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List of Gospels

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The canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John can be found in most Christian Bibles

Gospels are a genre of Early Christian literature claiming to recount the life of Jesus, to preserve His teachings, or to reveal aspects of God's nature. The development of the New Testament canon has four canonical Gospels which are accepted as the only authentic and apostolic gospels by the Christians, but many others exist, or used to exist, and are called either Apocryphal or Pseudepigraphal. Some of these have left considerable traces on Christian traditions, including iconography. The word "Gospel" - Old English for "Good News" - is the English term for the Greek word ευαγγέλιον which means "blessed proclamation", and from which we get the word evangel and its cognates. While proclamation is central to the four Canonical Gospels, it is notably absent from the other surving apocryphal and pseudepigraphal works bearing the name of gospels. But just as people today have come to think of a Gospel as a Jesus-story, so evidently did the ancients of the 2nd-4th Centuries who composed the apocryphal and pseudepigraphal gospels.

List of Gospels

Completely preserved Gospels

  1. Gospel of Mark (canonical) - 1st Century
  2. Gospel of Matthew (canonical) - 1st Century
  3. Gospel of Luke (canonical) - 1st Century
  4. Gospel of John (canonical) - 1st Century
  5. Gospel of Thomas (non-canonical, arguably Gnostic or proto-Gnostic) - late 1st to mid 2nd Century; collection of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus, 31 of them with no parallel in the Canonical Gospels
  6. Gospel of Truth (Gnostic, Valentinian) - mid 2nd Century; departed from earlier Gnostic works by admitting and defending the physicality of Christ and his resurrection.

Hypothesized Sources of the Canonical Gospels

  1. "Q" or Quelle - "Quelle" means "source"; Q is material common to Matthew and Luke but not found in Mark
  2. "M" - material unique to Matthew
  3. "L" - material unique to Luke
  4. Signs Gospel - an hypothesized narrative of the Seven Signs presented in John; the hypothesis is now mostly rejected by scholars
  5. Discourses Gospel - the hypothesized source of the discourse material in John; now mostly rejected by scholars
  6. Cross Gospel - John Dominic Crossan's proposed source of the Passion narratives in Mark and the Gospel of Peter; the hypothesis is almost universally rejected

Infancy Gospels

  1. Gospel of the Nativity of Mary
  2. Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew
  3. Infancy Gospel of Thomas
  4. Infancy Gospel of James
  5. Syriac Gospel of the Boyhood of our Lord Jesus
  6. Arabic Infancy Gospel

Partially preserved Gospels

  1. Gospel of Judas
  2. Gospel of Peter
  3. Gospel of Mary
  4. Gospel of Philip

Fragmentary preserved Gospels[α]

  1. Dialogue of the Saviour - 3rd or 4th century - appears to be a composite of 4 or 5 earlier works. Consists of dialogues on esoteric knowledge espousing a Gnostic rejection of sex and procreation.
  2. Gospel of Eve - mentioned only once by Epiphanius circa 400 AD, who preserves a single brief passage in quotation.
  3. Gospel of Mani - 3rd century - a work attributed to the Persian Mani, the founder of Manichaeism.
  4. Gospel of the Saviour (also known as the Unknown Berlin gospel) - highly fragmentary 6th century manuscript based on a late-2nd or early 3rd century original. A dialogue rather than a narrative; heavily Gnostic in character in that salvation is dependent upon possessing secret knowledge.
  5. Gospel of the Twelve

Reconstructed Gospels[β]

  1. Gospel of the Ebionites
  2. Gospel of the Egyptians
  3. Gospel of the Hebrews
  4. Secret Gospel of Mark - suspect: the single source mentioning it is considered by many to be a modern forgery, and it disappeared before it could be independently authenticated.
  5. Gospel of Matthias
  6. Gospel of the Nazoraeans

Lost Gospels

  1. Gospel of Cerinthus (Heretical, Docetic? Judaizing?) - ca. 90-120 AD - Though Cerinthus was a Docetist, the gospel attributed to him is, according to Epiphanius[1] a Jewish Gospel identical to the Gospel of the Ebionites and, apparently, is a truncated version of Matthew's Gospel according to the Hebrews.
  2. Gospel of Marcion (Heretical, Marcionite) - ca. 125-160 AD; an edited version of Luke expurgating material favorable to Judaism and the Old Testament.
  3. Gospel of Apelles (Heretical, Marcionite) - mid-to-late 2nd century; a further edited version of Marcion's edited version of Luke
  4. Gospel of Basilides (Heretical, Gnostic) - composed in Egypt around 120 to 140 AD; thought to be a Gnostic harmony of the Canonical Gospels
  5. Gospel of the Four Heavenly Realms (Heretical, Gnostic) - mid 2nd Century; thought to be a Gnostic cosmology, most likely in the form of a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples.
  6. Gospel of Perfection (Heretical, Gnostic) - 4th Century; an Ophite poem that is only mentioned once by a single Patristic source, Epiphanius[2] and is referred to once in the 6th Century Gospel of the Infancy
  7. Gospel of Valentinus[3] (Heretical, Gnostic)
  8. Gospel of the Encratites[4] (Apocryphal, Orthodox)
  9. Gospel of Andrew - mentioned by only two 5th century sources (Augustine and Pope Innocent I) who list it as apocryhpal[5]
  10. Gospel of Barnabas - not to be confused with the 16 century pro-Moslem work of the same name; this work is mentioned only once, in the 5th century Decree of Gelasius which lists it as apocryphal
  11. Gospel of Bartholomew - mentioned by only two 5th century sources which list it as apochryphal[6]
  12. Gospel of Hesychius[disambiguation needed] - mentioned only by Jerome and the Decree of Gelasius that list it as apocryphal[7]
  13. Gospel of Lucius[7] - mentioned only by Jerome and the Decree of Gelasius that list it as apocryphal
  14. Gospel of Merinthus[8]
  15. An unknown number of other Gnostic gospels not cited by name[9]

Possible Lost Gospels

(The references to the gospels of the following teachers appear to refer to their teachings, much like the Apostle Paul refers to "my gospel", and not an actual gospel document)

  1. Gospel of Simonides - the proclamation of Simon Magus, 1st century mystagogue and mountebank, considered "The Father of all Heresies"
  2. Gospel of Bardesanes - the teachings of Bardaisan, mid 2nd century Syrian Christian and mystical Astronomer-Astrologer, who defended Christianity against Marcion, and against Valentinus and other Gnostics.

Fragments of possibly unknown or lost (or existing) Gospels[α]

  1. Papyrus Egerton 2 - late 2nd century manuscript of possibly earlier original; contents parallel John 5:39-47, 10:31-39; Matt 1:40-45, 8:1-4, 22:15-22; Mark 1:40-45, 12:13-17; and Luke 5:12-16, 17:11-14, 20:20-26, but differ textually; also contains incomplete miracle account with no equivalent in canonical Gospels
  2. Fayyum Fragment - a fragment of about 100 Greek letters in 3rd century script; the text seems to parallel Mark 14:26-31
  3. Oxyrhynchus Papyri - Fragments #1, 654, & 655 appear to be fragments of Thomas; #210 is related to MT 7:17-19 and LK 6:43-44 but not identical to them; #840 contains a short vignette about Jesus and a Pharisee not found in any known gospel, the source text is probably mid 2nd century; #1224 consists of paraphrases of Mark 2:17 and Luke 9:50

Medieval Gospels

  1. Gospel of the Seventy – a lost 8th-9th century Manichean work
  2. Gospel of Nicodemus – a post 10th century Christian devotional work (or works) in many variants. The first section is highly dependent upon the 5th century "Acts of Pilate"
  3. Gospel of Barnabas – a 16th century harmony of the 4 Canonical Gospels, probably of Spanish (Morisco) origin, or possibly Italian

Modern Gospels

  1. Aquarian Gospel (1908)
  2. The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ (1830)
  3. Crucifixion of Jesus, by an Eyewitness (1907) [10]
  4. Essene Gospel of Peace (1937; 1974)
  5. The Fifth Gospel (1908, Steiner) [11]
  6. The Fifth Gospel (1956, Naber)
  7. Gospel According to Seneca (1996)
  8. Gospel of Ares (1974)
  9. Gospel of Jacob (1952; aka The Adolescence of Jesus)
  10. Gospel of Jacob (1982; aka The Message of Jacob)
  11. Gospel of Jesus According to Gabriele Wittek (1977) [12]
  12. Gospel of Josephus (1927)
  13. Talmud Jmmanuel (1963; Another Gospel attributed to Judas Iscariot)
  14. Gospel of the Childhood of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to St. Peter (1904) [13]
  15. Gospel of the Perfect Life/Gospel of the Holy Twelve (1881) [14]
  16. Life and Morals of Jesus (1820)
  17. Jehoshua the Nazir (1917) [15]
  18. Jesus Amidst His Own (late 18th century)
  19. The Mystical Life of Jesus (1929) [16]
  20. The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ (1894)
  21. Ur-Gospel of the Essenes (1867)

See also

Notes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to List of Gospels.

Footnotes

  1. ^ Pan. Haer. 28.5.1., I 317.10
  2. ^ Pan. Hæres. 26. § 2
  3. ^ Mentioned by Tertullian in Adversus Valentinianos. According to Ireneaus, it the same as the Gospel of Truth
  4. ^ Epiphanius ascribed a gospel to the sect of Encratites. It is more probable however, that he referred to the Gospel of Tatian
  5. ^ Augustine and Innocent only mention it once with no information about it. If it’s the same as the Acts of Andrew, then it was written ca. 150-250 AD and isn’t lost, and it’s kind of a Christian retelling of the Odyssey, only with St. Andrew in the leading role.
  6. ^ Jerome mentions it twice: Catul. Script. Eccles. in Pantæn. and Præfat. in Comm. in Matt. It is also mentioned once in the Decree of Gelasius
  7. ^ a b This phrase is found in the Decree of Gelasius wherein certain gospels are condemned by that title. What they were is uncertain. Jerome speaks of "those books which go under the names of Lucian and Hesychius and are esteemed through the perverse humors of some"
  8. ^ The Gospel of Merinthus is mentioned only by Epiphanius as one of those spurious gospels which he supposes were written in the apostles' time and referred to by Luke in Luke 1:1 "as not being a true and genuine account". Fabricius supposes that Merinthus and Cerinthus are the same person and that Cerinthus was changed into Merinthus by the way of banter or reproach. Although Epiphanius makes them into two different persons, yet in the heresy of the Cerinthians, he professes himself uncertain. He said "The Cerinthians are also called Merinthians as we see by the accounts we have; but whether this Cerinthus was also called Merinthus, a fellow laborer of his, God knows"(Jones, A new and full method of settling the canonical authority of the New Testament)
  9. ^ The Gnostics had various gospels. Epiphanius speaks of their writing "The Revelation of Adam, and other false gospels"
  10. ^ The Eye-Witness gospel is a gospel written by Elsie Louise Morris and/or Benjamin Fish Austin. The gospel purports to be an old manuscript found in an old Alexandria Library giving a graphic and detailed account of Jesus as a friend of Jesus. The gospel states that Jesus did not die on the cross but died six months later. The gospel references the Essenes a lot and is allegedly written by an elder of the Essene order who was a close friend of Jesus. The document was discovered in a building in Alexandria but since then the document has disapeered. It was published in 1907 by John Richardson and again by the Holmes Book Company in 1919. This information was retrieved from 4Enoch.org
  11. ^ The Fifth Gospel by Rudolf Steiner is another gospel obtained from Akashic Record. The gospel is in the form of thirteen lectures. The book contains Zoroastrian themes along with Christian themes. The gospel states that the Lord's Prayer is based off an acient pagan prayer that Jesus obtained from Ahriman. Steiner states that the Gospel can be read at Akashic Record. The gospel's authenticity is doubted because Levi Dowling, and Edgar Cayce both produced stories of Jesus' life from Akashic Record. Most of the text can be read at Google Books with the title The Fifth Gospel: From the Akashic Record.
  12. ^ Grabriele Wittek, founder of the new religious movement Universal Life published this gospel as a re-building of the gospel of the Holy Twelve. The full title of the book is This Is My Word - Alpha and Omega: The Gospel of Jesus. the Christ Revelation, which True Christians the World Over Have Come to Know. The gospel can be read online at Das-Wort Publishing House in Universelles Leben.
  13. ^ Catulle Mendes was a french poet, who claimed to have found gospel written by the Apostle Peter. He said he found the manuscript at the St. Wolfgang Abbey. Unlike other biblical hoaxes Mendes presented the manuscript. The manuscript was written in old latin that the Romans had used. However the manuscript was quickly proved to be a hoax as it was written by Mendes. The gospel is an infancy Gospel attributed to the Apostle Peter. It was originally written in Latin by Mendes but was eventually translated into French by Mendes. The title of the original book is L'Evangile de l'enfance de Notre Seigneur Jésus Christ selon Saint Pierre, mis en français par Catulle Mendès d'après le manuscrit de l'Abbaye de Saint Wolfgang or The Gospel of the infancy of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Pierre, translated into French by Catullus Mendes from the manuscript of the Abbey of St. Wolfgang.
  14. ^ Gideon Ouseley is the alleged author of the Gospel of the Perfect Life. Gideon was a Irish Clergyman and Reverend of the Church of Ireland and later the Catholic Apostle Church. He claimed that he found a document in a Buddhist monastery which he said to be the Q Document. The Gospel was dubbed The Gospel of the Holy Twelve. This book should not be confused with the Lost Gospel of the Twelve. In the opening of the gospel it tells of a letter that is now owned by Lord Kelly and was written by a roman official which described the appearance of Jesus. Supposedly Emmanuel Swedenborg edited the document as stated in the book. The Gospel is also known as the Gospel of the Perfect Life to distinguish it from the other Gospel of Twelve. The Gospel supports Vegetarianism, and against animal cruelty. Parts of the gospel can be read on Google Books and a review of the gospel is presented at the Tekton Education and Apologetics Ministry.
  15. ^ Otoman Zar-Adusht Ha'nish, founder of the Mazdaznan movement published a book called Jehoshua the Nazir. He claimed to get it from various eastern mysterious sources. The book was first published in 1917 with the titleYehoshua Nazir; Jesus the Nazarite; life of Christ. The book is accepted as scripture by the Mazdaznan followers. The text is available on the Internet Text Archive.
  16. ^ Harvey Lewis was a notable Rosicrucian author and author of the Mystical Life of Jesus. The gospel was allegedly inspired by the Aquarian Gospel. The book is a collection of records about Jesus retrieved from the ancient monastreries of the Essenes and the Rosicrucian Order. Lewis allegedly went with a staff of researchers through Palestine and Egypt visiting holy sites and obtaining information. The book states that Jesus entered priesthood and secret priesthood and talks about the doctrines and secret facts about the resurrection. A preview of the book can be read on Amazon.

References

  • New Testament Apocrypha, by Wilhelm Schneemelcher, R. M. Wilson.
  • New Testament Apocrypha: Gospels and Related Writings, by Wilhelm Schneemelcher, R. M. Wilson.
  • History of the Christian Religion to the Year Two Hundred, by Charles B. Waite.
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