Unlike what many Christians believe, there were many gospels and epistles on the sayings and teachings of Jesus Christ was never part of the New Testament. These gospels and epistles were known by historians, the early Fathers of the Church and the discovery of the Nag Hammadi manuscripts and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Due to the diverse literature at the time of Jesus, there was much disagreement among the foremost authorities of the nascent Church about which books should be officially considered “canonical.” The New Testament books as we know it today, were not finally accepted until the councils of Hippo in 393 AD Regios and Carthage in 397 A.D. [1]
OTHER BOOKS
There were other books, which at first were considered canonical, but are not included in what the New Testament is modern. One of the first copies of the New Testament, called Codex Sinaiticus, which is now in the British Museum and dates from the year 350 CE, including “The Epistle of Barnabas and The Shepherd of Hermas.” Another of the oldest copies of the New Testament, called “Codex of Alexandria”, includes the writings known as “First and Second Epistle of Clement,” was written in the V century CE and is in the British Museum.
In 1945, 52 texts were discovered early Christian writings in Upper Egypt, near the town of Nag Hammadi. These are the “Nag Hammadi texts.” Some scholars trace the manuscripts of the period between 350 – 400 CE, while others date back to as early as 120 to 150 CE [2]. In 1966, these manuscripts were transferred to a group of scholars to be translated and published. In 1977, the whole body of manuscripts of Nag Hammadi was published in English.
The original discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls was in 1947 in a cave in the Valley of the Dead Sea, in an area known as Qumran. No one knows how many scrolls were originally found, as these passed through the hands of many people. Some were burned, others sold on the black market. Despite this, seven scrolls entered the public domain, accompanied by twenty fragments. [3] subsequent searches in these caves were more material, a cave in particular, contained more than 800 scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain material relating to the Old Testament and early Christianity.
For although many scholars, historians and researchers minds, the process of translating the Dead Sea Scrolls has been extremely slow, compared to the Nag Hammadi texts. Today, forty years after the discovery of these, the vast majority still awaiting publication. Only a strictly limited group of researchers have been allowed to reach the scrolls. All requests for other scholars to study the scrolls, have been denied. This small group with access to the manuscripts, is under the auspices of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, controlled by the Vatican [4]. These scholars work through the Institute called “Ecole Biblique”, located in Jerusalem and managed by Dominican monks [5].
The Pontifical Biblical Commission still oversees and monitors all the Bible studies conducted under the auspices of the Catholic Church. They also publish official decrees on “The right way to teach writing …” [6]. In 1907, Pope Pius X decreed that it was compulsory adherence to these decrees. On April 21, 1964, for example, the Commission issued a decree governing all biblical fellowship in general, but especially “The historical truth of the gospels.” The decree was pretty sharp, remarked that “At all times the interpreter must maintain a spirit of direct obedience to the authority of the Church adoctrinante [7]. Any scholar working under the aegis of the Commission – this obviously includes those who are working at the Ecole Biblique “- is, therefore, restricted by the decrees of this committee, whatever the conclusions drawn and whatever direction it takes research, should not, in his writings and teachings to contradict the authority of the Doctrinal Commission [8].
The following are the titles of some of the Nag Hammadi manuscripts found in or on the Dead Sea, were mentioned in the writings of early historians. It should be noted that these are only some but not all:
* The Wisdom of Jesus Christ.
* The Second Apocalypse of James.
* Gospel of the Nazarenes.
* Gospel of the Egyptians.
* The Gospel of Philip.
* The Apocryphon (Secret Book) of John.
* The Gospel of Truth.
* The Secret Book of James.
* The Apocalypse of Paul.
* Letter of Peter to Philip.
* The Apocalypse of Peter.
* The Testimony of Truth.
* Gospel of Mary (Magdalene).
* The Dialogue of the Savior.
* Treaty of Resurrection.
* Commentary on Habakkuk.
* The War Scroll.
* The Damascus Document.
* The Temple Scroll.
* The Book of Thomas the Rival.
* On the origin of the world.
*
Before the discovery of the Nag Hammadi texts and the Dead Sea Scrolls, we knew nothing of the writings of the early Christians, it was ordered destroyed. During the reign of Emperor Flavius Theodosius Christian (379 to 395 EC) all the scriptures that disagreed with the doctrine of Roman Christianity were burned, with the approval of the Emperor and the Church. Again, during the reign of the Christian Emperor Valentinian III (425 to 454 EC), the emperor ordered them to burn all writings opposing the Roman version of Christianity. [9]
The New Testament Documents
The gospels were not written documents of the apostles of Jesus Christ and were considered “inspired by the Holy Spirit” when they were written. In the second century CE, St. Justin was referred to the gospels as “The Memoirs of the Apostles.” The introduction of the Gospel of Luke, the author states that his intention is to “compile” a record as the others and says he received this information from eyewitnesses – Implying that he was not an eyewitness. The introductory chapter reads:
“Inasmuch as many have tried to tidy up the history of things that have been fulfilled among us, as we are taught that in the beginning they saw with their eyes, and ministers of the word, it seemed also me, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, to write an orderly …”[ 10]
Scholars of our time agree that the Gospels dating from the time of Christ. most dating from the period between the two great revolutions in the West – from 66 to 74EC and 135EC-132 to the According to the most ancient records. These early writings may have included documents and lost in that time – because there was a total destruction of records written to arouse the first rebellion. But more than likely had an oral tradition. Some of the stories were indeed greatly exaggerated and distorted, received and transmitted from the second, third or even fourth hand. Others, in turn, maybe they were caused in people who lived at the time of Jesus and, perhaps, knew him personally. A young man at the time of the crucifixion might well have survived to the time when the Gospels were written.
It is considered the gospel of Mark as the first of the Gospels, written in a time of revolution of 66-74 CE, or maybe a little later, except for his mention of the resurrection, which is a much later addition.
Although not the original disciples, Mark seems to come from Jerusalem. seems to be a companion of St. Paul and his Gospel presents undisputed Pauline thought prints. But if Mark was a native of Jerusalem, the gospel seems to be – according to Clement of Alexandria says led to a Greco-Roman audience. This in itself explains a lot. At the time of the composition of the Gospel of Mark, Judea was, or had recently been in open revolt, and thousands of Jews were crucified for rebelling against Roman rule. If Mark wished his Gospel survive and impress a Roman audience, it is impossible that Jesus submitted to the Anti-Roman. To ensure the survival of his message, Marcos should be forced to exonerate the Romans to kill Jesus – To make clear the existing regime and deeply complicated, and some accuse Jews of killing the Messiah. This method was adopted, not only by the other gospel writers, but by the early Christian Church. But for this trick or the Gospels and the Church had survived.
The Gospel of Luke from the year 80 CE. Lucas seems to be a Greek physician who composed his work for a high-ranking Roman officer in Caesarea, the Roman capital of Palestine. For Lucas, it was therefore necessary to placate and appease the Romans and the blame elsewhere.
For when the Gospel of Matthew was composed – around the year 85 CE – the transfer of guilt seems to have been accepted as an established fact and was not questioned. More than half of the Gospel of Matthew from the Gospel of Mark, despite having been composed in Greek and Greek clearly reflect characteristics. The author seems to have been a Jew, possibly a refugee from Palestine. Not to be confused with Matthew the disciple, who lived much earlier and probably spoke only Aramaic.
No need to study hard to find that these three Gospels have much material in common. We find, for example, that 606 of the 661 verses of Mark appear in the Gospel of Matthew and 380 verses of Mark are repeated with slight variations in Lucas. Put another way, of 1068 verses of Matthew, about 500 containing material found in Mark; of 1149 verses that make up Lucas, about 380 are parallel in Mark. Overall, there are only 31 verses of Mark are not paralleled in Matthew and Luke [11].
The Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke are widely known as the “Synoptic Gospels,” implying that they see “eye to eye” or “with one eye” – which obviously is not. Either way, the similarity between them suggests a common origin – perhaps an oral tradition or a lost document later. This clearly distinguishes the Gospel of John, which reveals significantly different origins.
On the other hand, nothing is known about the author of the Fourth Gospel. Truly there is no reason to assume that his name is John. With the exception of “John the Baptist, John’s name does not appear in any passage in this gospel, and its attribution to a man named Juan was later accepted by tradition. This is the last gospel among those present in the New Testament, composed around 100 CE in the vicinity of the Greek city of Ephesus. [12]
Although a number of names attributed to the Gospels and Epistles, it is not known whether these were the real authors. The practice of inventing documents and falsely attributing them to others, the apostles, for example, is well known in the early Gentile churches in the second half of the second century CE.
Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, he wrote:
“As the brothers wanted to write letters, I did, and these apostles of the devil have filled with trickery, changing some things and adding others, for these there is a punishment reserved. It is therefore not surprising that some have tried to tamper with the holy scriptures of the Lord, and they have done with other books that do not compare with these. “[13]
Why consider the New Testament as the word of God?
“The open Bible,” which is a Bible study using the translation of the Bible “New American Standard”, 1959, referred to as a response II Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching , reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. “.
The New Testament as we know it today, was not completed until the church councils classified canonical books in North Africa, Hippo Regius the EC 393 and EC 397 Carthage. Many of the documents were considered canonical New Testament prior to that time, yet the question remained. The only books that have had serious doubts after the second century CE were among those at the end of the New Testament.
Origen (185-254 CE), a student of the Bible mentions the four Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, thirteen Pauline, I Peter, I John and the Apocalypse and the books accepted by all states further that: Hebrews, II Peter, II and III John, James, Jude, the Epistle of Barnabas, the Shepherd of Hermas, the Didache and the Gospel of the Hebrews were discussed by some. Sources said the sgte. on the Epistle to the Hebrews:
“If you ask my opinion, I would say that (the issue) in question is the gospel of the apostle (Paul), but the wording and construction is of those who remembered the teaching of the apostle and wrote their own interpretation of what his teacher he said. “[14]
Bishop Eusebius (c. 260-339EC) of Caesarea, mentioned what books were challenged:
“Those (books) that are in dispute, although familiar to many, including the letters known as James, Jude, II Peter and those so-called II and III John, is this the work of the evangelist or anyone else with the same name .
Among the false books should be counted: The “Acts of Paul”, “The Shepherd” and “Revelation of Peter” also called “Epistle of Barnabas” and the “Teachings of the Apostles, together with the Revelation of John, if is that this is its proper place, as already mentioned that some reject it and others are among the recognized books. “[15]
Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria (247-264EC) confirms what others thought of the Apocalypse of John, long before this is even part of the New Testament Canon [16]:
“Some of our predecessors rejected the book and broke into pieces, refuting each chapter, uttering incomprehensible and illogical and false cataloged. Said it was not John’s, much less a revelation, since it was covered by a thick curtain of incomprehensibility. Far from being one of the apostles, the author of the book was not one of the saints, nor a member of the Church, but Cerintius, founder of a sect called “The Cerinthus” by him, who wanted to attach a prestigious name their own creation. This, they said, is the doctrine that teach that the kingdom of Christ would be on Earth, and things he wished were his property, a slave of the body and sensuality, filling the sky with dreams unlimited indulgence in gluttony Facilities and lust, drunkenness, marriages (to call these things with what he thought were respectable names), festivals, sacrifices and the sacrifice of victims. “
What took so long to declare these books true? To get some perspective of time, remember that’s only been 200 years since the U.S. independence from England. but it was not until 400 years after the Ascension of Jesus Christ that the New Testament was completed. This was done in an era where there was not but a very poor material and everything had to be copied laboriously by hand. Since the final decision of what should go into the unified official New Testament was taken 400 years after the Ascension of Jesus Christ, then what scriptures he referred in II Timothy 3:16? Was the author referring also to the Epistle of Barnabas, the Shepherd of Hermas, the Didache and the Gospel of the Hebrews? Or some of the scrolls found at Nag Hammadi and / or the Dead Sea? How could they be accepted as Holy Scripture the totally unknown in the New Testament books were written after the time of II Timothy? Due to these concerns, it is likely that the author of II Timothy is referring to the Old Testament. If the author of II Timothy is referring to the Old Testament, the unanswered question is: What makes the New Testament writings are considered inspired or authoritative?
The epistles of Paul, and his description of Christ, were not always widely accepted. In his “History of the Church, Eusebius describes two sects with the name” Ebionites “. He says of one of them:
They (the Ebionites) never denied that the Lord was born of a virgin through the Holy Spirit, but they shared a strong rejection of the pre-existence of Jesus as God, the Word and Wisdom … . They argued that all the epistles of Paul were to be rejected, and called him a renegade of Law; used only the Gospel of the Hebrews, and treated others with disrespect. Like other sects, they observed the Sabbath and all Jewish law. “[17]
Some modern Bibles documented errors in previous translations. The preface to the Revised Standard Version of 1971 provides that the King James Version of 1611 had “very serious mistakes.” These defects were found to be more ancient manuscripts than those used as the basis for the King James Version. It states that “these defects are so many and so serious as to call for a revision of the English translation.” In the New American Standard Bible, there are over 127 footnotes testify page corrections made based on ancient manuscripts of the New Testament. It notes, for example, that some of the “most ancient manuscripts do not contain the last eleven verses of chapter 16 of Mark, verses or 7:53 to 8:11 John. It also says that many manuscripts do not contain Acts 8:37 says:
“And Philip said, If you believe with all my heart, thou mayest. Answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. “
In Mark 1:1 says, “principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God”, a footnote says that many manuscripts do not contain the phrase. In Revelation 13:18 we learn that the Number of the Beast is 666, but a footnote says that some manuscripts read 616. Some of the 127 verses mentioned questionable for the New American Standard Bible (New American Standard Bible) are significant, are those used to argue that Jesus is the Son of God. If older versions do not contain verses that later versions of the New Testament if they have, only we can say that these verses were added later. But … Were these the only additions made to the New Testament? Perhaps new discoveries of ancient manuscripts or translation of any of the Dead Sea Scrolls reveal further changes.
What makes the books of the New Testament Word of God? Why do Christians believe the New Testament books are Scripture Inspired? Who are the authors of the New Testament? Who gave man the authority to select those letters and stand out? Why, for example, “Epistle to the Hebrews” was accepted into the official canon and the “Gospel of the Hebrews” was rejected? How do we know that the original texts were not doctored? These questions can not yet be answered with authority. But the answers to these questions are laid the foundations of Christian Doctrine.
[1] Bruce, The New Testament Documents, p. 22.
[2] Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels, p.xv.
[3] Baigent and Leigh, The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception, p. 36.
[4] Ibid. . On the history of the Pontifical Biblical Commission in its fight against Modernism, Cap. 6.
[5] Ibid., Pp.119, 120.
[6] New Catholic Encyclopedia, vol.xi, p. 551.
[7] Benjamin Wambacq, “The Historical Truth of the Gospels”, The Tablet, May 30, 1964, p.619.
[8] Baigent and Leigh, op.cit., P.120.
[9] Yusseff, The Dead Sea Scrolls, The Gospel of Barnabas, and The New Testament, p.101.
[10] All Scripture quotations are from the “Holy Bible” Translation Reina Valera Revised 1960, Korea 1992.
[11] Bruce, op.cit. , P.31.
[12] Baigent and Leigh and Lincoln, Holy Blood, Holy Grail, pp.327-329.
[13] Schonfield, Those Incredible Christians, pp.135-137.
[14] Eusebius, History of the Church, The History of the Church, p.202. English.
[15] Idem.pp88.89.
[16] Ibid, p 240.
[17] Ibid, p.91.
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