The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden

The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden (1926) is a collection of 17th Century and 18th Century English translations of some Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and New Testament Apocrypha which were assembled in the 1820s, and then republished with the current title in 1926.

History of the translations

Rutherford Hayes Platt, in the preface to his 1963 reprint of The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden states:

"First issued in 1926, this is the most popular collection of apocryphal and pseudepigraphal literature ever published."

The translations were first published, under this title, by an unknown editor in The Lost Books of the Bible Cleveland 1926, but the translations had previously been published many times.

Although some of the recent reprint editions claim translations by Lightfoot and R. H. Charles, much of the content of the 1926 edition derives from the London bookseller and satirist William Hone (1780-1742) who made an edition of translations by the Welsh non-conformist minister Jeremiah Jones (biblical scholar) (1693–1724) and William Wake (1657–1737), later Archbishop of Canterbury. The translations of Wake and Jones are now only of academic curiosity, having been replaced by translations based on more complete manuscript evidences.

For more modern translations see the standard modern editions:

• J. H. Charlesworth, ed. Old Testament Pseudepigrapha 2 Vols.
• W. Schneemelcher, ed. New Testament Apocrypha 2 Vols.

Reprint editions

• The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden (A & B Book Dist Inc, March 1994, ISBN 1-881316-63-7)
• The Lost Books of the Bible (Testament, 1998, ISBN 0-517-27795-6)
• The Forgotten Books of Eden (Alpha House, 1927, ISBN 0-517-30886-X, ISBN 1-56459-636-2, ISBN 0-529-03385-2).

Contents of The Lost Books of the Bible

• The Gospel of the Birth of Mary
• The Protevangelion
• The Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ
• The Infancy Gospel of Thomas
• The Epistles of Jesus Christ and Abgarus King of Edessa
• The Gospel of Nicodemus (Acts of Pilate)
• The Apostles' Creed (throughout history)
• The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Laodiceans
• The Epistles of Paul the Apostle to Seneca, with Seneca's to Paul
• The Acts of Paul and Thecla
• The Epistles of Clement (The First and Second Epistles of Clement to the Corinthians)
• The Epistle of Barnabas
• The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians
• The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians
• The Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians
• The Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans
• The Epistle of Ignatius to the Philidelphians
• The Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrneans
• The Epistle of Ignatius to Polycarp
• The Shepherd of Hermas (Visions, Commands, and Similitudes)
• Letter of Herod To Pilate the Governor
• Letter of Pilate to Herod
• The Lost Gospel of Peter
• The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians

Contents of The Forgotten Books of Eden

• The Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan (The First and Second Book of Adam and Eve)
• The Secrets of Enoch
• The Psalms of Solomon
• The Odes of Solomon
• The Letter of Aristeas
• The Fourth Book of Maccabees
• The Story of Ahikar
• Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs