I have compiled this list of antilegomena, Apocrypha and pseudepigrapha, so as to include:
1) texts which were omitted from the King James Bible (i.e., the "normal books" of the Bible, or homologoumena, or anagignoskomena),
2) texts which pertain to hermetic Christian and Jewish religious tradition but were never considered for inclusion in that Bible,
3) other hermetic texts which could, just as well, have been included in the Bible, if the texts in #2 had been included, and
4) books which are accepted as parts of the Bible by certain sects of Christianity, but not by others.
1) texts which were omitted from the King James Bible (i.e., the "normal books" of the Bible, or homologoumena, or anagignoskomena),
2) texts which pertain to hermetic Christian and Jewish religious tradition but were never considered for inclusion in that Bible,
3) other hermetic texts which could, just as well, have been included in the Bible, if the texts in #2 had been included, and
4) books which are accepted as parts of the Bible by certain sects of Christianity, but not by others.
The term pseudepigrapha refers to texts which are not formally considered to be considered part of accepted scripture; and/or to texts, the genuineness of whose origin, is doubtful. The term Apocrypha refers to probably falsely attributed texts composed by Christian patriarchs around the year 200 C.E.. The Roman Catholic Church calls the Apocrypha "Deuterocanonical Books".
Due to my limited knowledge on this subject, I cannot include any more information than I include below. If I knew more, I would at least make a note as to whether these texts exist in the first place. Some do, and some don't; while (I would suspect) others exist in part, and there are disputes about others.
I have organized this list as close to chronological order as I am aware. I'm positive that it's not correct, because I have not looked at any specific information estimating how long ago these texts originated.
What follows is a list of hermetic Jewish and Christian texts, which would have been in the Old and New Testaments had they been included in the Bible. I have also included a short list of books which are likely to have much more information on these subjects.
If I accidentally included a text that is in the K.J.V., then (at least I hope) it is probably a text that is still worth inclusion here, because it is not in all Bibles (and is accepted as part of the Bible by some Christian traditions or sects, but not by others).
I would like to have included texts from Islam, and from non-Abrahamic religions and traditions (as well as texts regarding the Babylonian Talmud and Jerusalem Talmud), but those topics will have to lie beyond the scope of this article.
You can find out more about hermetic religious topics by visiting the following link:
http://aquarianagrarian.blogspot.com/2019/03/sixty-one-topics-in-esoteric-and.html
And watch these videos to learn some background on pseudepigrapha and Apocrypha:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srQcM0UrFkg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsCOLR7lCgs
Please feel free to comment below, or email me at jwkopsick@gmail.com, if you have any comments or questions on these subjects; or any suggestions as to how to correct the chronological order of the texts. I would appreciate it if readers would share any links to reliable information about the origin of scriptural texts, whether included in the K.J.V. (King James Version) or not.
I would like to have included texts from Islam, and from non-Abrahamic religions and traditions (as well as texts regarding the Babylonian Talmud and Jerusalem Talmud), but those topics will have to lie beyond the scope of this article.
You can find out more about hermetic religious topics by visiting the following link:
http://aquarianagrarian.blogspot.com/2019/03/sixty-one-topics-in-esoteric-and.html
And watch these videos to learn some background on pseudepigrapha and Apocrypha:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srQcM0UrFkg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsCOLR7lCgs
Please feel free to comment below, or email me at jwkopsick@gmail.com, if you have any comments or questions on these subjects; or any suggestions as to how to correct the chronological order of the texts. I would appreciate it if readers would share any links to reliable information about the origin of scriptural texts, whether included in the K.J.V. (King James Version) or not.
Old Testament Era
1. The Dead Sea Scrolls
(including the Damascus Document / Cairo Damascus document / Damascus Rule;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_Document)
2. The texts of the Nag Hammadi Library
(Note: These include:
- "The Thunder, Perfect Mind", edited by George McRae;
- "The Gospel of Truth" (which tells of Jesus as not a created being);
- "The Gospel of Philip")
3. The Story of Lilith
(Note: This is a sort of prologue to the Book of Genesis, which is included in some Jewish Bibles)
4. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Books of Enoch
5. The Book of Knowledge / The Key of Enoch
6. "The Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses"
7. Kaballah
(Note: Kaballah is not a single book, but a set of texts which includes The Zohar, and texts regarding the Hebrew gematria.)
8. The Book of Lamech
9. Twelve Patriarchs
10. Prayer of Joseph
11. Eldad and Modad
12. Testament of Moses
13. Assumption of Moses
14. Psalms of Solomon / Song of Solomon / Book of Wisdom
15. Apocalypse of Elijah
16. Ascension of Elijah
17. Apocalypse of Zephaniah
18. Apocalypse of Zechariah
19. Apocalyptic Ezra
20. 1st and 2nd Books of Esdras
21. The Songs of the Three Holy Children
22. The History of Susana
23. "Bel and the Dragon"
24. The Prayer for Manasses
25. The Book of Ezekiel
26. The Book of Proverbs
Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical Books
(Between the Old and New Testament eras; included in the Septuagint)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeVz-yvX39o
New Testament Era
35. The Book of Jude (includes quotes from the Book of Enoch)
36. The Gospel of the Hebrews / The Gospel of the Nazarenes (might not exist)
37. The Gospel According to Jesus
38. The Gospel of Judas
39. The Gospel of Thomas / The Gospel of Thomas Didymus (or Didymos, or Didymos Judas)
(Note: There may be more than one books of Thomas. Also, the Gospel of Thomas could not possibly have been written by Thomas.)
40. Gospel of Thomas, Son of Jesus
41. Rumored gospels of Christ, consisting of testimony by any of the "brothers" of Jesus named in the Book of Mark and the Book of Matthew.
(Note: In those gospels, the brothers of Jesus - whether this means metaphorical brothers or actual blood siblings - include James, Joses/Joseph, Judas, Simon, and several unnamed sisters.)
42. Rumored gospels supposedly written by a twin brother of Jesus.
(Note: Such a text, if it exists, may or may not be the same as one or more of the texts described in #39 and #41, above. Also, texts supposedly exist which further claim that a brother of Jesus - maybe even an identical twin brother - took Jesus's place on the cross, while the real Jesus went to Asia and learned about Eastern religions, including Buddhism, and maybe even martial arts.
43. Rumored texts alleging that Jesus turned water to wine by swallowing grapes and water, and using his own vomit to ferment the grapes and water into wine.
(Note: I was told that the book The Bible As History discusses this possibility.)
44. Rumored texts alleging that Jesus killed another child when they were both young boys.
45. The Gospel of Mary, Mother of Jesus
(Note: A text called the Gospel of Mary may be the testimony of the mother of Jesus or Mary Magdalene. Also, if gospels of Mary Mother of Jesus exist, there may be more than one of them.)
46. The Gospel of Mary Magdalene
(Note: if the Gospel of Mary is the testimony of Jesus's mother, then it is less likely that the Gospel of Mary Magdalene exists, but still not impossible that a separate Gospel of Mary Magdalene exists, nonetheless.)
47. The Gospel of Peter
(which tells of Jesus's mother Mary as remaining a virgin throughout her life)
48. I and II Peter / The First and Second Books of Peter / The 1st and 2nd Epistles of Peter
(the author of the second book is almost certainly not Peter, however)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Epistle_of_Peter
49. The Apocalypse of Peter
50-55. The Galasian Decree, incl.
50. Acts of Peter
51. Acts of Philip
52. Gospel of Matthias
53. Gospel According to Barnabas (no texts may exist, but Epistle of Barnabas is a relevant text)
http://depts.drew.edu/jhc/Blackhirst_Barnabas.html
56. The History of James
57. The Didache
58. The Itinerary and Teaching of the Apostles
59. The Epistle of Barnabas
60. Acts of Paul
61. Apocalypse of Paul
62. Didascalia of Clement / Teachings of Clement / Ordinances of the Holy Apostles Through Clement / The Apostolic Constitutions
63. Didascalia of Ignatius / Teachings of Ignatius
64. Didascalia of Polycarp / Teachings of Polycarp
After New Testament Era, incl. 1st-4th Centuries and Renaissance Era
65. The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testaments_of_the_Twelve_Patriarchs
66. The Apocryphon of John / The Secret Book of John
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocryphon_of_John
69. The Book of Jubilees
70. The Pseudo-Clementine Pieces (incl. Paul's Letters)
71. The Hermetica / The Corpus Hermeticum
(Note: These texts are Egyptian-Greek texts from the 2nd century C.E., are attributed to Hermes Trimegistus ("Thrice-Great Hermes"), and include 18 chapters. Among these are the Emerald Tablet (also known as the Emerald Tablet of Thoth, the Smaragdine Tablet, and Tabula Smaragdina), and The Discourses of Isis to Horus.
There is also a book called The Kybalion, claimed to be written under influence of Hermes Trimegistus, which was published in 1908: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kybalion.)
72-74. The Three Rosicrucian Manifestos, incl.
72. Fama Fraternatis (Rosae Crucis [oder Die Bruderschaft des Ordens der Rosenkreuzer])
73. The Confessio (Fraternatis) / Confessio oder Bekenntnis der Societat und Bruderschaft Rosenkreuz)
74. The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz
75. The Book of Mormon
(book of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
Alternative Bibles, and Modern Books, Containing Sets of Scriptural Texts
Which are Significantly Different from the King James Version of the Bible
76. "The Jefferson Bible" (The Moral Teachings of Jesus of Nazareth by Thomas Jefferson)
77. The Aitken Bible (early American Bible)
78. The Bible As History
79. The Pre-Nicene New Testament: Fifty-Four Formative Texts
80. "The List of Sixty" (books; from the 7th century C.E.)
http://depts.drew.edu/jhc/Blackhirst_Barnabas.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocrypha#List_of_Sixty
81. The Coptic Bible (which contains 109 or 111 books, including the Pistis Sophia, and The Gospel of Truth)
http://gnosis.org/library/pistis-sophia/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Truth
82. The Ethiopian Bible
83. The Catholic Bible
84. The Orthodox Bible
This is only a partial list. Please see the following links to learn more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deuterocanonical_books
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Gospels
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_apocrypha
1. The Dead Sea Scrolls
(including the Damascus Document / Cairo Damascus document / Damascus Rule;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_Document)
2. The texts of the Nag Hammadi Library
(Note: These include:
- "The Thunder, Perfect Mind", edited by George McRae;
- "The Gospel of Truth" (which tells of Jesus as not a created being);
- "The Gospel of Philip")
3. The Story of Lilith
(Note: This is a sort of prologue to the Book of Genesis, which is included in some Jewish Bibles)
4. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Books of Enoch
5. The Book of Knowledge / The Key of Enoch
6. "The Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses"
7. Kaballah
(Note: Kaballah is not a single book, but a set of texts which includes The Zohar, and texts regarding the Hebrew gematria.)
8. The Book of Lamech
9. Twelve Patriarchs
10. Prayer of Joseph
11. Eldad and Modad
12. Testament of Moses
13. Assumption of Moses
14. Psalms of Solomon / Song of Solomon / Book of Wisdom
15. Apocalypse of Elijah
16. Ascension of Elijah
17. Apocalypse of Zephaniah
18. Apocalypse of Zechariah
19. Apocalyptic Ezra
20. 1st and 2nd Books of Esdras
21. The Songs of the Three Holy Children
22. The History of Susana
23. "Bel and the Dragon"
24. The Prayer for Manasses
25. The Book of Ezekiel
26. The Book of Proverbs
Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical Books
(Between the Old and New Testament eras; included in the Septuagint)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeVz-yvX39o
27. The Book of Tobit
28. The Book of Judith
29. The Book of Baruch / "Baruch, with the Epistle Jeremy"
30. The Wisdom of Solomon / The Book of Wisdom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Wisdom
31. Sirach / Wisdom of Sirach / The Book of Sirach / the Book of Ecclesiasticus
(The Book of the All-Virtuous Wisdom of Yeshua ben Sira
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirach
33. The Book of Daniel
34. The Book of Esther
(remnants exist, one reason for exclusion is that it doesn't use the name of G-d)
29. The Book of Baruch / "Baruch, with the Epistle Jeremy"
30. The Wisdom of Solomon / The Book of Wisdom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Wisdom
(The Book of the All-Virtuous Wisdom of Yeshua ben Sira
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirach
32. 1st and 2nd Books of Maccabees
33. The Book of Daniel
34. The Book of Esther
(remnants exist, one reason for exclusion is that it doesn't use the name of G-d)
New Testament Era
35. The Book of Jude (includes quotes from the Book of Enoch)
36. The Gospel of the Hebrews / The Gospel of the Nazarenes (might not exist)
37. The Gospel According to Jesus
38. The Gospel of Judas
39. The Gospel of Thomas / The Gospel of Thomas Didymus (or Didymos, or Didymos Judas)
(Note: There may be more than one books of Thomas. Also, the Gospel of Thomas could not possibly have been written by Thomas.)
40. Gospel of Thomas, Son of Jesus
41. Rumored gospels of Christ, consisting of testimony by any of the "brothers" of Jesus named in the Book of Mark and the Book of Matthew.
(Note: In those gospels, the brothers of Jesus - whether this means metaphorical brothers or actual blood siblings - include James, Joses/Joseph, Judas, Simon, and several unnamed sisters.)
42. Rumored gospels supposedly written by a twin brother of Jesus.
(Note: Such a text, if it exists, may or may not be the same as one or more of the texts described in #39 and #41, above. Also, texts supposedly exist which further claim that a brother of Jesus - maybe even an identical twin brother - took Jesus's place on the cross, while the real Jesus went to Asia and learned about Eastern religions, including Buddhism, and maybe even martial arts.
43. Rumored texts alleging that Jesus turned water to wine by swallowing grapes and water, and using his own vomit to ferment the grapes and water into wine.
(Note: I was told that the book The Bible As History discusses this possibility.)
44. Rumored texts alleging that Jesus killed another child when they were both young boys.
45. The Gospel of Mary, Mother of Jesus
(Note: A text called the Gospel of Mary may be the testimony of the mother of Jesus or Mary Magdalene. Also, if gospels of Mary Mother of Jesus exist, there may be more than one of them.)
46. The Gospel of Mary Magdalene
(Note: if the Gospel of Mary is the testimony of Jesus's mother, then it is less likely that the Gospel of Mary Magdalene exists, but still not impossible that a separate Gospel of Mary Magdalene exists, nonetheless.)
47. The Gospel of Peter
(which tells of Jesus's mother Mary as remaining a virgin throughout her life)
48. I and II Peter / The First and Second Books of Peter / The 1st and 2nd Epistles of Peter
(the author of the second book is almost certainly not Peter, however)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Epistle_of_Peter
49. The Apocalypse of Peter
50. Acts of Peter
51. Acts of Philip
52. Gospel of Matthias
53. Gospel According to Barnabas (no texts may exist, but Epistle of Barnabas is a relevant text)
http://depts.drew.edu/jhc/Blackhirst_Barnabas.html
54. Gospel of Peter the Apostle
55. Gospel of James the Less (which is probably the same thing as The Protoevangelium of James / The Infancy Gospel of James)
56. The History of James
(Note: may or may not be the same as #41 &/or #55.)
57. The Didache
58. The Itinerary and Teaching of the Apostles
59. The Epistle of Barnabas
60. Acts of Paul
61. Apocalypse of Paul
62. Didascalia of Clement / Teachings of Clement / Ordinances of the Holy Apostles Through Clement / The Apostolic Constitutions
63. Didascalia of Ignatius / Teachings of Ignatius
64. Didascalia of Polycarp / Teachings of Polycarp
After New Testament Era, incl. 1st-4th Centuries and Renaissance Era
65. The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testaments_of_the_Twelve_Patriarchs
66. The Apocryphon of John / The Secret Book of John
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocryphon_of_John
67. The Book of Revelation / The Revelation to John / The Apocalypse of John / The Revelation of Jesus Christ
68. The First, Second, and Third Epistles of John
68. The First, Second, and Third Epistles of John
69. The Book of Jubilees
70. The Pseudo-Clementine Pieces (incl. Paul's Letters)
71. The Hermetica / The Corpus Hermeticum
(Note: These texts are Egyptian-Greek texts from the 2nd century C.E., are attributed to Hermes Trimegistus ("Thrice-Great Hermes"), and include 18 chapters. Among these are the Emerald Tablet (also known as the Emerald Tablet of Thoth, the Smaragdine Tablet, and Tabula Smaragdina), and The Discourses of Isis to Horus.
There is also a book called The Kybalion, claimed to be written under influence of Hermes Trimegistus, which was published in 1908: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kybalion.)
72-74. The Three Rosicrucian Manifestos, incl.
72. Fama Fraternatis (Rosae Crucis [oder Die Bruderschaft des Ordens der Rosenkreuzer])
73. The Confessio (Fraternatis) / Confessio oder Bekenntnis der Societat und Bruderschaft Rosenkreuz)
74. The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz
75. The Book of Mormon
(book of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
Alternative Bibles, and Modern Books, Containing Sets of Scriptural Texts
Which are Significantly Different from the King James Version of the Bible
76. "The Jefferson Bible" (The Moral Teachings of Jesus of Nazareth by Thomas Jefferson)
77. The Aitken Bible (early American Bible)
78. The Bible As History
79. The Pre-Nicene New Testament: Fifty-Four Formative Texts
80. "The List of Sixty" (books; from the 7th century C.E.)
http://depts.drew.edu/jhc/Blackhirst_Barnabas.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocrypha#List_of_Sixty
81. The Coptic Bible (which contains 109 or 111 books, including the Pistis Sophia, and The Gospel of Truth)
http://gnosis.org/library/pistis-sophia/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Truth
83. The Catholic Bible
84. The Orthodox Bible
This is only a partial list. Please see the following links to learn more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deuterocanonical_books
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Gospels
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_apocrypha
Compiled in 2018 and early 2019
Published on March 22nd, 2019
Edited and Expanded on April 18th and 30th, 2019,
Edited and Expanded on April 18th and 30th, 2019,
and January 17th, 2021
Great list. Must have taken a lot of work.
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