New Testament Apocrypha: Volume I - Gospels and Related Writings

In recent years there has been so much research into extra-canonical gospel literature and, in particular, into the Coptic Gnostic library of Nag Hammadi that a completely new recasting of the seminal work, Neutestamentliche Apokryphen in Deutscher Ubersetzung (originally founded by Edgar Hennecke), seemed called for. This is the English translation of the revised edition of that work, published in two volumes. This is an essential collection of sources for every student of the New Testament and of the history and literature of ancient Christianity. Volume I covers the Gospels and related writings, including the various Gnostic Gospels and Infancy Gospels.

Table of Contents:
Preface to the English Edition Preface to the Sixth German Edition Abbreviations General Introduction / Wilhelm Schneemelcher 1. The concepts: canon, testament, apocrypha 2. On the history of the New Testament canon a) Canon catalogues b) Testimonies of Church Fathers from the 3rd and 4th Centuries 3. New Testament apocrypha 4. The continuance and influence of the New Testament apocrypha 5. On the history of research into the apocryphal literature A. Gospels: Non-Biblical Material About Jesus Introduction / Wilhelm Schneemelcher I. Isolated Sayings of the Lord / Otfried Hofius II. Fragments of Unknown Gospels / Joachim Jeremias and Wilhelm Schneemelcher Introduction 1. Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 840 2. Papyrus Egerton 2 3. Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 1224 4. Papyrus Cairensis 10 735 5. The so-called Fayyum Fragment 6. The Strasbourg Coptic Papyrus Appendix: the 'secret Gospel' of Mark / H. Merkel III. The Coptic Gospel of Thomas / Beate Blatz IV. Jewish Christian Gospels / Philipp Vielhauer and Georg Strecker Introduction: The Testimonies of the Early Church regarding Jewish-Christian Gospels 1. The Gospel of the Nazareans 2. The Gospel of the Ebionites 3. The Gospel of the Hebrews V. The Gospel of Philip / Hans-Martin Schenke VI. The Gospel of the Egyptians / Wilhelm Schneemelcher VII. The Gospel of Peter / Christian Maurer and Wilhelm Schneemelcher VIII. Dialogues of the Redeemer Introduction / Wilhelm Schneemelcher 1. The Book of Thomas / Hans-Martin Schenke; translated by Einar Thomassen 2. The Freer Logion / Joachim Jeremias 3. Epistula Apostolorum / C. Detlef G. Müller 4. The Apocryphon of James / Dankwart Kirchner; translated by Einar Thomassen 5. The Dialogue of the Saviour / Beate Blatz; translated by Einar Thomassen 6. The First Apocalypse of James / Wolf-Peter Funk 7. The Second Apocalypse of James / Wolf-Peter Funk 8. The Letter of Peter to Philip / Hans-Gebhard Bethge IX. Other Gnostic Gospels and Related Literature / Henri-Charles Puech; revised by Beate Blatz Preliminary Note / Wilhelm Schneemelcher A. Gospels under general titles 1. The Gospel of the Four Heavenly Regions 2. The Gospel of Perfection 3. The Gospel of Truth B. Gospels under the name of an Old Testament figure C. Gospels current, directly or indirectly, under the name of Jesus, and similar works 1. The Sophia Jesu Christi 2. The Dialogue of the Redeemer 3. The Pistis Sophia 4. The two Books of Jeu D. Gospels attributed to the Apostles as a group 1. The Gospel of the Twelve (or: of the Twelve Apostles) 2. The (Kukean) Gospel of the Twelve 3. The Memoria Apostolorum 4. The (Manichean) Gospel of the Twelve Apostles 5. The Gospel of the Seventy 6. Other 'Gospels of the Twelve Apostles' E. Gospels under the name of an Apostle 1. The Gospel of Philip 2. The Coptic Gospel of Thomas 3. The Book of Thomas 4. The Gospel according to Matthias. The Traditions of Matthias 5. The Gospel of Judas 6. The Apocryphon of John 7. The Fragments of a Dialogue between John and Jesus 8. The Apocryphon of James (Apocryphon Jacobi) 9. The Gospel of Barthomew F. Gospels under the names of holy women 1. The Questions of Mary 2. The Gospel of Mary 3. The 'Genna Marias' G. Gospels attributed to an arch-heretic 1. The Gospel of Cerinthus 2. The Gospel of Basilides 3. The Gospel of Marcion 4. The Gospel of Apelles 5. The Gospel of Bardesanes 6. The Gospel of Mani Appendix H. Gospels under the names of their users X. Infancy Gospels / Oscar Cullmann General Introduction 1. The Protevangelium of James 2. The Infancy Story of Thomas 3. Gnostic Legends 4. Later Infancy Gospels a) Extracts from the Arabic Infancy Gospel b) Extracts from the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew c) Extract from the Latin Infancy Gospel in the Arundel Manuscript d) Extract from the Life of John according to Serapion XI. The Relatives of Jesus / Wolfgang A. Bienert XII. The Work and Sufferings of Jesus 1. The Witness of Josephus (Testimonium Flavianum) / Wolfgang A. Bienert 2. The Abgar Legend / Han J.W. Drijvers 3. The Gospel of Nicodemus. Acts of Pilate and Christ's Descent into Hell / Felix Scheidweiler 4. The Gospel of Bartholomew / Felix Scheidweiler and Wilhelm Schneemelcher Introduction a) The Questions of Bartholomew b) Coptic Bartholomew Texts 5. The Gospel of Gamaliel / M.-A. van den Oudenrijn

About the Author :
Wilhelm Schneemelcher is a former Professor of Bonn University. R. McL. Wilson is Emeritus Professor of Biblical Criticism at St Mary's College in the University of St Andrew's. Other Contributors: Wolfgang A. Bienert Hans-Gebhard Bethge Beate Blatz Oscar Cullmann Han J.W. Drijvers Wolf-Peter Funk Otfried Hofius Joachim Jeremias Dankwart Kirchner Christian Maurer H. Merkel C. Detlef G. Müller Henri-Charles Puech Felix Scheidweiler Hans-Martin Schenke Georg Strecker Einar Thomassen M.-A. van den Oudenrijn Philipp Vielhauer

Review :
"The improvements over the previous editions are evident. The general introduction to the volume has been thoroughly revised. Here and in the revised introductions to the individual writings and updated bibliographies, the reader will find lucid accounts of the results and questions of the intensive and exciting scholarly debate of the last two decades. Moreover, the volume has been reliably and brilliantly translated by Professor R. McL. Wilson, the most eminent and distinguished scholar in the research on apocryphal and gnostic materials." -Professor Helmut Koester, Harvard University