understand the development of Mark’s gospel. The text also hints at secret teachings and rituals that were only shared with a select few disciples, suggesting a more esoteric side to early Christianity.
Gospel of Truth
The Gospel of Truth isn’t really a gospel in the usual sense. It’s more like a sermon or meditation on the Christian message. The text talks about ignorance as the source of all suffering. It describes Jesus as bringing knowledge that frees people from this ignorance. The gospel uses a lot of symbolism and poetic language. It comes from a group called the Valentinians, who had some ideas that were very different from mainstream Christianity.
Gospel of the Savior
This gospel was only discovered in the 1990s. It contains conversations between Jesus and his disciples before and during the crucifixion. The text shows Jesus as more emotional than in the Bible, expressing fear and sadness. It also has some unique teachings about salvation and the afterlife. The gospel is written in a poetic style, with parts that might have been sung or chanted. This text gives us a new perspective on how early Christians imagined Jesus’ final hours. It also includes vivid descriptions of heavenly realms and spiritual beings, offering a glimpse into early Christian cosmology.
Dialogue of the Savior
The Dialogue of the Savior is a conversation between Jesus and some disciples, including Mary Magdalene. It talks about the creation of the world and the nature of the soul. The text teaches that people need to understand themselves to be saved. It uses a lot of symbols and riddles. This gospel shows how some early Christians were interested in hidden knowledge and spiritual mysteries. It gives us a glimpse into a very different kind of Christianity. It also includes teachings about the spiritual journey of the soul, describing various stages of enlightenment and the challenges faced along the way.
Gospel of the Ebionites
The Gospel of the Ebionites was used by a Jewish Christian group called the Ebionites. We only know about it from quotes in other ancient writings. It seems to have combined stories from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The gospel taught that Jesus was an ordinary man chosen by God, not divine from birth. It also said that John the Baptist and Jesus were vegetarians. This shows how some early Christians had very different ideas about who Jesus was and how to live as his followers. It apparently included teachings that emphasized care for animals and the environment, suggesting an early form of Christian environmentalism.
Gospel of Eve
Very little is known about the Gospel of Eve. We only have a few sentences quoted by an early Christian writer who was criticizing it. The gospel seems to have been used by a group that had some unusual practices. It talked about gathering the “seed” of Jesus, which might have been a reference to some kind of ritual. This text reminds us that some early Christian groups had beliefs and practices that would seem very strange to most Christians today. It also hints at a more mystical understanding of Jesus’ teachings, possibly involving practices aimed at achieving spiritual union with the divine.
Gospel of Perfection
We know very little about the Gospel of Perfection. It’s mentioned by some ancient writers but the text itself is lost. The gospel seems to have been used by a group called the Ophites. They had some unusual beliefs, including the idea that the serpent in the Garden of Eden was good. The gospel probably contained their special teachings and rituals. Even though we can’t read it, knowing this text existed shows how diverse early Christianity was. It reminds us that the beliefs we know today are just part of a much bigger story. The little we know suggests it may have included complex teachings about the spiritual hierarchy of the universe and the path to achieving spiritual perfection.
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