What is an "early Christian gospel"?
The following definitions of the terms "early," "Christian," and "gospel" will be used here:
- Gospel. A written text that is primarily focused on recounting the teachings and/or activities of Jesus during his life.
- Christian. Someone who considered himself or herself a "follower of Christ."
- Early. Dating from the initial stages of the Christian movement, sometime after the crucifixion of Jesus and before the end of the second century (or thereabout).
Thus, for our purposes, an "early Christian gospel" is a text written primarily about the life of Jesus by someone who considered him- or herself a follower of Christ during the first two centuries.
PLEASE NOTE: The preceding definitions of terms have ONLY been offered for practical purposes here at gospels.net. The terms "early," "Christian," and "gospel" have obviously been used with diverse meanings by different people through the centuries, and the definitions used here should NOT be understood as the only ones with validity.
How many early Christian gospels were there?
It is not clear exactly how many gospels circulated in early Christian communities.
The opening verse of the Gospel of Luke indicates that "many" accounts of the life of Jesus were written early in the Christian movement. The church father Irenaeus of Lyons named and described a host of gospels in his late second-century treatise, Against Heresies. In an article published in Bible Review (June 2002), the modern scholar Charles Hedrick listed a total of 34 gospels that were probably written during the first two centuries.
There are two primary difficulties in determining the number of early Christian gospels that were written:
- The term "gospel" (Greek: euaggelion) literally means "good news," and ancient authors used it quite freely in the titles of their texts. For example, a text from the middle of the second century called The Gospel of Truth is not what most people today would consider a gospel. It is a philosophical treatise rather than an account of Jesus' sayings or activities.
- Many gospels that were written have been lost. Some of them are mentioned in surviving Christian writings only by name, such as The Gospel of the Twelve. Others may have been lost without a trace, such as the Sayings Gospel Q (a hypothetical source for material that is found in Matthew and Luke but not Mark).
Consequently, it is not now possible to state exactly how many early Christian gospels (according to the definition being used here) existed in antiquity. It is not clear that references to "gospels" in surviving Christian writings are references to texts that would be considered "gospels" today, and some early Christian gospels were undoubtedly lost without a trace.
How many early Christian gospels were there?
The best answer is probably: dozens.
Which early Christian gospels will be the focus of gospels.net?
Gospels.net currently deals with twelve early Christian gospels:
- The Gospel of Thomas
- The Gospel of Judas
- The Gospel of Mary
- The Gospel of Peter
- The Unknown Gospel: Egerton Papyrus 2
- Oxyrhynchus Parchment 840
- The Gospel of the Ebionites
- The Gospel of the Nazareans
- The Gospel of the Hebrews
- The Secret Gospel of Mark
- The Infancy Gospel of Thomas
- The Infancy Gospel of James
Why does gospels.net deal with only these twelve early Christian gospels?
The main focus of gospels.net is on early Christian gospels that:
- Have been at least partially preserved from antiquity; and
- Primarily recount the events of Jesus' adult life.
All of the gospels listed above have been at least partially preserved from antiquity, either on manuscripts or in quotations from other ancient Christian writings.
Nine of the texts primarily recount the events of Jesus' adult life and could be described well as "gospels of the ministry and/or passion": The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Judas, The Gospel of Peter, The Unknown Gospel of Egerton Papyrus 2, Oxyrhynchus Parchment 840, The Gospel of the Ebionites, The Gospel of the Nazareans, The Gospel of the Hebrews, and The Secret Gospel of Mark.
The remaining three gospels are of a slightly different nature. The Gospel of Mary recounts Jesus' encounters with his disciples following his resurrection. The Infancy Gospel of Thomas and Infancy Gospel of James recount events prior to the beginning of Jesus' ministry.
These texts are included here because they are of special interest. The Gospel of Mary is a crucial document for those interested in the development of gender roles in the early church. The infancy gospels include stories about Mary and Jesus that have been influential throughout the history of the church (even though they were not included in the New Testament), and these texts illustrate well how the canonical gospels were elaborated and expanded for a popular audience.
Gospels.net will not necessarily remain focused exclusively on these twelve gospels indefinitely. Additional long-lost early Christian gospels may be recovered, and suggestions about other texts that deserve to be considered here are always welcome.
Are these gospels "apocryphal" and/or "gnostic"?
The terms "apocryphal" and "gnostic" will not be used to describe any of the gospels mentioned here because the value of such terminology is questionable.
The term "apocryphal" has an obviously pejorative meaning. A glance at any dictionary will reveal a primary meaning similar to that found at dictionary.com: "of doubtful authorship or authenticity."
The term "gnostic" is a polemical label that has been used since it was coined in the second century to condemn a wide variety of religious belief systems that failed to conform to the orthodoxy of their day. In fact, the term has been applied so broadly through the ages that it is no longer even clear to what it actually refers.
Since there is ongoing debate about whether the terms "apocryphal" or "gnostic" can be redeemed for use in historical scholarship or religious contexts, neither term will be used here in describing early Christian gospels not included in the New Testament. The focus of gospels.net will remain on the texts themselves, not on any potentially distracting labels that might be applied to them.
What is the significance of these gospels for my personal religious beliefs?
That is for you to decide.