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The word "apocrypha" (απόκρυφος), applied to written works, can mean either a literary monument that is contained in a hidden form, i.e. for one reason or another, it is deliberately hidden, or one whose origin is unknown is hidden. In both of these meanings, this word is used in patristic literature (Origen: Commentary on Ev. Matthew XIII, 57, XXIII, 37-39 XXIV, 28-28, XXVII, 8-10; Letter to Africanus, ch. 9). Thus, απόκρυφος means “secret”, “secret” and is completely opposite to the concepts: “public”, “open”, “public” (cf. Didymus of Alexandria Ad Acta Apost. 8, 89: Migne gr. XXXIX, 1169. Eusebius, Church History II, 23, 25. Blessed Jerome, Letter 96). This usage of words rests on Jewish soil. The Jews had the custom of hiding in hidden places or even burying, but not destroying, handwritten copies of the Holy Scriptures that were damaged or for some other reason not suitable for public use. - “Apocrypha” also called those works whose origin is hidden, unknown, which could easily then turn into the meaning of “false,” “unauthentic” (cf. Blessed Augustine, De civitate Dei XV, 23, 4, etc.). Finally, darling. Jerome called “apocryphal” those parts of the Greek and Latin Bibles that were not part of the Jewish canon. With the help of Karlstadt, this meaning was given to the right of citizenship in the Protestant Church.

New Testament criticism understands by the apocryphal books of the New Testament all those writings that, by their name and content, clearly expose the intention of their compilers to give them the character of sacred and divinely inspired writings, but which the Church, however, did not accept into the canon, due to their dubious origin and the same or even directly and indisputably heretical content. These spurious works extend to the entire area of ​​the New Testament and, accordingly, fall into the following four classes: 1) apocryphal gospels; 2) apocryphal acts of the apostles; 3) apocryphal apostolic epistles and 4) apocryphal apocalypses. Individual works of this numerous literature have completely different meanings. The greatest influence was enjoyed by the apocryphal apostolic histories, which, more than the apocryphal gospels, were primarily “the source and mother of all heresy” (cf. Photius, Bib. cod. 114) and against which, therefore, the St. fathers (cf. Epiphanius, Against Heresies XLVII, 1. LXV, 1. LXIII, 2; Augustine, Contra Felic Manich. II, 6). Although not all apocryphal books can be said to have originated from a heretical source or pursued heretical goals, since many of them were based simply on religious and literary falsification, however, there is a connection between at least some of them with heretical movements no doubt. This explains the fact that apocryphal books were deliberately and deliberately ignored by representatives of the Church of later times, who, if possible, avoided touching and even naming them. Interest in the historical and critical study of these monuments arose in Lutheranism itself and was marked by a number of very thorough and valuable studies. The historical and critical significance of studying the apocryphal books of the New Testament is not unimportant: it helps to clarify many features from the history of dogma, explains the origin of some legends, contributes to a more accurate representation of the state of the ancient church, etc.

I. Apocryphal gospels. Already the Evangelist Luke, in the preface to his Gospel, mentions “many” (πολλοί) of his predecessors in the matter of “compiling a narrative” about the most important events in the life of Christ the Savior, based on the testimony of eyewitnesses and direct witnesses ( 1 , 1-2). Thus, already St. Luke knew, in addition to the Synoptic Gospels, some other Gospels. Their number, naturally, could subsequently increase even more significantly. Currently, up to 50 apocryphal gospels are known. However, this number should decrease due to the fact that in some cases different names refer to the same writings. The emergence of apocryphal gospels is explained by various reasons. In some cases, this reason was the pious desire of inquisitive Christians to have more accurate and detailed information about those events and circumstances of the life of Jesus Christ, about which the New Testament writings have absolutely no information or contain only short stories. Some went towards this desire, writers who collected, processed, and commented on what they found in oral tradition, sometimes filling in the gaps with their own inventions. At the same time, dogmatic tendencies were often taken into account - when presenting events or speeches, they justified and substantiated their religious views, mainly Ebionite or Gnostic. This largely explains the great discord that is observed in the various texts of the apocryphal scriptures. It is hardly possible to find other works that have been subjected to so many reviews, so often interpolated and distorted, as the apocryphal writings, especially the gospels. Having in mind to fill in the missing information from our canonical Gospels, the writers of the apocryphal gospels especially focused on the family relationships of Jesus Christ, on the circumstances of His birth, His childhood, and the last events of His life. At the same time, with regard to the relationship to the canonical Gospels, sometimes events only mentioned or briefly stated in the latter, in the apocryphal Gospels unfold into a detailed picture, the sayings of Christ turn into facts, the sayings of the Old Testament about Christ or Jewish expectations regarding the Messiah receive literal fulfillment, the stories of the miracles of the Old Testament are repeated in similar miracles of Christ and, if possible, in a more perfect form. Previously, a distinction was usually made between the “gospel of childhood” and the “gospel of the suffering” of Jesus the Chorist. Now they are divided into approximately three categories: 1) those that relate to parents and the birth of Christ; 2) those that tell about His childhood, and 3) those that tell about latest events His life. In view of the fact that the department of New Testament apocryphal books belongs to the category of comparatively underdeveloped books in science, although they are being diligently developed; due to the properties and characteristics of the material itself, in the best cases known only in fragments, sometimes from different editions; In view of the ambiguity, uncertainty, and sometimes inconsistency of evidence about certain apocryphal books that we find among church writers, at present it is not possible to give an accurate and definite description of all the apocryphal books of the New Testament known in one way or another. Even in special Western European scientific monographs, we find in this case for the most part not definite, precisely established conclusions, but only more or less reliable proposals. Here are some of the more solid data on individual apocryphal books of the New Testament.

[Cm. about the apocryphal gospels also W. Harris Cowper, The Apocryphal Gospels and other Documents relating to the History of Christ; translated from the Originals in Greek, Latin, Syriac etc. with Notes, Scriptural References und Prolegomena, London 1881 M. Lepin, Evangiles canoniques et Evangiles apocryphes, Paris 1907 Prof. J. G. Tasker in A Dictionary of the Bible ed by J. Hastings, Extra Volume, p. 420-438; Pierre Battifol in Dictionnaire de la Bible par P. Vigouroux II (Paris 1889), col. 2114-2118, and cp. in Enz. VI. 625-626. Rev. J. K. Willis in A Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels ed. hy J. Hastings I, Edinburgh 1906 p. 5477-549 a. Cp. also R. P. dom Ferdinand Cabrol, Dictionnaire d'archéologie chréteinne et de liturgie I, 2 (Paris 1907), col. 2555- 2579. Lic Dr. Johannes Leipoldt, Geschiche des neutestamentlichen Kanons I, Lpzg 1907, 175-181. 278. Rev. C. Taylor, The Oxyrhynchus and other Agrapha in The Journal of Theological Studies VII, 28 (July. 1906), p. 546-562. For “agraphs”, see also the book: Twenty - five Agrapha, or Extra - Canonical Sjyings of Our Lord, adnotated in Blomfilld Jackson, London 1900; y J. Hastings in A Dictionary of Christ and the Gospees II, Edinburgh 1907; Prof, Dr. Renhold Seeborg, Worte Jesu: see Aus Religion and Geschichte I (Lpzh 1906), S. 59-87; D. Alfred Resch, Agrapha: aussercanonische Schnftfragmen te zw. Aufleage, Lpzg 1906. B. P. Grenfell and A. S. Hunt, Fragment of an Uncanonical Gospel, Oxford Nouveau 1908. R. P. Lagrange, Nouveau, fragme nt noncanoniqu relatif â 1’Ehangile in “Revue biblique internationale” N. S. V (1908), 4, p. 538-573. Dr. Robert Reinseh, Du Pseudo - Evangelien yon Jesu und Maria’s Kindheit in der romanischen und germanischen Literatur, mit Miltheilungen aus Parisis und Londoner Handschriften Halle 1879. Prof. H. B. Swete, Zwei neue Evangelienfragmente in Kleine Texte herauzg von H. Lietzmann Nr. Zig (Bonn 1908) B. Pick, Paralipomenu: Romains of Gospels und Sayings ot Christ, London 1908. Prof. H. T. Antrews, The Apocryphal Books, London 1908. H. Poggel End neues Fragmenteines nichtkanonischen Evangeliums aus Oxyrrhynchos in "Thelogie und Glaabe" 1909, 2. S. 139-143. Ludwig Couard, Altchristliche Sagen über, das Leben Jesu und des A postel, Gütverloh 1909. Privatdoz. Walter Bauer, Das Leben Jesu un Zeitaltes der neutestamentlischen Apokryphen, Tübiagen 1909. Natursagen: herausg. von Oskar Dähnhardt, Band II, Sagen zum Neneu Testament. Lpzg 1909. N.N.G.]

1) Gospel of Hebrews or Hebrews. (Εύαγγελιον καϑ" Έβραίους" - Secundum Hebraeos), which also has a shorter designation “Gospel of the Jews or Jews” (τό Έβραϊκόν or Ίουδαϊκόν). Igisippus, who came from the East to Rome around 150 and wrote his church-historical work around 180, cites in it excerpts from the “Gospel of the Jews” (Eusev. II, 22: 7). In parallel to the words of Plato, Clement cites a saying from the same Gospel (Strom. II, 9, 45). Origen refers to this monument no less than three times (In Joann. II, 6; in Matt. XV, 14, in Luc. hom. I). According to Eusebius, some considered the “Gospel of the Jews” to be a controversial (“anti-legomena”) scripture. But there are especially many references to the “Gospel of the Jews” in Bl. Jerome. This latter saw a copy of the gospel among the Nazarenes in Berea, a Syrian city, and had the opportunity to copy a copy from it. According to Jerome, this gospel, citing excerpts from the Old Testament, follows not the LXX translation, but the Hebrew text. As an example, he cites two sayings: “Out of Egypt I called my son” and “therefore He will be called a Nazarene” (De vir. ill. 3). Jerome also found the gospel in the library of Pamphilus in Caesarea (ibid.). It was written in the Chaladean or Syriac language, but in Hebrew letters (chaldaico quidem syroque sermone, sed hebraicis litteris: Dial. adv Pelag. 3,2), that is, it was a Western Aramaic dialect, which was usually spoken in Palestine, cognate Holy Scripture, but not the same with it. Jerome translated this Gospel into Greek and Latin (De vir. ill. 2), and says (Comm. in Matt. to the year 800 and belonging to Nicephorus, Patriarch of Constantinople (806-814), names the “Gospel of the Jews” among the disputed writings and determines its length at 2,200 “verses” (while Matthew has 2,500 “verses”). Comparing and analyzing all the various types of data regarding the time of origin of the “Gospel of the Jews,” Harnack does not consider it possible to push this time back beyond the year 100, but he fully admits that this book could have begun around 65-70 AD. ("Chronology" vol. I, p. 642 and cf. p. 650): the same scientist comes to the conclusion (I, p. 636 ff.) that the Greek translation of this gospel existed even earlier than Jerome - in the Alexandrian church , and finds traces of it not only in Origen, but even in Clement [however, all this is just speculation and not without special tendencies on the issue of the origin of the canonical Gospels, mainly Matthew's]. In its content and structure, the “Gospel of the Hebrews” very closely resembles the first three synoptic gospels, especially the Gospel of Matthew. Compared to the latter, the deviations in the narrative are not very significant and are observed, for example, in the history of the temptations and denial of Peter: similarly, the man who had a withered hand explains to Jesus that he is a mason and earns his living by the labor of his hands, which is why he asks Christ restore his health, “so that he is not forced to beg.” The Gospel of the Hebrews also contains the story of a woman who was brought to Jesus “because of many sins.” But in the current edition of this apocryphal gospel, sectarian (heretical) influences are undoubted; Thus, the expression adopted by Christ: “And My mother, the Holy Spirit, took Me by one of the hairs and set Me on the high mountain Tabor” is explained only by the Gnostic view that the Holy Spirit is the female element (“mother”) in the Supreme Principle.

[Cm. Vegu Rev. Mgr. S. A. Barnes; The Gospel according to the Hebrews: back in The Journal of Theological Studies VI, 23 (April 1905), p. 356-371. Rev. Prof. Walter F. Adeney, The Gospel according to Hebrews in The Hibbert Journal III, 1 (October 1904), p. 139-159].

2) Gospel of the XII Apostles(or Ebionite gospel). This gospel is first mentioned by Origen, who names it among other apocryphal (heretical) gospels (Homil. I in Luc.: το έπιγεγραμμένον τών δώδεκα εύαγγέλιον ; in Jerome: Juxta XII Apostolos). According to Epiphanius, this gospel was used by the Ebionites: hence its second designation.

The book received its name “Gospel of the XII Apostles” due to the fact that it begins with a narrative about the calling of the Apostles, to whom Christ then addresses with a speech, pointing out to them their calling and purpose. At the same time, the speech refers to Matthew himself, which is why, naturally, the assumption could subsequently arise that the book was written by Ap. Matthew, who wrote the Gospel on behalf of the XII, who speak about themselves in the first person. This book bears obvious traces of compilation work: it is compiled mainly on the basis of the canonical Gospels of Matthew and Luke, from which the compiler drew material in his entirety. This book could hardly have appeared earlier than the end of the 2nd century; it is difficult to assume that it could have been written earlier than 180 (Harnack, op. cit., vol. I, p. 628 and cf. 631). The language of the book was Greek from the very beginning. The monument bears a clear imprint of Ebionite views. Here, for example, it is emphasized that John the Baptist already avoided meat food. Christ, in response to the disciples’ offer to prepare Easter for him, in clear contradiction with Luke’s narrative ( 22 , 15) answers: “ I don't wish This Passover I will eat meat with you." The purpose of the message of Jesus Christ was, according to the Gospel, mainly to cancel the sacrifices and to announce the wrath of God for their continuation, expressed in the destruction of the temple. About a man named Jesus, whose origin is not mentioned at all, God testifies that he gained the Father’s favor and only now, through the descent of the Holy Spirit on him, became the Son. Only a few fragments of this gospel have survived to this day. [Cm. Patrologia orientalis, t. II:Dr. E. Revillont, Les Evangiles des douze apôtres et de saint Barthélémy.]

3) Gospel of Peter. Many hypotheses regarding this gospel stand in inverse proportion to what we know exactly about it. Some researchers (for example, Kredner) believe that Justin already used this work (Dial. 106); but this is very doubtful, since the indicated place allows different interpretations(it is possible that the quotations are freely taken from the canonical St. Mark). Direct mention of the Gospel of Peter is found in Serapion of Antioch (Eusebius C.I. VI, 17), Origen (in Matt. X 17), Eusebius (C.I. III, 3:2. 250 26), Jerome (De vir. ill .), Theodorit (Haer. fab. comp. II, 2) and Gelasius (Decr. de libris rec.). Eusebius only testifies that the so-called Gospel of Peter is not authentic, and not a single church writer refers to it as an authority. Jerome and the decree of Gelasius essentially repeat Eusebius. Theodoret conveys only the very dubious news that this book was in use among the Nazarenes. More valuable than the testimony of Serapion and Origen. The first cites some excerpts from the gospel in his message to the Russian community. Origen says that, according to some, relying in this case on the tradition of the Gospels of Peter and the book of James, the brothers of the Lord were the sons of Joseph from his first wife, with whom he lived before Mary. - In the winter of 1886-1887 in Upper Egypt, in Akmim, a small parchment codex (VIII or IX centuries) was found in a monastic tomb, on 2-10 pages of which an excerpt from the Gospel of Peter was placed. The passage covers the main part of the story of suffering and the detailed story of the resurrection of the Savior. This passage was published in 1892 by Burian in Paris (pp. 137-147). The book is closely related to the canonical Gospels, but the docetic tendency is clearly expressed in it: - when narrating, for example, the suffering of the Savior, the expressions of suffering and feelings of abandonment experienced by Christ on the cross are almost completely smoothed out. Personality Ap. Petra comes to the fore. The author speaks of himself in the first person singular or plural (when other Apostles are also meant). The book began around the middle of the 2nd century (according to Harnack between 110-130; see op. cit. p. 474), probably in Syria. [Cm. N. Usenner, Ein Spur, des Petrus evangeliums in “Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft” III (1902), S. 353-358, and in Russian especially y o. prof. V. G. Rozhdestvensky in “Christian Reading” for 1894 I, 73-125; IV, 27-40: VI, 382-411 and in reprints from here].

4) Gospel of the Egyptians (Εύαγγέλιον κατ’ Αίγυπτίους Secundum Aegyptios). Excerpts from this book are found in Clement of Rome (1 last 2, 12), Clement of Alexandria (Strom. III): in addition, it is mentioned by Origen (Homil. I in Luc.), who considers it one of the things taken for granted Luke (1.1), Epiphanius (Haer. LXII, 2), according to whose testimony this gospel was used by the Sabellians, who found in it confirmation of their modalistic teaching (in God there are not three persons, but one). Blzh. Jerome definitely classifies this book as heretical (Hom. I in Luc.). This book was probably used as a gospel by pagan Christians in Egypt, while Egyptian Jewish Christians read the “Gospel of the Jews.” As far as can be judged from the surviving passages, encratic tendencies are noticeably reflected in this gospel - for example, a completely negative attitude towards marriage. Christ often expounds his teaching in response to the question of Salome, which is expressed here much more often than in the canonical Gospels. The author of the book is not identified, and no one reports about him. The time of its origin can be attributed to the first third or first half of the second century.

5) Gospel Matfiya(and “legends”). The gospel κατά Ματϑίαν is definitely mentioned for the first time by Origen (Nosh. I in. Lucam); he had it at hand, but did not quote from it. Eusebius classifies him as heretical (C. I. III. 25: 6). In the canon of 60 books it is placed in last place (also in the decree of Gelasius). Here is everything we know about the work with the name “Gospel of Matthias.” Hippolytus in his “Philosophumena” (VII, 20) says that Basilides and his son Isidore referred to the “apocryphal words” that reached them, which Matthias received from the Lord Himself. Clement of Alexandria (Strom. VII, 17) testifies that the Basilidians referred to Matthias. Clement Alex., finally, gives three quotations from that work of Matthias, which was called “Traditions” (Παραδόσις Strom. II, 9: 45; III, 4: 26 - Eusebius. Ts. I. III, 29; VII, 13). Some scholars (Tsan) identify those monuments to which the above-mentioned scholars refer, while others consider it more thorough and correct to separate them (Harnak), since Clement Alex., obviously, considers the “Traditions” a venerable book, worthy of credibility, and not heretical.

6) Gospel of Philip. We only know about this book that it was read as Holy Scripture in the circles of the Egyptian Gnostics in the middle of the 4th century (Epiphanius, Haer. XXVI, 13), and it was also used by the Manichaeans. Epiphanius preserved the following (only) excerpt from this book: “the Lord revealed to me (Philip also speaks about himself in the first person) what the soul should say during its ascent to heaven and how to respond to each of the higher powers (probably aeons): “I also knew myself, gathered myself from everywhere and did not produce children for the archon (i.e., for the ruler of the world), but I completely uprooted my roots, gathered my scattered members and I know you who you are; I come from above"; and thus the soul is liberated. If it turns out that the soul has produced a son, then it is held below until it “is able to return to itself again its own children.” These words reveal dualism, a negative attitude towards marriage, the doctrine of the origin of the soul from a higher world, etc. Judging by this excerpt, the book contained imaginary “revelations” that have nothing in common with the Synoptic Gospels. The origin of this Gnostic gospel can be assumed to be in the first half of the 3rd century, but it may have already existed in the second century. Its composition was not attributed to Philip the evangelist (Acts. 6 , 5. 8 . 5 words 21 . 8 words etc.), but specifically to the Apostle (John 1, 45 ff. 6 , 5. 7. 12 , 21. 14 , 8).

7) GospelThomas. It is mentioned by Irenaeus (Against Heresies 1, 20), Origen, who read it (Homil. I in Luc.; Contra Celsum VI, 36), Hippolytus, according to whose testimony this book was used in the circle of one Gnostic sect (hence, in middle of the 2nd century); Eusebius places it among the heretical gospels (III, 25); Cyril of Jerusalem means by Thomas the disciple Manes; (Public lecture VI); Nikifor's stichometry determines its size at 1300 verses. It probably arose in a Gnostic environment with a Doric character of views. This explains the abundance of stories about miracles in it - from the childhood of Jesus Christ. It is known only from fragments, mainly from the editions of Cotelier and Mingarelli. [Wed. also C. Frick, Die Tomasapocalypse in “Zeitscrift für neutestamentliche Wissenschatt” IX (1908), 2, S. 172-173. M. R. James, Revelatio Thomae in The Journal of Theological Studies XI, 42 (January, 1910), p. 288-290; his The Revelation Thomae again ibid XI, 44 (July, 1910), p. 569. V. Adrianov, The Gospel of Thomas in “Pub. dept. rus. language and words. I. Ak. Sciences, vol. XIX, book. 2, St. Petersburg 1909.]

8) First Gospel of James. This book began - at the earliest - in the 2nd half of the 2nd century and even at the end of it. In its composition, it is a compilation and reworking of several independent works and breaks down - approximately - into the following three parts: a) the history of the conception, birth and life of Mary up to the point to which the canonical Gospels extend; b) the story of the birth of Jesus, told on behalf of Joseph, and the apocrypha of Joseph; c) Apocrypha of Zechariah. In terms of its origin, the first part is the earliest. The oldest Greek manuscript has survived to us from the 9th century, and the Syriac passage is from the 6th century. The book was not originally called “gospel”, but carried a trace. titles; "History" or "narrative" διήγησις, διήγησις χαι ιστορία ), or “The Birth of Mary” (Γεννησις Μαρίας). It began to be called “Gospel”, due to its content and form, only in the 4th and 5th centuries. The title “First Gospel of James” was given to the book by the French humanist V. Postel (1581), who holds the honor of opening this monument. Moreover, the authorship was attributed to the Apostle and brother of the Lord, the first bishop of the Jerusalem community. The Gospel of James the Younger appears in the Codex of Gelasius and Hormizda. We find more definite information about this book in Origen (in Ev. Matth.), Gregory of Nyssa (Orat. in diem nat. Chr.), Eustathius of Antioch (in Hexaëm.), Blessed. Jerome (p. Helvid 8), Epiphanius of Cyprus (haer. LXXIX, 5: LXXVIII, 7, XXX, 23); less definite - in Clement Alex. (Strom. VII, 16) and Justin the Philosopher (Dial. 78. 100. 1 Apolog. 33). The book, in its 25 chapters, covers the time from the announcement of the birth of Mary to her parents, Joachim and Anna, to the Bethlehem massacre of the children. The second part, with deliberate relief, tries to highlight the fact that the Blessed Virgin remained a virgin both before and after her birth. According to Epiphanius (XXX, 2), this book was offered for imitation by the presbyters and virgins of the Gnostics - “Ebionites”. - But also in Orthodox Church it had some significance and was even probably used (during public worship, as an edifying book, namely, it was read on September 8, September 9 (the day of memory of St. Joachim) and July 25 (the day of memory of St. Anna). Numerous manuscripts and translations of this book, preserved from ancient times, as well as the fact that some church traditions and customs owe their origin to this book, indicate its wide distribution from ancient times to the Middle Ages.The presentation of the book is replete with various decorations and details: - Most Rev. Mary knocks on the gate, and Elizabeth joyfully throws down her needlework to rush to meet her, the star of Christ eclipses all other stars, Anna’s grief over her childlessness is aggravated by the sight of a nest of sparrows, etc. Editions of the Greek text are numerous: the latest are by Tischendorf in Berlin and Grenfell at Oxford.

[Cm. more Eb. Nestle, Ein syrisches Bruchstück ans. dem Protevangelium Jacobi in “Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft” III (1902), S. 86-87. About the book of secret teachings allegedly transmitted to Mariamne, the sister of Philip, by James, the brother of the Lord, which book - according to Hippolytus (Philosoph. 7; cf. A. Harnack Altchristl. Litter. I, S. 168) - the Gnostic-Naassenes were proud of, see E O. Winstedt, A Coptic Fragment attributed to James the Brother of the Lord in The Journal of Theological Studies VIII, 30 (January, 1907), d. 240-248.-]

9) „Gospel of Nicodemus “, according to Tischendorf’s research, now indisputably accepted in science, consists of two independent works: “The Acts of Pilate” and “The Descent of Christ into Hell.” And indeed, not to mention the fact that in such a combined form and under the name “Gospel of Nicodemus” the work is found only in later Latin manuscripts, while in more ancient Greek manuscripts only the first work is contained, and with an independent conclusion, in addition All this, the content of the combined monument already indicates that this is a composite work. The name itself probably began and became established only after Charlemagne. The reason for this name could be the fact that Nicodemus plays the main role in the first part of the book and especially in its prologue. Justin already mentions the “Acts of Pontius Pilate” in his first apology (35.48), wanting to confirm his testimony about the miracles of Jesus Christ and the events that took place at his death. But this reference is too vague and does not give the right to identify the document that Justin had in mind with the first part of the “Gospel of Nicodemus,” although, perhaps, they stood in a more or less close genetic connection. Tertullian in chapter 5 in his apology, he expresses a general assumption that Emperor Tiberius received a report from Palestine about Jesus Christ, and in chapter 21, having briefly mentioned the life, death, ascension and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Tertullian says that about all this Pilate, himself a Christian in his conscience, Tiberius reported to the emperor. The testimony of Epiphanius is more definite (Haer. L, 1). The desire of Christians to have Pilate, as a direct and very important witness, on their side is very understandable, especially since the canonical Gospels depict his personality and attitude towards Christ in a relatively favorable manner. The reason for drawing up the “Acts” in this spirit could have been the fact that Pilate, in all likelihood, actually reported to the emperor in writing about the circumstances of the death of Jesus Christ. It is known that there was a forged pagan work - the letter of Pilate - which, by order of Emperor Maximin, even schoolchildren were supposed to know by heart. (Eusebius, Ts.I. IX, 5: 7. I. 9. 11). In contrast to pagan works of this kind, Christians naturally wanted to have documents favorable to them associated with the name of Pilate. The first part of the “Gospel of Nicodemus” contains the story of the trial of Jesus Christ, and witnesses testify to his performance of many miracles, about His condemnation, crucifixion and death. - The second part of the “Gospel” tells about the descent of Christ into hell, from the words of Simon’s two sons: - Kharin and Leukia, who allegedly rose with Christ and witnessed His appearance in the underworld. This story is told in an interesting form, in accordance with the ideas of that time. Its content, language and other data allow us to conclude that the literary origin of this part of the “Gospel” is later than the first. In general, the origin of the “Gospel” dates back to the 4th or 5th century. In connection with this creation there are some other apocryphal works that also relate to the personality of Pilate. Such, for example, are the “two letters of Pilate,” of which the first contains a message about the resurrection of Christ; in the second, on behalf of Pilate, his unjust sentence is justified by the impossibility of counteracting the prevailing excitement: “The Reproach of Pilate” is his report on the trial, execution, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; “The Tradition of Pilate” is a story about the interrogation and trial of Pilate in front of the emperor, about his conviction and execution; “The Death of Pilate”: “The Narrative of Joseph of Arimathea” and so on).

10) Gospel of Basilides. According to Origen, Basilides the Gnostic wrote a gospel that was called by his name ( κατά Βασιλίδην εύαγγελιον : Homil. I in, Luc; Ambrose proem. in Luc; Eusebius IV, 17). Based on this evidence, scholars usually believe that the book of Basilides embraced the entire life of Jesus Christ, like the Synoptic Gospels, with which it was apparently related in content. Some idea of ​​him can be formed only on the basis of a few insignificant passages from another work of the same writer, which was an interpretation of his own Gospel. This latter included, among other things, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (cf. Luke 16:19 ff.), as well as, apparently, the teaching of Christ about marriage and celibacy (cf. Matt. 19 , 11 ff.). [Cm. also Haus Windisch, Das Evangelium des Basilides in “Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft” VII (1906), 3. S. 236-246].

11) Gospel of Perfection, (τελειώσεως) was used by the Basilidians and other Gnostics, as Epiphanius testifies (Haer. XXVI, 2).

12) Gospel of Eve. Epiphanius (haer. XXVI, 2. 3. 5) testifies that the Gnostics used a work with this name, and cites from it an excerpt of an undoubtedly pantheistic nature. The content of the book was probably various fantastic visions, the subject of which was either Eve or the first man, Adam.

13) The Gospel of Judas Iscariot was likened to the Gnostic sect of the Cainites. He is mentioned by Irenaeus (Proverbs of heres. I, 35), Epiphanius (haeres. XXIII, 1), Theodoret (haeret. fab. comp. I, 15).

14) Questions of Mary great and small(Τέννα Μαρίας), - two works of indecent content, used by some Gnostics. They, by the way, contained a story about Zechariah. Harnack considers it possible to date the book to the 2nd century.

15) Gospel of truth mentioned by Irenaeus (III, II), but without any details, so it is difficult to even say whether he read it himself. It is possible that it was composed by Valentine the Gnostic.

16) Gospel of Mary talks about how the Savior appeared to His disciples and talked with them about the essence of matter and the nature of man; then He withdraws from them, commanding them to preach the gospel. An excerpt from this book has survived.

17) Wisdom of Jesus Christ with cosmological explanations apparently originates from Valentinus; some signs indicate its high antiquity. Known in fragments.

18) Gospel of Barnabas (Εύαγγέλιον κατά Βαρνάβαν ) is mentioned in the catalog of 60 canonical books and in the decree of Gelasius, by which, by the way, this book was condemned.

In subsequent times, even certain traces of the named monument were lost. In the 18th century, we find several references from scientists to the fact that he perpetuated a monument bearing the name “Gospel of Barnabas.” Thus, John Toland in his Nazarenus (London 1718) reports information about one manuscript containing Italian translation of the Gospel of Barnabas, which manuscript the scientist examined. However, Toland’s description, despite its verbosity, does not give a clear and definite idea of ​​the content of the named monument. Based on some comparisons, Toland believed that the Gospel circulated among the Mohammedans was identical with the ancient apocryphal Gospel of Barnabas (20). According to Toland, the first chapter of the monument he studied began with the following words: “The true Gospel of Jesus, who is called Christ, according to the narrative of his Apostle, Barnabas” (p. 15). In this monument it seems that Christ did not die on the cross, but was transferred to the third heaven by the Archangels Gabriel, Michael, Raphael and Uriel, where he will remain until the end of the world. Instead of Christ, Judas was crucified - and the similarity was so great that it misled not only the disciples, but even the mother of Jesus. About Spanish translation of the Gospel of Barnabas is mentioned by George Sale in his wonderfully illustrated preliminary treatise to the translation of the Koran (London 1734). The origin of the Spanish translation of Sale was attributed to end of XVI centuries. The Spanish translation of the Gospel, made from Italian, contained 122 chapters. According to the scientist, the book contained a complete biography of Christ and - for the most part - contained events identical to the canonical Gospels, but many of them were colored by Mohammedan tendencies. - The name Messiah here referred not to Christ, but to Mohammed. Circumcision appears there as an initial institution, originating from Adam; The legalization of ablutions prescribed in Islam dates back to patriarchal times and was allegedly commanded to Abraham by the Archangel Gabriel. Joseph White, in his Bampton Lectures (Oxford 1784), placed several chapters from the Gospel of Barnabas, using a manuscript containing the entire monument in Spanish and most of its translation into English. This manuscript was the property of Dr. Monkhouse, Professor of King's College (London). If this was not the same manuscript that Sale used, then we have to assume that in England in the 18th century there were two translations into Spanish . This exhausts all the information that until very recently the scientific world had about the work known as the “Gospel of Barnabas,” despite the fact that researchers of apocryphal literature and Christian missionaries who worked in the field of enlightening the Mohammedans, especially the latter, were very interested in publishing the named monument. In conversations with Mohammedans, especially in India and Persia, missionaries often heard from the natives that the Gospel of Barnabas was deliberately hidden by Christians as completely favorable to Islam, since Jesus is portrayed in this “gospel” as nothing more than its forerunner, Mohammed, through whom and the last and most perfect revelation was given to people. Both scientific needs and practical missionary needs can be fully satisfied by the publication that appeared at the end of last 1907, in an elegant volume containing the Italian text and English translation of the “Gospel of Barnabas”, based on the Italian manuscript of the Imperial Vienna Library: The Gospel of Barnabas , edited and translated from the Italian Ms in the imperial Library at Vienna, by Lonsdale and Laiura Raga with a facsimile, Oxford (University Press), 1907, p. LXXXIX + 500 (See review of John V. Youngson, The Discovery of the Gospel of Barnabas in The Expository Times XIX, 6, March 1908, pp. 263-265). The path to this very valuable publication was paved by the following articles: On the Mohammedan Gospel of Barnabas by William E. A. Axon in The Journal of Theological Studies III, 11 (April, 1902), p. 441-451; The Mohammedan “Gospel of Barnabas” by Rev. Lonsdale Ragge, ibid. VI,23 (April, 1905), p. 424-433 [same in “The Church. Quarterly Review LXVII, 134 (January 1909); cp. also “The East and the West” V, 20, October 1907]. The general content and most characteristic features of the Mohammedan Gospel of Barnabas, based on the indicated edition and other data at our disposal, are as follows. The “Gospel” purports to give the true account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ on behalf of Barnabas, who appears to be one of the twelve, and tries to accomplish this task with the express intention of correcting the allegedly false teaching of St. Paul and others who preached about Christ as God, as the Son of God. The narrative begins with the story of the birth of Jesus, based on the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and ends with the story of His ascension into heaven. One-third at least of the contents of the monument are directly borrowed from our four canonical Gospels; The other, no less significant, part contains, on the general outline of the Gospel narrative, extensive insertions of legendary and often characteristically Mohammedan content, which are mostly in the form of speeches, moreover, put into the mouth of Christ Himself. But even the material that is directly taken from the canonical Gospels in this monument is often subject to tendentious correction and is arranged in an arbitrary order. Everything that could speak of the deity of Christ is deliberately eliminated from the narrative. For example, in stories about miracles, the story often follows the canonical Gospel from word to word, and so on until the critical point; here, instead of the authoritative: “let it be,” a prayer appears; if the healed person discovers the recognition of Christ as God, then, in response to this, the “Gospel of Barnabas” exposes a direct denial of superhuman power in Him. Christ’s censure of Peter at Caesarea Philippi turns into a direct condemnation great confession. When presenting the material, the writer reveals complete ignorance regarding chronological and geographical dates. Similar narratives from the same or from different Gospels are often mixed up. For example, the miracle of the healing of a withered hand (Luke VI) is mixed with the miracle of the healing of a man with dropsy (Luke XIV); the story of the centurion (Matthew VIII) is mixed with the story of the courtier (John IV), etc. The most original in the teaching of the Koran is the doctrine of the last judgment and the future state after this judgment. In the “Gospel of Barnabas” there is a significant place assigned to these eschatological subjects. The judgment and torment are described in greater detail and with characteristically Mohammedan force and realism. An interesting feature of the hell depicted in this monument is the arrangement of torment according to the seven known major sins, and the order in the arrangement of these latter is original here. The image of heaven is also given quite a significant place, but its picture, in general, is more sublime and contains less sensual features than one might expect. Astronomical ideas are Ptolemaic in nature; Thus, here there are nine heavens, excluding paradise itself, while in the Koran there are seven heavens. Another characteristic feature of Islam reflected in the “Gospel of Barnabas” is a tendency towards mysticism, in the form of Sufism, in places combined with the gloomy Mohammedan doctrine of divine omnipotence and unconditional predestination. It is interesting that these features began and became stronger in Islam later than the Koran appeared (see K. Kazansky, Mysticism in Islam, Samarkand 1906, chapter IV, p. 47 ff.). The ascetic tendency finds expression in this monument in many strong sayings and is personified in the beautiful image of the ascetic life of the “three Pharisees” - Hosea, Haggai and Obadiah. The real end of asceticism is in absolute submission to the divine will, in complete identification with it.

Whether the Mohammedan monument has any genetic connection with the ancient apocryphal Gospel of Barnabas, there are no definite and any reliable traces, precise external or internal data for a more or less reliable solution to this question. The most that can be assumed is in this case, is to admit the possibility that the Mohammedan Gospel of Barnabas contains some elements of the Christian apocryphal Gospel (Axon). Other scholars tend to deny any connection (in anything other than the general name) between these two books (James). Some scholars, starting with Kramer, assume the Arabic original of the Mohammedan Gospel, others find that there are no sufficient grounds for such an assumption, neither external nor internal, and do not see any need for it (Ragg). In this case, Italian was the original language. The author of the compilation was, it is assumed, a Christian renegade who converted to Islam. The origin of the monument dates back to either the 14th or even the 16th century.

If we take into account the indicated features of the content and the very late date of origin of the Mohammedan Gospel of Barnabas, then we have to admit that the named monument in no case can be attributed in the proper sense to the apocryphal works of New Testament writing. Rather, it should be placed in the same category as such works as the Book of Mormon, the Book of Yashar, or the Buddhist Life of Christ, published by Notovich. Despite this, this book is of great importance and is of great interest, especially for understanding the issue of the relationship between Islam and Christianity, both in academic and practical terms.

19) Gospel pseudo-Mathfairy or book about the origin of blessed Mary and about dtiese Savior, published in full by Tischendorf, consists of 42 chapters. It is apparently of Latin origin and has its sources mainly in the First Gospel of James and St. Thomas. Existing manuscripts indicate numerous revisions of this book. It begins with the announcement of the birth of Mary, and her origin from David is especially emphasized (in view of the Manichaean and Montanistic teachings about her descent from the family of Levites) and ends with the youth of Jesus Christ. It is believed that this work appeared shortly after the Proto-Gospel in the Western Church. In any case, it is already known to Jerome (p. Helvid 7; ad Matt. 12, 49; 23, 25) and Pope Innocent I (p. ad. Exsuperium).

20) Gospel of Christmase Mary in 10 chapters contains the story of Mary before the birth of Jesus Christ. In terms of time of origin, it is close to the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, but probably arose somewhat later than it.

21) The story of Joseph the Plotnik(Treemaker) was published for the first time in Arabic with a Latin translation in Leipzig in 1722 by Georg Wallin and in its 32 chapters contains the story of Joseph’s entire life, with particular detail in the last part setting out the circumstances of Joseph’s death. It was written, obviously, to glorify Joseph the Righteous and was probably intended to be read on the day of his memory (July 20). Since the veneration of Joseph was especially strong among the Coptic Monophysites, on this basis it is believed that it is of Coptic origin and probably arose already in the 4th century. The book, especially in its last part, is important for the history of dogmatics.

22) Arabic gospel dchildhood(or “the book about the childhood of the Savior”) was published for the first time in Arabic with a Latin translation. Tischendorf published an improved Latin translation of it. The nature of the book's content clearly indicates its eastern origin: Eastern demonology and magic appear throughout it; some details cannot even be understood without familiarity with Eastern science (for example, in the narration of the art of the youth Jesus in astronomy and physics) and the religion of Zoroaster (for example, the journey of the wise men from the east to Bethlehem, as a result of Zoroaster’s prediction about the birth of the Messiah). The Arabic text is hardly original, as the Syriac was probably. The special veneration of this book among the Arabs and Egyptian Copts is easily explained by the fact that most of its content falls on the time of Christ’s stay in Egypt. Some stories from this gospel were even included in the Koran and other Mohammedan works. The book, in all likelihood, was read by Coptic and Abyssinian Christians on one of the Mother of God holidays. 55 chapters of the gospel cover the time from the birth of the Savior to his stay in the temple at the age of 12, with the first 9 chapters based on the First Gospel, the last 20 chapters on the Gospel of Thomas, and the middle part is a mixture of traditions about Christ with national-religious elements . The book was apparently subjected to repeated revisions, which explains the lack of unity and consistency in the arrangement of its material. Known manuscripts do not go back earlier than the 13th century.

23) Gospel inpermanent- a work of the Minorites of the 13th century - was condemned by Pope Alexander IV. The name itself is borrowed from the Apocalypse of John the Theologian (14, 6).

24) Gospel of Andrew mentioned by Innocent I (epist. 3, 7) and Augustine (Contra advers. leg. et prophet. I, 20). Gelasius classifies it among the condemned gospels.

25-26). Gospel of Apelles and Gospel of VarusFolomeya mentioned by the blj. Jerome and Bede. [but see also Patrologia orientalis, t. II:Dr. E. Revillontt, Les evangiles des douze apotras et de saint Barthelemy.]

27) Gospel KerinF. Epiphanius mentions him (Haer. LI, 7). Apparently, he is a distortion of Ev. Matthew was used in this form by the Carpocrats (Epiphan. haer. XXVI, 2, 3 and 5).

28) Gospel of James the Elder was found in Spain in 1595 and condemned by Pope Innocent XI in 1682.

29) Gospel of Lucian(presbyter of Antioch), Gospel of Hesychius(Egyptian bishop at the end of the 3rd century). Blzh. Jerome mentions only the first (Praer. in evang); both are mentioned in the decree of Gelasius.

30-33) Manichaean Gospels. There are four mentioned: GospelThomas, student of Manes (Cyril of Jerusalem in the Publication of teaching VI); Gospel Living(Photius, Contra manich. lib. I, Epiphanius haer. LXVI, 2); Gospel of Philip; Gospel of Abda.

34) POVThe Law of the Legitimate Priesthoodf Jesus probably belongs to Gnostic or Manichaean works.

35) Gospel of the Syrians mentioned by Eusebius with reference to Igisippus (C.I. IV, 22); Jerome identifies it with the “Gospel of the Jews” (adv. Pelag. 3, 1).

36) Gospel of Tatiana, which Epiphanius mentions (Haer. XLII, 1; XLVII, 4). According to the latter’s testimony, it was used not only by the Encratists, but even by Orthodox Christians in Syria, who were deceived by the appearance of its canonicity. Since it was a compilation of the four canonical Gospels, it was sometimes called Εύαγγελιον διατεσσάρον (Cf. Theodorit haeret. fabul. comp. I, 20; Eusebius, Ts.I. IV, 29). Epiphanius mistakenly identified it with the “Gospel of the Jews.” Tatian is generally known as a man who compiled and distorted the Holy Scriptures.

37) GospelThaddeus mentioned in the decree of Gelasius. If we are not dealing here with the erroneous reading of “Thaddeus” - instead of “Matthew” - then it was attributed either to the Apostle Judas Thaddeus, or to Judas from among the LXX, whom Thomas sent to Edessa to King Abgar (Cf. Eusebius. C I. I, 13).

II. „ Dacts of the apostles“(Πράξεις, later περίοδι) apocryphal are a very significant in volume, but still poorly developed department of ancient Christian literature. Only numerous new discoveries in the field of ancient manuscripts have made it possible to form a more accurate picture of these monuments. In their content, they are not so much a reflection of historically reliable events, but rather a fantastic, often tendentious reworking of ancient legends. Their origin is due to the same reasons that contributed to the emergence of the apocryphal gospels; - only in this case the desire of heretics to justify their false teachings with apostolic authority is even more noticeable. Beginning with Eusebius (cf. Ts. I. III), there are references among church writers to the written apostolic histories that existed in their time, used mainly in heretical circles, while in earlier times we find traditions only about individual Apostles, rarely with indicating sources. Starting from the 5th century, news appears from which one can conclude the existence of various apostolic stories, processed in the church spirit and with corresponding trends. The Church, having received dominance under Constantine the Great and the possibility of unhindered external and internal improvement, felt a special interest in all the news and monuments that were related to its initial period, to the time of its spread by the Apostles and their successors, marked by the glorious phenomenon of martyrdom. This gave impetus to the intensified development of acts of apostolic and martyrdom. The apostolic acts are important not only for understanding the history of dogmas and heresies, but also in the sense that they contain rich material for the history of the forms of liturgical cult of the ancient church. - As for the authors of works of this kind, their names in the vast majority of cases are covered in the darkness of obscurity, just as it remains unknown history and that undoubtedly long and varied process which the various apostolic acts experienced. Augustine is the first to name one of the compilers of the apocryphal acts used by the Manichaeans - the Priscillians - Leucius (Leucius or Leutius). This name, without connection with apocryphal literature, appears for the first time only at the end of the 4th century (Epiphanius haer. LI, 6). Photius (Bibl. cod. 114) testifies that he knew the collection of the so-called apostolic acts (Peter, John, Andrew, Thomas and Paul), compiled by Levi Charin (Λεύκιος Χαρϊνος). Only fragments of this collection have reached us in the original text. Later, this collection was supplemented by a work called “The Acts of the XII Apostles” ( Πράξεις των δώδεκα Αποστόλων ). Indications for the collection with the name “Acts of St. Apostles" appears among Greek chroniclers starting from the 4th century. By the end of this century, we already encounter a Latin collection, which was attributed to Obadiah, supposedly the first Babylonian bishop, appointed by the Apostles themselves. This collection embraces in its original form the “suffering” of all the XII Apostles, and in its later form – the “virtues” or “miracles of Peter, Paul, John, Andrew and Thomas.” The third collection was in use in the Coptic Church. Numerous translations, or rather adaptations, into Syriac have been preserved. The newest Western science has paid the most serious attention to the apocryphal Acts of the Apostles and has engaged in their most thorough study, taking advantage of numerous recent discoveries of various texts of these monuments in various reactions. The best editions belong to R. A. Lipsius (Die apokryphen Apostelgeschichten und Apostellegenden, Braunschweig 1883-1890 in 4 volumes), as well as Lipsius and Bonnet, who republished in 1891 and 1898 - in a significantly improved form - the 2nd edition of “Apocryphal Apostolic Acts” “ Tischendorf

From individual works of the categories under consideration, the following are most important: 1) Acts of Paul (Παυλου πράξεις). K. Schmidt, on the basis of a Coptic manuscript fragment written on papyrus found in the Heidelberg library, established in science the position that the “Acts of Paul” consisted of correspondence between the Apostle and the Corinthians; stories about the “Martyrdom of Ap. Paul." “The Acts of Paul” in all sacred catalogs that originated in the East. books are considered as catholic writings, similar in dignity to “The Shepherd of Hermas”, the Epistle of Barnabas and the “Teaching of the XII Apostles”. Origen knew this work, highly valued it and quoted it twice (On the Elements 1, 2, 3 and in the interpretation of St. John); Eusebius put him in first place among Αντιλεγόμενα νόϑα , ahead of the “Shepherd” Hermas (Ts. I. III, 26). The testimony of a Western writer, Hippolytus, is also very important, who refers (in his commentary to Daniel) to this work as a source worthy of complete trust and respect. As for, in particular, that (first) part of the monument under consideration, which is called “The Acts of Paul and Thekla,” references to them in church writers from the beginning of the 3rd century are found several times. According to Tertullan (De bapt. 17), he was aware of the “Acts of Thecla,” which apparently guaranteed the right of a woman to baptize; the author of this work was an Asia Minor presbyter, who was exiled for this; these “Acts” were compiled for the love of Paul and bore his name in their designation. This testimony of Tertullian was essentially repeated by the blessed one. Jerome, adding only that this presbyter was a disciple of (Apostle John (De viris ill. 7). “The Acts of Thecla” were early separated from the “Acts of Paul”; at least, they existed separately already in the 4th century and were used as official document - biography of “The First Martyr and Equal to the Apostles” ( πρωτομάρτυς καί άπόστολος ) Thekla. (Cf. Nikita of Paphlagon in the Patrology of Minya, Greek series, vol. CV, column 329). The center of her veneration was Seleucia [See. Lic. Dr. Carl Schmidt, Acta Pauli, Lpzg, 1904.]

Lic. Joh. Leipoldt, Geschichte des neutestamentlichen Kanons I, 5. 258-262; in Russian cp. about the “Acts of Paul and Thomas” from Prof. N. N. Glubokovsky in “Christian Reading” 1894, issue. I (No. 1-2 and in the “Church Bulletin” 1900; No. 22 and in I. A. Artobolsky. The third journey of St. Apostle Paul with the preaching of the Gospel, St. Sergius Lavra 1900. [See also Acts of Titus and Acts of Paul by M. R. James in The Journal of Theological Studies VI, 24 (Jule, 1903), pp. 549-556 D. De Bruyne, Nouveaux fragments des Actes de Pierre, de Paul, de Jean, de Andre et d'Apocalypse d'Elie in Revue Benédictne XXV, 8 (April 1903) and compare E. Schürer in "Theologische Literaturzeitung" 1908, 22, Sp, 614-615. G. F. M. Deeleman, Acta Pauli et Theclae in Theol. Studien" 1908, 61, 273-359. Prof. Theodor Zahn, Lie Widergefundenen Akten des Paulus in "Neue Kirhliche Zeitschrift" VIII, (1897). 12, S. 933-940, that these acts are not from 90-120. , as he pointed out in Gesch. des neut. Canons II, 802-910, and later, Bernard Pick, The Apocryphal Acts of Paul, Peter, John, Andrew, and Thomas, Chicago 1910.

About apocryphal correspondencee Apostle with CorinneFians see below. The late final part of the “Acts of Paul” - the Martyrdom of Paul - in its content represents a lot of fantastic and contradictory things. This stands, perhaps, in connection with the later - in comparison with other components of the “Acts of Paul” - time of its origin. At the very least, Harnack absolutely does not see the possibility of attributing this work to the 2nd century (Chronology I, p. 491).

2) Acts of Peter(Πράξεις Πέτρου). They are mentioned by Eusebius (III, 3), Ambrosiastes (Interpretation of the epistle to Rom. XVI. II) Pseudo-Igisippus (De bello judaico II, 2, p. 170 cf. edit. Weber et Caesar), Isidore Pelusiot ( letter 2), Photius (cod. 114) and others. K. Schmidt, the most authoritative researcher of this monument, believe that the “Acts of Peter” fell into two parts: the first depicted the activities of Peter in Jerusalem, and the second represented the activities the same Apostle in Rome. The second is known as Actus Vercellenses. A Coptic passage is known from the first part, the content of which is briefly as follows. Ap. One Sunday, while he was healing various sick people, Peter was asked why he could not restore health to his paralyzed daughter. According to Peter, his daughter was healed for a short time, but then returned to her previous paralyzed state. The apostle explained the cause of her illness. The rich man Ptolemy wanted to take her as his wife. So that her virginity would not be violated, she became paralyzed. This made a strong impression on Ptolemy, who became blind from tears, but was then healed by the Apostle. Peter sold the field bequeathed by Ptolemy at his death and distributed the resulting amount to the poor. The content of the second part falls into the following three sections: a) The Apostle’s stay in Rome and his removal from the Christian community there: b) the Apostle’s struggle with Simon the Magus; c) death of Peter. The monument is of no small importance for the history of the Asia Minor church at the end of the 2nd century. [Cm. also J. Flation, Les actes apocryphes de Pierre in Revue d’histoire ecclesiastique “1908, 1909 and 1910.” Theodor Nissen, Die Petrusakten und ein bardesamischer Dialog in der Aberkios vita in “Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft” IX (1908), 3. S. 190-203. B. Pick, The Apocryphal Acts of Paul, Peter, John, Andrew, and Thomas, Chicago 1909. The Oxyrynchus Fragments, part. IV ed. B. P. Grenfell and A. S. Hunt; there are fragments of the Petrovs’ actions].

3) The so-called “ Dthe acts of Peter and Paul“ (Πράξεις τών άγίων ʹΑποστόλων Πέτρου και Πάυλου ), known in various reviews, date back to a much later time; Even Lipsius’s attempt to find references to them among writers of the 4th century is doubtful.

4) „Dthe acts of John“ are mentioned starting from the 4th century - as a work that was used by heretics; according to the news of modern times, this book was one of the components of the collection of Leucius. In particular, this book is mentioned by Eusebius (Ts.I.Sh, 25), Epiphanius (haer. XLVII, 1), Augustine (Contra advers. Leg. et proph. I, 39; Thactat. CXXIV, 2; Contra Faust Manich. XXX. 4), etc. It is possible that the monument was already known to Clement Alex. The Council of Iconoclastic Bishops, citing the “Acts of John” in defense of their views; in contrast to this, the VIIth Ecumenical Council (the second Nicene - 787) Council in its fifth meeting recognized this monument as fraudulent and undoubtedly heretical (Docetism). Nicephorus determines the volume of his 2500 “verses” (approximately the same as our St. Matthew); and now science owns about ⅔ of the book. The best editions belong to Tischendorf, Zahn (Acta Joannis, 1880), James (Apocrypha anecd. 1897), Bonnet (Bonnet, 1898). The content of the open passages is generally as follows: the arrival and first stay of the Apostle at Ephesus; return to Ephesus and second stay; features from the life of Jesus and his supposed death; death of John. The modalistic-docetic element occupies a prominent and significant place in the book. The origin of the book dates back to the 2nd century and is usually determined between 130-200 years (Harnak). In addition, there was an Orthodox revision of the book in various reviews.

This book is the same in spirit and 5) „ DAndrey's wishes“, mentioned by Eusebius (III, 25), Epiphanius (haer. XLVII, 1. LXI, 1. XXIII, 2), Philostorgius (haer. 88), Augustine (Contra advers. leg. et proph. 1, 20), etc. .and enjoyed authority and veneration among the Origenians, Antitactians, Encratites, Manichaeans and Priscillians. Augustine and his contemporary Evodius (de fide p. Manich., 38) testify that Levi was considered the author of the book. However, Harnack disputes this position (vol. II, p. 175). The original Gnostic source is almost completely lost. Of the Gnostic “Acts,” only 2-3 passages are now reliably known to science; much more abundant and extensive are the excerpts from its various adaptations in the Orthodox spirit, preserved in different languages. In Gnostic passages the negative attitude towards marriage appears with particular sharpness.

[About the various “acts of John” - with a statement of their content - see also Hierom. (Bishop) Evdokim (Meshchersky), Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, his life and evangelistic works: the experience of biblical-historical research, Sergiev Posad 1898. Wed. and Rev. R. H. Connolly. The Original Language of the Syriac Acts of John in The Journal of Theological Studies VIII, 30 (January, 1907), p. 249-261 in favor of the Syriac authorship of the “Acts of John,” but with the caveat that they apparently have nothing in common with the work of Leucius Charinus, but rather may be somewhat related to the “Acts” assimilated by Prochorus. See also The Oxyrynchos Fragments, part. VI, where there are fragments of the Acts of John. W. Pick, The Apocryphal Acts of Paul, Peter. John, Andrew, and Thomes, Chicago 1909].

A reworking of the work of Leucius Charinus is apparently also represented by 6-7) „ Dthe deeds of Andrei and Matfairy" And " Dthe acts of Peter and Andrew“(Lipsius’s opinion). In terms of time of origin, as well as in spirit, the Acts of Andrew are very close to the Acts of John. [Wed. and W. Pick The Apocryphal Acts of Paul, Petery John, Andrew, and Thomas, Chicago 1909].

8) „DaspirationsThomas“ are known to Eusebius (III, 25), Epiphanius (haeres. XLII, 1. LI, 1. LIII, 1), etc. They are apparently also meant in three places in the works of the bl. Augustine (C. Faust. 22, 29; Adimant, 17; De Sermone Domini I, 20). According to Photius, the “Acts of Thomas” were part of the collection “Acts of the Apostles” and the authorship of which was attributed to Leucius Charinus. Nikephoros, in his list of apocryphal books of the New Testament, by the way, reports that the “Acts of Thomas” included 1600 “verses” and, therefore, was significantly smaller in volume than Ev. Mark (2000 verses). The book was in use in Gnostic circles - among the Encratites (Epiphanius XLVII, 1), the Apostolics (LXI, 1), the Manichaeans, and the Priscillians. The original text of the Acts of Thomas has been lost, and all the reviews now available bear traces of alterations in the church spirit. There are Syrian, Ethiopian, and Latin Arman reviews. Editions of the Greek version belong to Tischendorf and Bonet, who, by the way, used two manuscripts of the 9th century. “The Acts of Thomas” depicts the activities of Ap. Thomas in India, where he was sold as a slave by the messengers of the Indian king - Himself, who appeared through the prayer of the Apostle, Christ. Asceticism and celibacy are presented here as the highest ideal. Thomas persuades the newlywed daughter of the Indian king to abstain from the marital bed. It is believed (see, for example, Harnack, Chron. vol. II, p. 176) that the “Acts of Thomas” began in Edessa and belongs to the group of those apostolic histories that were compiled according to the testimony of Ephraim, by the Bardesanites and were launched by them into circulation The origin of the Acts of Thomas probably dates back to the beginning of the 3rd century [See. also G. Hoffmann, Zwei Hymnen der Thamasakten in “Zeitschrift für die nentestamentliche Theologie” IV (1903), S. 273-283.]

9) DPhilip's plans, which were apparently based on the ancient legend about the Apostle’s stay in Hierapolis (Eusebius, Ts. I. III, 31, V, 27). Quotations from this book are generally rarely given, and this circumstance allows us to conclude that the “Acts of Philip” was not widely circulated. The narrative of Nikephoros Callistus assumes his acquaintance with the real monument (Hist. eccl. II, 29). Gelasius directly and definitely mentions the “Acts of Philip” in his decree; we find an abbreviated summary of them in Anastasius Sinaita (De tribus quadragesimis). The lives of saints among the Greeks and Latins make extensive use of these Acts. The Syriac edition contains a story about the Apostle’s stay in Carthage. Bonnet opened the complete edition of the monument in the Vatican, and Lipsius analyzed its contents.

10) Ddeath and martyrdom Matfairy served as the source for most of the legends about Ap. Matthew (cf. Nikephoros Callista C. Histor. II, 41). It is believed that they were originally compiled in a Gnostic spirit, but were then reworked in an Orthodox spirit.

Notes:

Notes in the text of the article placed in square brackets belong to the Doctor of Theology and Ordinary Professor of St. Petersburg. Theological Academy to N.N. Glubokovsky, even if they were not marked with his name or initials, as is sometimes the case.

At the same time, when presenting information about the apocryphal gospels, we will adhere primarily to the order in which Prof. Hell. Harnack in his “Chronology of Ancient Christian Literature before Eusebius” I, pp. 590-591; II, pp. 177-178. About the Slavic New Testament apocrypha, see above - in the article by prof. M. N. Speransky “Books renounced”.

. [In the Imperial Archaeological Society, the Arabist I. Yu. Krachkovsky reported in 1907 the results of his study of an interesting ancient monument of Arabic writing of Christian origin, “a fragment of the New Testament apocrypha in an Arabic manuscript of 885 AD.” This is the third oldest Arabic manuscript known to science. Written in the monastery of St. Savva; the manuscript is incomplete, represents five last sheets some treatise related to the apocryphal gospel of Nicodemus. Arabic Christian manuscripts are of incomparably greater importance than Mohammedan ones. The latter were bound by the Koran and were written according to established forms. Christians were freer in this regard, and their works were closer to the popular dialect. The contents of this new curious monument should greatly interest theologians. The author, in very poetic images, conveys the struggle of the devil and death with Jesus Christ and their complete defeat. The verses dedicated to Christ’s dialogue with death, the recognition of death’s powerlessness and the greatness of Christ, who descended into hell and freed the languishing souls of the dead, are imbued with special power].

* Sergey Mikhailovich Zarin,
Master of Divinity, Extraordinary Professor
and inspector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy

Text source: Orthodox theological encyclopedia. Volume 11, column. 433. Petrograd edition. Supplement to the spiritual magazine "Wanderer" for 1910. Modern spelling.

The word apocrypha comes from the ancient Greek ἀπόκρῠφος, which means secret, hidden . The fact is that initially this was the name given exclusively to works of Gnosticism, which were kept secret. Today, texts that are not included in the Biblical Canon are called apocrypha. The Apocrypha, like the texts of the Holy Scriptures, tells about sacred persons and events. The apocryphal literature that has come down to us is wide and varied.

Go to the list of apocrypha.

Apocrypha of the New Testament.

Differences between apocryphal literature and canonical literature.

There are several principles that distinguish apocryphal literature from canonical literature.

Apocryphal literature arose long before the spread of Christianity. It is known that Ezra, after returning from Babylonian captivity, tried to collect and categorize all the sacred tests known at that time. Ezra, and not only he, was particularly selective about texts that were written under the obvious influence of occult practices or pagan myths. Such texts, which contradict traditional traditions, were often deliberately destroyed. However, it is worth emphasizing that most of the Old Testament apocrypha was included in the Talmud; Kabbalah also abounds in them.

By the way, Ezra considered 39 sacred texts traditional (canonical), which still form the basis of the Old Testament canon. Alexandrian theologians added 11 more books to these books, which today are considered in the Orthodox tradition. Unlike apocryphal texts, the texts of the deuterocanonical books are used in worship.

The issue of separating apocryphal literature from canonical literature was also very relevant for early Christianity. A new wave of apocryphal texts has appeared in which the authors of different origins and varying degrees of literacy, based on different goals, tried to supplement the Holy Scriptures. We should not forget that this was the time of the spread of various early Christian sects and speculation on religious themes. Many authors tried to add authority to their texts by signing the names of the apostles revered at that time. Many authors of early Christian apocrypha believed that the official Church was hiding the true teaching from Christians and tried to correct this “error.”

In response to the wave of appearance of a large number of new apocrypha, the official church began to defend the purity of the Holy Scriptures and made attempts to combat apocryphal literature by:

• compiling lists of prohibited heretical texts,
• destruction of apocryphal texts;
• refuting false teachings and criticizing the actions of false teachers.

The pinnacle of the fight against apocryphal literature was a statement of 27 books. The composition of the New Testament canon was fixed by the 85th Apostolic Canon.

For a long time, the status of one or another apocryphal book was decided at numerous councils.

Old Testament Apocrypha.

The Old Testament apocrypha includes:

• Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs,
• Apocalypses of Baruch;
• Slavic Book of Enoch;
• Martyrdom of Isaiah;
• Abrahamic Covenant
• Job's Testament

The first Old Testament apocrypha dates back to 190-170 BC. The texts of many Old Testament apocrypha have not reached us; many have reached us only partially. Most of the Old Testament apocrypha have reached our time only in later translations. The authorship of the Old Testament apocrypha is either not established or is highly controversial.

The creation of the Old Testament apocrypha dates back to the Hellenistic era. After the collapse of the empire of Alexander the Great, power was concentrated in the hands of Alexander's generals. During the struggle for power, the Hellenistic states of the Ptolemies and Seleucids arose, between which Palestine was located, which became the subject of special attention from its neighbors. The rulers of the Hellenistic states constantly made political, territorial and religious claims to Palestine. This was the time of the revolts led by the Maccabees and the time of the origin of most of the apocrypha of the Old Testament.

New Testament Apocrypha.

Most of the New Testament apocrypha were written from the 2nd to the 4th centuries - much later than the canonical ones. The New Testament apocrypha is divided into:

Apocryphal Gospels:

• The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew or, as it is also called, the Book of the origin of blessed Mary and the childhood of the Savior;
• Gospel of James
• Book of Joseph the Carpenter
• Tibetan Gospel
• Jesus in the temple
• Gospel of Apelles
• Gospel of the Essenes
• The Secret Gospel of Mark
• Gospel of Apelles
• Gospel of Andrew
• Gospel of Nicodemus
• Gospel of the 12 Apostles
• Gospel of the Jews
• Gospel of Judas
• Gospel of Philip
• Gospel of Thomas
• Gospel of Barnabas
• Gospel of the Egyptians

As you know, the biblical canon includes 4 gospels. There are many times more apocryphal gospels - more than 50 apocryphal gospels have reached us to one degree or another. The apocryphal gospels tend to develop themes that are lightly touched upon in the canonical gospels.

Naturally, such a genre as the gospel - the biography of Jesus - was very popular. There were a large number of oral traditions, which became the basis of more and more apocryphal gospels.

Today, many Bible students are increasingly interested in such gospels, trying to separate truth from fiction and speculation. Interest in the apocryphal gospels, and indeed in all apocryphal literature, began in the 19th century.

The Church to this day rejects the value of the apocryphal gospels for two reasons:

1. The authors of the apocryphal gospels were not of apostolic origin,
2. The stories of the gospels, according to the church, were deliberately distorted.

Nevertheless, reading the apocryphal gospels is interesting from the point of view of getting to know them as literary monuments of the era.

All apocryphal gospels can be divided into 2 groups:

• Folklore orientation(unthinkable folklore and fantasy descriptions of events from the life of Christ).
• Ideological orientation(as a way of presenting various religious and philosophical views).

Apocryphal gospels of folklore origin appeared due to the fact that it is inherent in human nature to imagine something that does not exist. So, for example, the absence in the canonical gospels of any information about the childhood of Christ led to the emergence of a large number of so-called childhood gospels - apocryphal gospels, describing the childhood and youth of Jesus.

Apocryphal gospels with an ideological orientation arose from the desire of many to reinterpret Christian ideas, to make them somehow convenient for achieving a certain goal. Many authors have reinterpreted the gospel in terms of fitting Christian ideas into a pagan worldview.

Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles

• Acts of Peter and Paul
• Acts of Paul
• Martyrdom of St. Paul the Apostle
• Acts of Paul and Thecla
• Acts of Philip in Hellas
• Martyrdom of the Holy and Glorious Chief Apostle Andrew
• Acts of Barnabas
• Acts of Philip
• Acts of John
• Acts of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
• Act of Thomas
• Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Acts and martyrdom of the Apostle Matthias
• Acts of the Holy Apostle Thaddeus, One of the Twelve
• Teachings of Addai the Apostle

The Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles describes the preaching activities of one or more apostles. These Acts are classified as apocrypha due to the fact that the texts are not inspired, and the events described are not considered reliable.

Most of the apocryphal Acts were written in Greek in large centers of early Christianity (Alexandria, Syria, Rome), but came to us in translations due to the negative attitude of the early Christian church towards such literature.

Compositionally, most apocryphal acts are built according to the following scheme:

Distribution of lots between the apostles in Jerusalem => departure to the place => apostolic journey => gospel => miracles => martyrdom.

Most of the apocryphal acts were undoubtedly written under the influence of the canonical ones. Most apocryphal Acts are characterized by a large number of edits and editions, which makes it almost impossible to judge the original texts of these acts. Only the Acts of Thomas remained virtually unchanged.

The Apocryphal Acts are usually divided into

• Large(5 oldest (2nd century) and largest texts: “Acts of Peter”, “Acts of Paul”, “Acts of John”, “Acts of Andrew” and “Acts of Thomas”.)
• Small(written after 300, smaller in volume, less significant.)

Some of the apocryphal acts enjoyed authority in the early Church (Martyrdom of Paul, Lives of the Apostles).

Apocryphal Apostolic Epistles:

• Abgar's Message to Christ
• Epistle of Christ to Abgar
• Correspondence of the Apostle Paul with Seneca
• Epistle to the Laodiceans
• Messages of Clement the Bishop
• Epistle of Dionysius the Areopagite
• Epistle of the Apostle Barnabas
• Epistle of the Apostle Peter to the Apostle James
• Message of the Twelve Apostles
• Word of St. John the Evangelist
• Third Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians

I would like to draw your attention to an interesting fact. In the New Testament, 21 books are epistle in nature - 7 conciliar epistles and 14 epistles of the Apostle Paul. If we remember that there are 27 books in the New Testament, we will understand that the genre of the message is represented very widely in the New Testament. However, if we are talking about apocryphal literature, we must admit that there are not so many apocryphal messages.

Apocalypses:

• Apocalypse of Paul
• Revelation of Bartholomew
• Apocalypse of John
• Another Apocalypse of John

The Revelation of John the Theologian, which concludes the Christian Bible, attracts special attention. Apocryphal apocalypses are also of no less interest. We are accustomed to identifying the word apocalypse with the end of the world, but this word is originally translated from Greek as “revelation,” and in particular the disclosure of a future hidden from people.

Speaking about apocryphal apocalypses, an interesting feature should be noted. The apocryphal gospels are mostly written as imitations of the canonical gospels, and the situation is similar with the apocryphal epistles, acts, etc. While most apocryphal apocalypses do not imitate the canonical Apocalypse of John. The reason lies in the fact that the genre of apocalypse, in contrast to the gospel, acts and messages, developed long before Christianity. The New Testament apocryphal apocalypses only continue the long tradition of the apocalyptic genre.

With some reservations (the absence of an eschatological element), the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel can easily be classified as apocalyptic texts. In its pure form, chapters 24-27 in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, as well as the Book of the Prophet Joel, can be called apocalyptic. It is these texts that are considered the beginning of the Jewish apocalypse. The Book of the Prophet Daniel also belongs to the apocalyptic. Thus, we can conclude that the apocalyptic genre is represented more widely in the Old Testament than in the New Testament.

However, the genre continued to develop and we know of several apocryphal New Testament apocalypses. Apocryphal apocalypses have come to us in translations, not in the original.

Other apocrypha:

• The Secret Book of John
• The Apostle Paul's journey through torment
• The Secret Book of Jacob
• Book of Thomas
• Dialogue of the Savior
• The Dream of the Mother of God and the legend of the veneration of 12 Fridays
• Conversation of the Three Saints
• The Legend of the Exploits of Fyodor Tirinin
• The Legend of Aphroditian
• The Legend of Macarius of Rome
• The Tale of Twelve Fridays

Today, some apocrypha are no less popular than canonical books. In any case, reading the Apocrypha means delving into near-biblical creativity.

The banned gospels, or apocrypha, are books written between 200 BC. e. and 100 AD e. The word “apocrypha” is translated from Greek as “hidden”, “secret”. Therefore, it is not surprising that for centuries apocryphal books were considered secret and mysterious, concealing the secret knowledge of the Bible, accessible only to a few. Apocryphal books are divided into Old Testament and New Testament. But what do these writings hide - do they reveal the secrets of church history or lead into the jungle of religious fantasies?

Apocryphal texts arose long before Christianity.

After the return of the Jews from Babylonian captivity, the priest Ezra decided to collect all the surviving holy books. Ezra and his assistants managed to find, correct, translate and systematize 39 books. Those apocryphal tales that contradicted the selected books and diverged from the Old Testament legends, carried the spirit of pagan superstitions of other peoples, and also had no religious value, were eliminated and destroyed. They were not included in the Old Testament, and later the Bible.

Later, some of these apocrypha were nevertheless included in the Talmud. The Church, both Roman Catholic and Orthodox, claims that the apocryphal books contain teachings that are not only not true, but often even run counter to real events. For a long time, apocryphal texts were considered heretical and were destroyed. But not all apocrypha suffered such a fate. Roman- Catholic Church officially recognized some of them because they supported certain aspects of the teaching that the priests wanted to focus the attention of believers on.

How did the New Testament apocrypha appear? Who decided that one gospel was true and another was false?

Already in the 1st century. n. e. There were about 50 gospels and other sacred texts. Naturally, a dispute arose among Christians about which books should be considered truly holy.

A wealthy shipowner from Sinop, Marcion, undertook to solve this problem. In 144, he published a list of New Testament writings required for Christianity to accept. This was the first “canon”. In it, Marcion recognized only the Gospel of Luke and the ten epistles of Paul as authentic, adding to it the apocryphal Epistle of the Laodiceans and ... his own composition, containing very dubious instructions.

After this, the Church Fathers undertook to compose the canonical New Testament themselves. At the end of the 2nd century. After much debate and discussion, agreement was reached. At church councils in Hippo (393) and Carthage (397 and 419), the sequence of the 27 writings of the New Testament recognized as canonical was finally approved, and a list of canonical books of the Old Testament was compiled.

Since then, for almost two millennia, the Old Testament has consistently contained 39, and the New Testament - 27 books. True, since 1546, the Catholic Bible necessarily includes seven apocrypha, including the Book of the Wars of the Lord, the Book of Gad the Seer, the Book of the Prophet Nathan, and the Book of Solomon.

The New Testament Apocrypha consists of books that are similar in content to the books of the New Testament, but are not part of it. Some of them complement those episodes that the canonical Gospels are silent about.

The New Testament apocrypha is divided into four groups. Let's look at them.

Apocrypha-additions.

These include texts that complement the existing New Testament narratives: details of the childhood of Jesus Christ (Gospel of James, Gospel of Thomas), descriptions of the resurrection of the Savior (Gospel of Peter).

Apocrypha-explanations.

They cover in more detail and detail the events described in the four Gospels. These are the Gospel of the Egyptians, the Gospel of the Twelve, the Gospel of Judas, the Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Nicodemus, etc. These are just a few of the 59 New Testament apocrypha known today.

The third group consists of apocrypha, which tell about the acts of the apostles and allegedly written by the apostles themselves in the second and third centuries AD: the Acts of John, the Acts of Peter, the Acts of Paul, the Acts of Andrew, etc.

The fourth group of New Testament apocrypha are books of apocalyptic content.

The Book of Revelations at one time captured the imagination of the first Christians and inspired them to create similar works. Some of the most popular apocrypha are the Apocalypse of Peter, the Apocalypse of Paul and the Apocalypse of Thomas, which tell about life after death and the fate that awaits the souls of the righteous and sinners after death.

Many of these writings are of interest only to specialists, and some, like the Gospel of Judas and the Gospel of Mary, have revolutionized modern science and the consciousness of hundreds of thousands of people. The Dead Sea Scrolls also told scientists many amazing things. Let us dwell on these remarkable documents in more detail.

Dead Sea Scrolls or Qumran Manuscripts, are the names of ancient records that have been found since 1947 in the caves of Qumran. Studies of the manuscripts have confirmed that they were written precisely in Qumran and date back to the 1st century. BC e.

Like many other discoveries, this was made by accident. In 1947, a Bedouin boy was looking for a missing goat. While throwing stones into one of the caves to scare away the stubborn animal, he heard a strange crackling sound. Curious, like all boys, the shepherd boy made his way inside the cave and discovered ancient clay vessels, in which, wrapped in linen cloth yellowed by time, lay scrolls of leather and papyrus, on which strange icons were applied. After a long journey from one curiosities dealer to another, the scrolls fell into the hands of specialists. This discovery shook the scientific world.

At the beginning of 1949 amazing cave was finally examined by Jordanian archaeologists. Lancaster Harding, director of the Department of Antiquities, also involved the Dominican priest Pierre Roland de Vaux in the research. Unfortunately, the first cave was plundered by the Bedouins, who quickly realized that ancient scrolls could be a good source of income. This resulted in the loss of a lot of valuable information. But in a cave located a kilometer to the north, about seventy fragments were found, including parts of seven original scrolls, as well as archaeological finds, which made it possible to confirm the dating of the manuscripts. In 1951–1956 the search continued, an eight-kilometer ridge of rocks was carefully examined. Of the eleven caves where the scrolls were found, five were discovered by Bedouins and six by archaeologists. In one of the caves, two rolls of forged copper were found (the so-called Copper Scroll, which hides a mystery that haunts the minds of scientists and treasure hunters to this day). Subsequently, about 200 caves in this area were explored, but only 11 of them contained similar ancient manuscripts.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, as scientists have discovered, contain a lot of varied and interesting information. Where did this amazing and unusually rich library for its era come from in the Qumran caves?

Scientists tried to find the answer to this question in the ruins located between the rocks and the coastal strip. It was a large building with many rooms, both residential and commercial. A cemetery was discovered nearby. Researchers have put forward a version that this place was a haven-monastery of the Essenes sect (Essenes), mentioned in ancient chronicles. They fled persecution in the desert and lived there separately for more than two centuries. The documents found told historians a lot about the customs, faith and rules of the sect. Particularly interesting were the texts of the Holy Scriptures, which differed from the biblical ones.

The Dead Sea Scrolls helped clarify a number of unclear passages in the New Testament and proved that the Hebrew language was not dead during Jesus' earthly life. Scientists have noticed that the manuscripts make no mention of the events that followed the capture of Jerusalem. There can be only one explanation - the manuscripts are the remains of the library of the Jerusalem Temple, saved from the Romans by some priest. Apparently, the inhabitants of Qumran received warning of a possible attack and managed to hide the documents in the caves. Judging by the fact that the scrolls were preserved intact until the 20th century, there was no one to take them...

The hypothesis linking the appearance of the manuscripts with the destruction of Jerusalem is confirmed by the contents of the Copper Scroll. This document consists of three copper plates connected with rivets. The text is written in Hebrew and contains more than 3000 characters. But to make one such sign, it would take 10,000 strikes with the coin! Apparently, the content of this document was so important that such an expenditure of effort was considered appropriate. Scientists were not slow to verify this - the text of the scroll speaks of treasures and claims that the amount of gold and silver buried in Israel, Jordan and Syria ranges from 140 to 200 tons! Perhaps they were referring to the treasures of the Jerusalem Temple, hidden before the invaders broke into the city. Many experts are confident that there was not such a quantity of precious metals in those days not only in Judea, but throughout Europe. It should be noted that none of the treasures were found. Although there may be another explanation for this: there could be copies of the document, and there were plenty of treasure hunters throughout human history.

But this is not all the surprises that the Qumran scrolls presented to scientists.

Among the community's documents, researchers found horoscopes of John the Baptist and Jesus. If you study what is known about these historical figures, a rather interesting picture emerges. The Bible states that John the Baptist withdrew into the Judean desert near the mouth of the Jordan River, which is located just over 15 kilometers from Qumran. It is possible that John was associated with the Essenes or even was one of them. It is known that the Essenes often took in children to raise, but nothing is known about the youth of the Forerunner, except that he was “in the deserts.” From the documents we learn that this is what the Qumranites called their settlements!

It is known that after John’s sermon, Jesus came to ask for baptism, and the Baptist recognized Him! But the Essenes distinguished each other by their white linen clothes. The canonical Gospels are silent about the childhood and adolescence of Christ. He is described as a mature man with deep knowledge and quoting sacred texts. But somewhere he had to learn this?

From documents found at Qumran, scientists learned that the family Essenes formed the lower classes of the community. They were usually engaged in carpentry or weaving. It is believed that Christ's father Joseph (a carpenter) could well have been a lower-level Essene. In this regard, it is logical to assume that after the death of his father, Jesus went to teach among the Initiates and spent there exactly those almost 20 years that “fell out” of the Holy Scriptures.

An equally interesting document is the Gospel of Mary.

Mary Magdalene is considered one of the most mysterious heroes of the New Testament. Her image, influenced by the inspired speech of Pope Gregory the Great (540–604), depicts a very attractive woman and gives believers a hint of a certain intimacy between Christ and Mary.

In his homily, the Pope said something like this: “.. the one whom Luke calls a sinner and whom John calls Mary is that Mary from whom seven demons were cast out. What do these seven demons mean if not vices? Previously, this woman used incense oil as perfume on her body for sinful activities. Now she offered it to God. She was enjoying herself, but now she was sacrificing herself. She directed what served sinful motives to serve God...” However, oddly enough, the high priest himself mixed several biblical images in the image of Mary Magdalene.

So, in order. The story of the anointing of Jesus' head and feet is told in all four Gospels, but only John mentions the woman's name. Yes, her name is Mary, but not Magdalene, but Mary of Bethany, sister of Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. And the apostle clearly distinguishes her from Mary Magdalene, whom he mentions only at the end of his story. Mark and Matthew do not name the woman who anointed Jesus. But since we're talking about also about Bethany, it is quite possible to assume that they are also talking about Lazarus’ sister.

The events in the Gospel of Luke are described very differently. Luke calls the nameless woman who came to Christ in Nain a sinner, which was automatically transferred by medieval consciousness to the image of Mary from Bethany. She is mentioned at the end of the seventh chapter, and at the beginning of the eighth Luke reports on the women who accompanied Christ with the apostles, and mentions in the same passage Mary Magdalene and the casting out of seven demons. Obviously, Gregory the Great did not understand that we were talking about different women, and built a single plot chain.

Another oddity of the Gospels is that Mary Magdalene is considered a walking woman, although this is not even hinted at anywhere. In the Middle Ages, the most terrible sin for a woman was adultery, and this sin was automatically attributed to Magdalene, representing her as a lady of easy virtue. It was not until 1969 that the Vatican officially abandoned the identification of Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany.

But what do we know about the woman named Mary Magdalene in the New Testament?

Very little. Her name is mentioned in the Gospel 13 times. We know that Jesus healed her by casting out demons, that she followed him everywhere and was a wealthy woman, since there are descriptions of how she financially helped Christ’s disciples. She was present at the execution, when all the apostles fled in fear, prepared the Savior’s body for burial and witnessed his resurrection. But there is not a single mention of the physical intimacy of Christ and Magdalene, which is now so fashionable to talk about. Many argue that according to ancient Jewish tradition, a man at the age of 30 certainly had to be married, and Mary Magdalene is naturally called the wife. But in fact, Jesus was perceived as a prophet, and all the Jewish prophets did not have a family, so there was nothing strange in his behavior for those around him. However, the canonical Gospels report that there was some kind of spiritual intimacy between the Savior and Mary.

Its essence is revealed to us by the Gospel of Mary, dated to the first half of the 11th century. Its text consists of three parts. The first is Christ's conversation with the apostles, after which he leaves them. The disciples are plunged into sadness, and then Mary Magdalene decides to console them. “Do not cry,” she says, “do not be sad and do not doubt, for His grace will be with you all and will protect you.” But the answer of the Apostle Peter is simply amazing. He says: “Sister, you know that the Savior loved you more than other women. Tell us the words of the Savior that you remember, which you know, not we, and which we have never heard.”

And Mary tells Christ’s disciples about the vision in which she spoke with the Savior. It seems that she was the only student who fully understood her mentor. But the reaction of the apostles to her story is surprising - they do not believe her. Peter, who asked her to tell about everything, declares that this is the fruit of a woman’s imagination. Only the Apostle Matthew stands up for Mary: “Peter,” he says, “you are always angry. Now I see you competing with a woman as an opponent. But if the Savior found her worthy, who are you to reject her? Of course, the Savior knew her very well. That's why he loved her more than us." After these words, the apostles set off to preach, and the Gospel of Mary ends here. However, there is another, albeit highly controversial, version that claims that the Gospel of John, which some researchers call unnamed or written by Christ’s beloved disciple, actually belongs not to John or an unknown apostle, but to Mary Magdalene. The version is undoubtedly interesting, but there is not enough evidence yet to confirm its truth.

The most striking discovery was the Gospel of Judas, which shocked scientists and caused a storm of controversy and debate.

The Gospel of Judah in Coptic was found in 1978 in Egypt and was part of the Chakos Codex. The Chacos Papyrus Codex was created, as radiocarbon dating data indicate, in 220–340 BC. Some researchers believe that this text was translated into Coptic from Greek dating back to the second half of the 11th century.

The main difference between this apocryphal Gospel and all others is that in it Judas Iscariot is shown as the most successful disciple and the only one who fully and completely understood the plan of Christ. That is why, and not for the sake of the notorious thirty pieces of silver, he agreed to play the role of a traitor, sacrificing everything for the sake of fulfilling his duty - glory throughout the ages, recognition of his Gospel and even life itself.

As sources indicate, Judas was Jesus’ paternal half-brother, the custodian of the savings of Christ and his disciples, that is, he was in charge of a very significant amount that allowed him to live without denying himself anything. Judas used his money at his own discretion, so thirty pieces of silver was an insignificant amount for him. Jesus always trusted only him and could entrust the most important mission only to a relative who was devoted to the end. After all, the people demanded from Christ proof of his divinity, and this could be done only in one way... Judas’ faith remained unshakable. Having fulfilled his mission, he left, organized his own school, and after the death of his teacher, one of the students wrote the Gospel in the name of Judas.

From the Gospel it also became clear that Judas kissed Christ at the moment when he brought the soldiers to him, in order to still show his descendants the purity of his intentions and love for Jesus. But we know that this kiss was interpreted by the Church completely differently. Church traditions about the Gospel of Judas have been known for a long time, but until our time it was considered irretrievably lost. The authenticity of the manuscript is beyond doubt - scientists used the most reliable methods and got the same result. This time the medieval legend turned out to be true.

Apocrypha
[Apocrypha= intimate, secret; in this case: excluded from liturgical use]

The Apocrypha are works of late Judaism of the pre-Christian period, which arose between the OT and NT, existing only in Greek (parts of the Book of Jesus son of Sirach have also been discovered in Hebrew, see I, B, 3). They are included in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the OT. When the Septuagint became the Bible of Christians, it was distrusted by the Jewish rabbis (after 70). Around 400 A.D. The 12 or 14 works contained in the Greek and Latin OT, but not included in the Jewish canon, came to be called the Apocrypha. In Christian communities, attitudes towards the apocrypha were ambiguous until the era of the Reformation, when Martin Luther, in his translation, placed the apocrypha between the OT and NT and excluded them from the canon. In response to this Rom. The Catholic Church at the Council of Trent declared them an integral part of Scripture. The Apocrypha is widespread and highly valued by Catholics and Orthodox Christians.

The designation “apocrypha” for the above-mentioned books is used only by Protestants, Catholics call them deuterocanonical, and Orthodox call them non-canonical writings; in publications that arise as a result of interfaith cooperation, it was decided to designate them as “late works of the OT.” Catholics apply the term apocrypha to other works, which the evangelists call pseudepigrapha (that is, works published under other people's names). They were published under pseudonyms, and the authorship was always attributed to one of the great men of the Old Testament. The Apocrypha are later works than the "late writings of the OT" and are always in the nature of legends with a predominantly apocalyptic content (for example, the Dormition of Moses; the Martyrdom of Isaiah; the Book of Enoch, specifically quoted in Jude 1:14; the Psalms of Solomon, the Apocalypse of Baruch; the Testament of the Twelve patriarchs and others).

Some editions of the Bible offer a certain set of apocrypha borrowed from the Septuagint. Luther wrote: “These are those books which do not belong to the Holy Scriptures, but are still useful and good to read.” Some of these books are still used in worship today. This applies even to pseudepigrapha (for example, Jude 1:4, compare Enoch 10:4 and following; Jude 1:9, compare with the Dormition of Moses). To the reader of the Bible, much in the apocrypha will seem strange; on the other hand, he will be struck by the similarity of many sayings with the Old Testament. Historians can glean from some apocryphal books valuable information about the life of the Jews, their way of thinking, and the forms of their religiosity in the period between the OT and NT. Some of these books may not be of true interest, since the events described in them are taken out of historical context, but they can say a lot about the religious and philosophical thought of the historical period that precedes the NT.
1) Less significant (with the exception of the Book of Tobit) are works whose feature is the embellishment of known events biblical history or dressing certain biblical characters in the veil of legend: Book Judith, a song of praise to a God-fearing Jewish widow, ready to sacrifice her feminine honor for the sake of the temple and her people; Book Tobit, a wonderful, naive story about two young people who, despite the hardest blows of fate, do not deviate from their faith, and the reward for piety is not long in coming. The book gives a clear picture of the life of the Jewish diaspora in the East around 200 BC. She apparently appeared at this time; the original language was probably Aramaic. Susanna and Daniel, About Vila of Babylon, About the Dragon of Babylon- three stories about Daniel. Two of them are simultaneously pamphlets ridiculing idolatry.
2) The above-mentioned stories about Daniel constitute in the Septuagint additions to the canonical Book of the Prophet Daniel, preceding it or immediately following it; further in the Book of the Prophet Daniel are found Azariah's Prayer And Song of the Three Youths in a fiery furnace. The Septuagint also contains a number of additions and insertions into the text of the OT, which are unreliable, but have great value due to their internal connection with the Bible. Book Esther contains six inserts of different content (following the verse Esther 1:1 and after the verse Esther 3:13; Esther 4:17; Esther 5:1,2; Esther 8:12; Esther 10:3). Prayer of Manasseh is an appendix to 2 Chronicles 33:11 et seq.
3) Three works related or approaching the books of wisdom probably deserve special attention: Book Varucha, with the exception of its introduction, which is questionable from a historical point of view, is a collection of repentant prayers, mournful and consoling songs, as well as edifying verses, similar in style to those of the Old Testament. The same applies to the form and content of the so-called Epistles of Jeremiah, which appears in the Vulgate and in Luther as the 6th chapter of the Book of Baruch. Written at a high level Book Jesus son of Sirach. It is distinguished by a wealth of literary forms, contains numerous instructions for practical and spiritual life, and concludes with heartfelt praise of the forefathers of Israel from Enoch to Nehemiah. At the same time, this is the only book of this kind whose author is known to us. This is Jesus, son of Sirach, who wrote it around 190 BC. in Hebrew (more than two-thirds of the text of this book has been found among Hebrew manuscripts since 1896). His grandson about 132 BC. translated the book into Greek (Sir, preface; Sir 50:27 et seq.). In addition, the preface to this work indicates the time before which the Old Testament canon existed in three parts. Book Wisdom of Solomon(it could not have been written by Solomon!) is an attempt, on the one hand, to reconcile Greek-Hellenistic thinking with Jewish thinking, and on the other, to dissociate itself from it. It was written to strengthen the faith of the Jewish community in view of the danger of paganism. Wisdom, as the educated Greeks understood it, and justice, as the pious Jews thought of it, under the sign of Judaism enter into an alliance with each other to resist godlessness and idolatry; In this somewhat artificial way, Judaism and Hellenism are transformed into allies in the fight against a common enemy. The rulers of the earth are called to realize the wisdom thus understood. Then follows a broad survey of the activities of wisdom in Sacred history, beginning with Adam and down to the time of the possession of the Promised Land.
4) Two prose works: books of Maccabees. 1 Mac may be of value to those interested in history because it introduces the historical setting of Palestine during the struggle of the Maccabees against the Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-163 BC, Dan 11; → , II,1). This period is important for understanding the political, ethnic and religious balance of power in Palestine at the time of Jesus and the NT. The first part of 2 Mac, which probably belongs to another author, reflects the same situation. But historical accents noticeably give way to theological ones. It covers a shorter period than the first, and unlike it has pronounced features of legend-making. The book contains rich material for familiarization with the way of life and thinking of Pharisaism, which has already taken stable forms. Thus, the connection with the NT lies on the surface here. (Compare → ). All the apocrypha discussed here arose in the period from about 200 BC. to 100 A.D. Most of them were originally written in Greek, while the rest were translated into Greek from Hebrew or Aramaic. [The above apocrypha is contained in the Septuagint, Vulgate and Slavic Bible. In addition to them, such books as the Second Book of Ezra, the Third Book of Maccabees (included in the Septuagint and Slavic Bible) are also known; Third Book of Ezra (in the Slavonic Bible and Vulgate); The fourth book of Maccabees (in the appendix to the Septuagint). – Editor's note]

1) It is difficult to make a clear distinction between apocryphal materials. Let us agree to designate as New Testament apocrypha those books that, in their claims and characteristics, are close to the books included in the NT. They were mostly published under the names of the apostles (pseudepigrapha), but were not included in the canon (the writings of the so-called “apostolic men” should be distinguished from them, see below). The time of appearance of pseudepigrapha falls on the 2nd-4th centuries AD.
2) The following categories of New Testament apocrypha are distinguished: apocryphal gospels, which in their content are more or less related to the personalities of Jesus or His parents and quote those sayings of Jesus that are not attested to by the canonical gospels. A number of these kinds of gospels are known to us by their titles (for example, Gospel of the Jews, Gospel of Peter, Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of truth). Some of them are practically lost (with the exception of quotations found in the works of the Church Fathers); however in modern period a number of apocrypha were rediscovered (for example, in Nag Hammadi). There were a large number of apocryphal Acts of the Apostles. They depict in relative detail the life and ministry of the apostles and their disciples (for example, Peter, Paul, Thomas, Andrew and others). In most cases they are of later origin than the apocryphal gospels and have also survived only in fragments. Only a few of the apocryphal messages have survived to this day. One such letter is even attributed to Christ, three to Paul, one to Barnabas (in the form of letters there are also writings of “men of the apostles”, see below). Apocryphal apocalypses (revelations) were attributed to Peter, Paul, Thomas, Stephen, John, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, among others. The NT apocrypha contains practically no reliable historical material; with the apocrypha of the Old Testament the situation is different. In any case, they allow you to get acquainted with the religious culture of Judeo-Christianity in the period of the 2nd-4th centuries AD. The writings of the “apostolic men” should be distinguished from the New Testament apocrypha, i.e. works of the disciples of the apostles, dating from the end of the 1st century and the 2nd century AD. (appearing partly in parallel with the last books of the New Testament), which are mentioned here only because they are sometimes classified as apocrypha. We are talking primarily about epistles and apologetic treatises, from which one can learn about the relations between the churches in the 2nd century and which are quite reliable in their information. →

What are apocrypha? How, when and why did they appear?
How different is the Jesus of the apocrypha from the Savior, faith in whom has been preserved by the Church for centuries? And most importantly, is there something in these monuments of Christian literature that would be fundamentally important for a believer, but at the same time is carefully hidden from “ordinary people” and is accessible only to “initiates”?

From time to time, the media explodes with another sensation on the topic of biblical texts. Despite all the diversity, such news boils down to one scheme: finally, researchers managed to discover ancient written sources that allow us to take a different look at the history of Christianity and even show that the Church supposedly teaches something completely different from what Christ and His first followers said.
After some time, when the excitement subsides, as a rule, it turns out that the found written monument is nothing more than a copy or version of an ancient and long-known apocrypha, with which historians had dealt before, and that there is nothing fundamentally new in the new find. .
However, despite the obvious desire to create a sensation from scratch, the authors of both the apocrypha themselves and high-profile reports about them are doing very serious work. Its goal is to offer the inexperienced reader and viewer a different image of Christ, often strikingly different from the one evidenced by church tradition.

What is apocrypha?

Those who are now over forty years old remember children's books of the Soviet era very well. Beautiful, kind, interesting works, where heroes defeated evil, showing examples of courage, mutual assistance, loyalty and love. But there were also publications in which the child was biasedly told about the Bolshevik Party, revolutionaries, “Grandfather Lenin” and other similar concepts and personalities. The authors of these publications deliberately kept silent about the negative traits of those they wrote about, offering the young reader a popular and largely fictitious portrait of this or that figure, clearly dividing the world into “good” insiders and “bad” outsiders.
In the language of the Church, such creativity is called apocrypha - this is how texts are designated that in some way relate to Christianity, but have a very dubious origin. But before acquiring exactly this meaning, this term underwent many modifications.
The word “apocrypha” is translated from ancient Greek as “secret”, “hidden”. Initially, it was almost a curse and was used to refer to heretical books that were used in their close circle by sectarians who posed as Christians and believed that they possessed saving knowledge inaccessible to “ordinary mortals.” The unusual nature of the professed teachings, as well as the isolation of these sects themselves, forced their adherents to hide their true postulates and open secret records only to the most dedicated and “worthy”, in their opinion, people.
Over time, when Gnosticism (the name given to a number of different occult-mystical beliefs that were widespread in the Roman Empire and Western Asia in the 2nd and 3rd centuries) began to actively polemicize with the Church, the apocryphal writings became the property of the general public and ceased to be secret. But the very concept of apocrypha remains. Now the heretics put a sacred meaning into it and insisted that it was their writings that contained the truth, and that the Gospel and other Scriptures were allegedly a distortion and reworking of the original words of Christ. From now on, for heretics, the apocrypha was “secret” not so much because of its “underground origin”, but because it contained some very important information, understandable only to the most “enlightened” and “advanced”. Of course, these texts could also be read by an ordinary person. But he, according to the sectarians, could not see in them the hidden mysterious meaning that the Gnostic saw.
However, this concept also has a positive meaning, because the apocrypha was created not only in a heretical environment. Members of the Church also quite often took up the pen and recorded what modern researchers would classify as folk art. These written monuments contained biographies of saints, apostles and the Savior, told about various miracles, or systematized the moral teaching of the Church. Thus, by the beginning of the 4th century, a very powerful layer of Christian literature had formed, which, among other things, claimed to take a place on a par with the Holy Scriptures.
Ultimately, by the end of the era of persecution, the holy fathers managed to develop the so-called Canon of Holy Books - a list of apostolic works, the origin of which is beyond any doubt. Regarding the remaining scriptures that claimed to take their place in the Bible, but never took it, the Church has developed a very flexible position, which continues to this day. Based on it, the entire block of apocrypha can be divided into three groups of literary monuments.

Three types of apocrypha

If you ask a person who is a believer, but does not know church tradition very well, why the Church remembers events that are not written about in the Gospel - for example, the Savior’s descent into hell or the Dormition of the Virgin Mary - then the question will put our interlocutor in an awkward position. People who are more knowledgeable will answer that the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, and Her childhood, and the youth of Christ, and some events after Christ’s Passion - all this is known to us thanks to the Holy Tradition, which has many forms. And that the New Testament books are just one of them. Everything that the canonical Gospels are silent about, we know from the apocrypha of the first - “positive” - type, which is a written recording of precisely that Tradition that has been preserved by the Church since the day of its founding.
There are quite a lot of such “positive”, i.e., recognized by the Church, apocrypha: about a dozen books are known that serve as a supplement to the main New Testament writings. These include, for example:
– “Proto-Gospel of Jacob” (c. mid-2nd century);
– “The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, or Didache” (beginning of the 2nd century);
– “The Gospel of Nicodemus”
(c. early 4th century);
– “The Shepherd” (c. 2nd century);
– “The Tale of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary”
(c. 5th century).

However, despite the fact that they are quite respectable in age, the Church has never equated them with the authentic Gospels, the Book of Acts and the Apostolic Epistles. And there were a number of very good reasons for this.
First, most of the apocrypha are at least a quarter of a century younger than the latest New Testament texts that have come down to us - the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation. That is, these writings could not have been written by the apostles personally, although, undoubtedly, in general they reflect the tradition that developed back in apostolic times.
Secondly, almost all church apocrypha were created by anonymous people who deliberately signed the names of famous early Christian writers. In fact, there was nothing wrong with this - in the times of Antiquity and the Middle Ages this was done quite often, and not at all out of a desire to become famous or get rich (although this also happened), but simply because the works of famous authors had a better chance of finding their readers. However, an anonymous person is an anonymous person, and the holy fathers, who approved the biblical canon, saw perfectly well where the next Pauline epistle was, and where it was a later forgery, although similar in style to the original, but still having some differences. As a result, books whose origins were in doubt were never included in the Bible.
And the third reason logically follows from the second: anonymous writings, not included by the Church in the canonical books of Scripture, do not contain anything that is not contained in the canonical texts. As a rule, apocryphal collections are either retellings of pious stories, or repetitions of already known phrases and thoughts expressed by the Savior and His disciples. Simply put, the Church did not see anything fundamentally new in these books and, in order to avoid tautology, did not sanctify controversial creations with its authority. In addition, there was another reason for such a seemingly biased attitude towards these texts, but more about it below. For now, let's turn to two other types of apocrypha.
These are undoubtedly “false scriptures” that are of sectarian origin and refer to books that can bring confusion into the hearts of believers. Among them, the following stand out:
– “The Gospel of Childhood”;
– “The Gospel of Thomas”;
– “The Gospel of Judas”;
- “The Apostle Paul’s journey through torment.”
The exact date of their creation is often difficult to establish, but most often it is the turn of Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The first such fakes began to be created already in the 3rd century, and this process lasted until the 9th century, or even longer. The appearance of the main body of such writings is associated with the growth in the number of Christians during the era of persecution. This was a time when, on the one hand, the Church was forced to secrecy and limit preaching. On the other hand, the very martyrdom of hundreds of thousands of Christians was already a powerful sermon to which hearts seeking God responded. However, having gone through the stage of primary preparation and having accepted Baptism, many new Christians were not able to completely break with their pagan past and leave their previous errors. As a result, a situation arose when these people imposed some of their own personal worldviews on the evangelical value system. Instead of looking at the world through the eyes of the Gospel, they continued to look at the Gospel itself through the eyes of the pagans.
As a result of this rethinking, a whole layer of apocrypha of the second type appeared, in which one can find both Christ and church vocabulary, which, however, is filled with completely different, non-evangelical content. In the books created by yesterday's pagans there was still a place for authentic Christian motives, but they were already greatly “diluted” with purely philosophical and even occult elements.
And yet the main danger was not the first two types, but the third. This group of apocrypha is already 100% sectarian in origin. They were created at different times, by different people, but with the same purpose - to confuse believers. A striking example is the “Tibetan Gospel”. The principle, as always, was very simple: any heretical concept was deliberately clothed in Christian forms, and the resulting works of “creativity” were distributed under the names of famous apostles and saints. Of course, most often the forgery was detected in time and prevented from spreading among Christians. But there were many cases when heretics got their way, and they managed to lure some believers into their sects. At times, such apocrypha were created not by “inventing” something new, but as a result of “deep editing” of already known canonical texts. In any case, this created a serious problem, since the forgeries were often so skillful that only spiritually mature and theologically “savvy” people could identify them.
In principle, the same situation is observed now, when the authors of “sensations” offer the reader a “product” on the pages of which Christ looks a little different than in the Gospel. And here the question arises: is it really that important? After all, it would seem that these are just details. However, in fact, there is a fundamental difference between the Jesus of the apocrypha and the Savior as the Church sees Him.

Christ through the eyes of the Gospel

The Gospel - the real canonical Gospel - shows us one very important truth, which today quite often does not pay due attention. Each of us knows this truth from childhood. Its essence is that a Christian is called to believe in Christ. This faith, or rather, this calling is the main feature of Christianity, which distinguishes it from a number of other religious systems in the world.
If we try to answer the question of what is the essence of religion, we will not be mistaken if we say that the main task facing all religious systems of the world is to give man salvation. But the whole problem is that different religions understand salvation differently and, accordingly, offer different ways to achieve it.
The first and most numerous group of religions believes that the essence of salvation is that after death a person receives a comfortable and joyful eternal life. In order to achieve it, it is necessary here on earth to fulfill a certain number of norms and regulations. These standards in different religions may not match. However, the principle is the same: if a person correctly fulfills these instructions, then eternal life after death is guaranteed to him. If a person violated these norms or did not comply at all, then he faces eternal punishment. But, no matter what fate befalls a person, in any case, after death he cannot participate in the life of the Divine. He can enjoy the beauties of the Gardens of Eden, a variety of pleasures can await him, but the path to God is closed to him. According to this group of religions, there is a huge gap between the Divine and man. And a person cannot cross this abyss either in earthly or in the afterlife.

There is another group of religions. They believe that only God exists, and everything else is just “shards” of the Divine that have become separated from their Source and “forgot” about their origin. Man in these religions is also considered a god, who is called to emerge from this material world and unite with the Divine, from which he once fell. Therefore, eternal bliss is understood as the union of the soul with the Supreme Divine Absolute, while the soul itself completely dissolves in God and the human personality completely disappears.
But there is also Christianity. And the understanding of salvation that it offers to man is radically different from all possible schemes that form the basis of other religions of the world.
On the one hand, Christianity in no way denies that God and man are on opposite sides of existence, that God is the Creator, and man is just a creature limited by the boundaries of space and time. But, on the other hand, Christianity insists that the gap that really exists between the Creator and the creature is surmountable and that a person can really participate in the divine existence of the Holy Trinity, while remaining a person and not completely dissolving in the all-consuming abyss of the Divine. In other words, in Christianity a person is called, while remaining himself and without losing his personal uniqueness, to unite with his Creator and become God by grace.
It was to achieve this goal that Christ came to our world two thousand years ago. The four Gospels, which were compiled by His disciples, tell about His earthly life, teaching, miracles. At first glance, the sermon of their Teacher is similar to the sermon of other philosophers and prophets. But this is only at first glance.
The fact is that in any other religion in the world, the personality of the teacher occupies a secondary place in relation to the teaching that he preaches. Even if the person who carries this teaching to other people is its direct author, the teaching still comes first, and its author comes second. Of course, this does not mean that the teacher himself cannot be revered. On the contrary, the vast majority of religions have great respect for their founders, giving them high honors and even worshiping them. But if we imagine that for some reason the name of the founder of this or that religious tradition was forgotten or completely unknown, then this fact would in no way affect the very essence of this tradition. The most important thing is what exactly this or that religion preaches. And who preaches is a question of second importance.
In Christianity, everything is just the opposite. The main place in the life of a believer is occupied by Christ himself, and His teachings and commandments are a kind of guidebooks, pointing out the right road and helping to pave the right route, at the end of which stands the personality of our Divine Teacher.
I am the light of the world (); I am the way and the truth and the life (); whoever does not take up his cross and follows Me is not worthy of Me () - these and similar words are found in the New Testament very often, and they come not only from the lips of the Savior himself, but also from His apostles, who always saw in his Teacher is more than just a prophet or the founder of a new religion. They saw in Him the Son of God and God, who came to this world to save his lost creation - man. And for two thousand years now, the Church, following the Apostle Peter at every Liturgy, repeats the words that have become the main words of every Christian: “I believe, Lord, and confess that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
So, a Christian is one who believes in Christ. Or rather, one for whom Christ is the core of his entire life. Without this most important condition, our faith turns into an empty formality, our worship into beautiful performances, and our morality into a simple glass game. This is a very harsh and harsh statement, but it is true: without Christ, Christianity becomes a simple philosophy that can give a person a lot. Philosophy does not give only Christ himself. And without Christ it is impossible to be saved.

The distorting mirror of the apocrypha

But it is precisely this most essential thought (that without Christ there is no salvation) that is not found in any of the apocrypha of the second and third types. The main feature any false work, one way or another related to Christianity, is the fact that in it Christ appears as a kind of technical figure and does not play, by and large, leading role. In the apocrypha, he can be anyone - a teacher, mentor, preacher, higher intelligence, miracle worker or someone else. There is only one thing He fundamentally cannot be - a Loving God, Crucified for the sake of saving the world.
This happens because pagan consciousness (by the way, and materialistic consciousness too) puts an insurmountable wall between the Creator and creation. The fallen human mind is unable to perceive the idea of ​​God, who cares how His creation lives. In general, this approach is understandable. After all, the apocrypha of the second and third circles were born in a heretical environment, and any heresy is, first of all, the isolation of one detail from the general context and its elevation to the forefront. In other words, heresy is a shift in priorities, when the secondary becomes the main, and the main becomes secondary.
And any “seductive” teaching is born where God comes from main goal human existence turns into only a means of achieving some good. For different groups of pagans this benefit was presented in different ways. For example, Gnostic pantheists, who considered the world a continuation of the divine absolute, strived for complete dissolution in the “abyss of the deity”, for the complete destruction of their own personal beginning and union with the Primary Source. For these heretics, Christ was God's messenger, who, in their opinion, came only to impart to people some knowledge that could be guaranteed to lead the chosen ones to their intended goal. Other authors of the apocrypha (for example, numerous so-called “Childhood Gospels”) emphasized the miracles performed by the young Jesus. This “mania for miracles” is understandable, since in the minds of the authors the image of the Messiah was closely connected not with the idea of ​​a Loving God, but with the concept of an omnipotent miracle worker who, after the apocalypse, will reward all the saved righteous.
But many apocrypha of the first circle (that is, books that were completely ecclesiastical in origin) have a very peculiar feature, which ultimately did not allow the holy fathers to include them in the corpus of the New Testament. These literary monuments They talk a lot about morality, about faith, about salvation, but very little about Christ. It is given in them as if “by default”. It is implied that the reader already knows about Him and that now it is more important for him to answer the question “how to be saved” than to receive information about the Savior himself. This approach is possible in principle. But it can only be used by spiritually mature people.
And the New Testament is for everyone, it is universal, and therefore its books should testify to the most important thing - about God, “for us, man, and for our salvation, he came down from Heaven.” If a new Christian begins to immediately talk about the “mechanism” of salvation, then there is a huge risk that such a believer will never see the real Savior behind all this. The true Gospel speaks first and foremost about Christ. It was from such - and only from such - books that the canonical code was ultimately compiled.

When reading in newspapers or the Internet another message that somewhere a certain scripture has again been found, which supposedly sheds light on the teachings of the Church and tells, for example, that Jesus grew up in Tibet, it is important to ask yourself one question: “Do I want to Should I believe in this Christ? If the reader of such sensations really cares about Jesus of Nazareth as one of the teachers of righteousness, who performed miracles and called everyone to love and compassion, then perhaps we can continue to listen to this news. But if a person cares about Christ, Who gave us His Church - the God and Savior of the entire universe, calling us to Himself, then in this case it would be logical to brush aside such things in every possible way and trust in the experience of the saints, who have long said their word regarding such “scriptures.” "and throughout their lives they demonstrated fidelity to the very truths that are revealed in the canonical books of the New Testament.