D.G. Dobykin

is based on the recognition of such books as uninspired. Therefore, non-canonical books of the Holy Scriptures can be called books that, although written by pious men, are not inspired and therefore cannot serve in all their content as an unchangeable rule of faith and morals, and by the definitions of the Church are not included in the list of sacred inspired books.

Non-canonical books, firstly, are valuable as an inexhaustible source of wisdom. That is why many Old Testament proverbs read during worship are taken from non-canonical books of Wisdom. Secondly, the non-canonical books of Wisdom contain such high moral criteria for a person’s relationship with God and neighbor that they can be placed on the same level as the Gospel commandments (for example, Sir. 7:31–39; 8:1–22).

Besides, Orthodox Church in determining its doctrine, it often relies on non-canonical books of the Old Testament along with the canonical ones. For example, the question of commemorating the dead directly depends on the text of non-canonical books (2 Macc. 12:43; Tov. 4:17; Sir. 7:36; 38:23), or the statement about the creation of the world from nothing

(ex nihilo, 2 Macc. 7:28).

Also, non-canonical books - Maccabees and 2 Esdras - are a source of historical information about the history of God's chosen people before the coming of the Son of God into the world. The Christian martyrs of the first centuries were inspired to feat by the example of the martyrs about whom the 2nd Book of Maccabees narrates.

1.4. Apocrypha of the Old Testament

The word “apocrypha” (ἀπόκρῠφος [apókryphos] - “hidden, hidden”) is used in biblical studies in 2 meanings: 1) Protestants call non-canonical books this way; 2) The Orthodox Church, like the Catholic Church, refers to books that have never been considered either canonical or non-canonical. Apocrypha are often signed with the names of characters in Old Testament history, so they can be called “pseudo-epigrapha,” that is, falsely inscribed.

The Apocrypha in its content is most often books of visions.

Since the Jews were convinced that the period of prophecy was over, the authors of revelations and visions attributed their works to the ancient patriarchs or prophets, or declared themselves to be people who could explain the true meaning of those passages of the Bible that, in their opinion, pointed to the “end of days.” The period of the “end of days,” according to the authors, was the time in which they lived. Great importance in connection with this, the question of the coming of the Messiah is given in the apocrypha.

The largest Old Testament apocrypha are the book of Enoch and the book of Jubilees. The first of these books is an eschatological account of what was revealed to Enoch in heaven when “God took him” (Gen. 5:24). The second contains a discussion about the predestination of all things, presented in the form of a dialogue between an angel and Moses on Mount Sinai. Also very famous are the “Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs” - the dying instructions that each of the sons of Jacob gives to his children. 2:6–5:3 tells how Levi ascended through the heavens to the throne of God and learned the secrets that he was to declare to the people. During Levi's heavenly journey, an angel answered his questions about what he saw in heaven.

1.5. Division of books in the canon

Division of books in the Hebrew Bible

The 39 books of the modern Old Testament, as evidenced by early Jewish tradition, were originally divided into 24. The Talmud and rabbinic literature indicate that there were five books of the Law, eight books of the Prophets, and eleven books of the Scriptures. Co-

The interim Hebrew Bible preserves this tripartite structure. In addition to the division of books accepted in the Jewish tradition,

Attempts were made to divide them into 22 - Ruth was united with the Judges, and the Lamentations of Jeremiah - with Jeremiah. This connection corresponds to the number of letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

D.G. Dobykin

הָרֹותּTorah			םיִאיִבְנ Neviim			םיִבּותְכּ Ketuvim
			Early Prophets
			Neviim Rishonim
			Jesus Na-			Psalter
	(At first)
	Bemidbar
				prophets -
			Nevi'im Aharonim
			Great prophets
				Yeshayahu		Ecclesiastes
			Ezekiel	Yehezkel
			Minor prophets

Lectures on Introduction to the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament

Division of books in the Septuagint and Vulgate

The division of books in the Septuagint and Vulgate depends on their content - books are divided into legal, historical, teaching and prophetic. In addition, both the Vulgate and Septuagint contain non-canonical books. They are also arranged according to content. This arrangement of books passed on to the Church Slavonic and Russian Bibles.

Legal books

1. Γένεσις-Genesis-Genesis

2. Ἔξοδος-Exodus-Exodus

3. Λευϊτικòν-Leviticus-Leviticus

4. Ἀριθμοὶ-Numeri-Numbers

5. Δευτερονόμιον-Deuteronomium-Deuteronomy

Historical

1. Ἰησοῦς-Iosue-Jesus Navin

2. Κριταὶ-Iudicum-Judges

3. Ροὺθ-Ruth-Ruth

D.G. Dobykin

4. Βασιλειῶν Α’-I Samuelis (1 Samuel)-1 Samuel

5. Βασιλειῶν Β’-II Samuelis (2 Samuel)-2 Samuel

6. Βασιλειῶν Γ’-I Regum (1 Kings) -3 Kings

7. Βασιλειῶν Δ’-II Regum (2 Kings) -2 Kings

8. Παραλειπομένων Α’-I Paralipomenon-1 Paralipomenon

9. Παραλειπομένων Β’-II Paralipomenon-2 Paralipomenon

10. Ἒσδρας Α’ (This book is not in the Vulgate. In the Church Slavonic and Russian translations, this book corresponds to 2 Esdras)

11. Ἔσδρας Βʹ (In the Vulgate and Church Slavonic and Russian translations, this book corresponds to 1 Esdras and the book of Nehemiah)

12. Ἐσθὴρ-Esther-Esther

13. Ιουδίθ-Judith-Judith

14. Τωβιθ-Tobias-Tobit

15. Μακκαβαίων Αʹ-II Maccabaeorum-1 Maccabees

16. Μακκαβαίων Βʹ-II Maccabaeorum-2 Maccabees

17. Μακκαβαίων Γʹ-3 Maccabees (This book is not in the Vulgate)

18. Μακκαβαίων Δʹ-4 Maccabees (This book is not in the Vulgate, Church Slavonic and Russian translations)

19. IV Esdrae-3 Esdras (This book is not in the Septuagint and Vulgate)

Educational

1. Ψαλμοὶ-Psalmorum-Psalter

Lectures on Introduction to the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament

2. Ὠδαί-Odes (Songs) (This book contains Old Testament and New Testament texts included in the service)

3. Παροιμίαι-Proverbiorum-Proverbs

4. Ἐκκλησιαστὴς-Ecclesiastes-Ecclesiastes

5. ᾎσμα-Canticum Canticorum-Song of Songs

6. Ἰῶβ-Iob-Job

7. Σοφία-Σαλoμῶντος-Liber Sapientiae of the Wisdom of Solomon

8. Σοφία Ἰησοῦ Σειράχ-Ecclesiasticus of the Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach

9. Ψαλμοὶ Σαλoμῶντος - Psalms of Solomon (This book is not in the Vulgate, Church Slavonic and Russian translations)

Prophetic

1. Ὡσηὲ-Osee-Osiya

2. Ἀμὼς-Amos-Amos

3. Μιχαίας-Mi aeae-Micah

4. Ἰωὴλ-Ioel-Joel

5. Ἀβδιοὺ-Abdiae-Avdiy

6. Ἰωνᾶς-Ionae-Iona

7. Ναοὺμ-Nahum-Nahum

8. Αμβακοὺμ-Habacuc-Habakkuk

9. Σοφονίας-Sophoniae-Zephania

10. Ἁγγαῖος-Aggaei-Haggai

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

I. APOCRYPHA OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
A. APPEARANCE

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. 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.

B. USAGE OF THE TERM

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).

B. APOCRYPHAL IN MODERN EDITIONS OF THE BIBLE

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 her introduction, questionable with historical point 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]

II. APOCRYPHA OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

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 the modern period, a number of apocrypha have been rediscovered (for example, at 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 virtually 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. →

Gospel of Thomas

The foxes have their holes and the birds have their nests, but the Son of man has no place to lay his head and rest. 91.Jesus said: Miserable is the body that depends on the body, and miserable is the soul that depends on both. 92.Jesus said: Angels and prophets come to you, and they will give you what is yours, and you also give them what is in your hands, and say to yourself: On what day do they come and take what is theirs? 93.Jesus said: Why do you wash the inside of the cup and do not understand that the one who made the inside also made the outside? 94.Jesus said: Come to me, for my yoke is easy and my power is gentle, and you will find rest for yourself. 95.They said to him: Tell us who you are, so that we may believe in you. He said to them: You test the face of heaven and earth; and who what? before you - how to experience it. 96. Jesus said: Seek and you will find, but those things that you asked me in those days, I did not tell you then. Now I want to say them and you don't look for them. 97. Do not give what is holy to dogs, lest they throw it into the dung. Do not throw pearls to swine, lest they do it... 98. Jesus said: He who seeks will find, and he who knocks will have the door opened to him. 99. Jesus said: If you have money, do not lend it on interest, but give...from whom you will not take it. 100.Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a woman who took some leaven, put it in dough and divided it into large loaves. He who has ears, let him hear! 101.Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a woman carrying a vessel full of flour and walking along a receding road. The handle of the vessel broke, the flour scattered behind it on the road. She didn't know about it, she didn't understand how to act. When she reached her home, she placed the vessel on the ground and found it empty. 102.Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a man who wants to kill strong man . He drew a sword in his house, he thrust it into the wall to see if his hand would be strong. Then he killed the strong man. 103.The disciples said to him: Your brothers and your mother are standing outside. He said to them: Those who are here, who do the will of my Father, are my brothers and my mother. They are the ones who will enter the kingdom of my Father. 104.They showed Jesus the gold and said to him: Those who belong to Caesar demand tribute from us. He said to them: Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, give God what belongs to God, and what is mine, give it to me! 105. He who did not hate his father and his mother, like I did, cannot be my disciple, and he who did not love his father and his mother, like me, cannot be my disciple. For my mother... but truly she gave me life. 106.Jesus said: Woe to them, the Pharisees! For they are like a dog that sleeps on a bullock trough. For she neither eats nor gives the oxen food. 107.Jesus said: Blessed is the man who knows at what time the robbers come, so that he will rise, gather... and gird up his loins before they come. 108.They said to him: Let us go and pray today and fast. Jesus said: What is the sin that I have committed or to which I have succumbed. But when the bridegroom comes out of the bridal chamber, then let them fast and let them pray! 109.Jesus said: He who knows his father and mother will be called the son of a harlot. 110.Jesus said: When you make the two one, you will become the Son of man, and if you say to the mountain: Move, it will move. 111.Jesus said: The kingdom is like a shepherd who has a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, got lost. He left the ninety-nine and searched for one until he found her. After he had labored, he said to the sheep: I love you more than ninety-nine. 112.Jesus said: He who drinks from my lips will become like me. I too, I will become him, and the secret will be revealed to him. 113.Jesus said: The kingdom is like a man who has secret treasure in his field without knowing it. And he didn't find it before he died, he left it to his son. The son didn't know; he received this field and sold it. And the one who bought it came, dug up and found the treasure. He started lending money at interest to those he wanted. 114.Jesus said: He who has found peace and become rich, let him renounce the world! 115.Jesus said: The heavens and the earth will be rolled up before you, and he who lives from the living will not see death. For? Jesus said: He who has found himself, the world is not worthy of him. 116.Jesus said: Woe to that flesh that depends on the soul; woe to that soul that depends on the flesh. 117.His disciples said to him: On what day does the kingdom come? Jesus said: It does not come when expected. They won’t say: Here, here! - or: There, there! “But the Father’s kingdom is spreading across the earth, and people do not see it. 118. Simon Peter said to them: Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of life. Jesus said: See, I will guide her to make her a man, so that she also may become a living spirit like you men. For every woman who becomes a man will enter the kingdom of heaven. Gospel of Thomas Commentary This historical document is composed of a dialogue between Jesus and the Apostle Thomas and includes 114 logions translated from Greek - sayings that are very different in spirit from the texts in the New Testament. This manuscript, like all the other books found with it, dates back to around 350 AD. The manuscript contained references to a Greek text found in archaeological excavations fragments of which date back to the year 200. Thus, the Greek version of this gospel is an earlier document than is commonly believed. Leading scholars have differing opinions regarding this manuscript. Some believe that its origins go back to the time of Jesus Christ, others believe that this new gospel is actually the source Q of the New Testament - the documentary basis from which all other parts of the Bible are created. The theory of the existence of a Q source was first proposed in the 19th century by a German scientist. The manuscript gives us answers to some controversial issues theology and testifies to the exceptional diversity of religious doctrines of early Christianity. But the most important thing is different: the 5th Gospel proves that the Christian tradition was by no means always so rigid and unchanging. IN Lately Quite often there are rumors that there are certain materials about Jesus Christ that the official church has been hiding for almost 2000 years. Be that as it may, now we can lift the veil of secrecy surrounding this historical document. It is known that books from the library found in Nag Hammadi disappeared from circulation or were hidden in the 4th century AD, when the Council of Nicaea proclaimed the unity of faith and religious doctrine. Any deviation from this doctrine came to be considered heresy. In response to such ideological tightening, some texts of a religious nature that did not fit into the official doctrine were hidden for the time being. No one could even imagine that this “for the time being” would last for as long as 1600 years! A distinction must be made between the purely historical significance of this document and its religious significance. Official doctrine is based on the opinions of just a few people. By the time the decision was made to adhere to a single Christian doctrine, the Council of Nicea had already excluded these texts from Christian teaching. The very fact that only one copy of these texts has reached us suggests that from the very beginning they were not available to the general public and were more of a kind of secret or even esoteric literature. Today, the scientific community is divided on these texts, and the church stubbornly refuses to accept them as a full-fledged Christian heritage. Commentary by A. Loginov Anyone who reads the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas for the first time usually experiences disappointment: the sayings of Jesus collected in this work seem so familiar to him from the canonical version of the New Testament. However, the deeper he dives into the study of the text, the stronger his doubts about the validity of such an impression. Gradually he becomes convinced how difficult it is to answer the question of what this famous “fifth gospel” is, as it was initially called. Already the first lines of the monument, setting up for its interpretation “He who finds the interpretation of these words will not taste death,” force the modern reader to think not only about the meaning that the author proposes to discover, but also about what this call itself means, what kind of communication path it implies, what kind of thinking one has to deal with, what phenomena of culture and social history it testifies to. The task cannot but captivate the one who takes on this most interesting document. At a quick glance, the closest of Nag Hammadi's works to the much-researched tradition of early Christianity, upon closer examination it turns out to be perhaps the most difficult to understand. Even the dark speculations of the Apocrypha of John or the mysterious "Essence of the Archons" ultimately leave less room for doubt than this gospel. Contents of the apocrypha “These are the secret words that the living Jesus spoke and which Didymus Judas Thomas wrote down.” – See the introduction stops anyone who studies the history of early Christianity and its spiritual environment. In this work, which promises to expound the secret teachings of Jesus and was rejected by the church, researchers are looking for answers to numerous questions regarding the development of Christianity and Gnosticism. The gospel came to us in Codex II of Nag Hammadi. It is the second in it, occupying pages 32. 1051.26. Since it, like the Gospel of Philip that follows it, consists of individual sayings, it is usually divided by sayings, which we follow (1). The monument is well preserved, there are almost no gaps. The Gospel is a translation from Greek into the Sahidic dialect of the Coptic language. How and where to approach the interpretation of the monument? Shouldn't we start from those few references from the church fathers about the so-called Gospel of Thomas, to which the researchers first of all turned? However, research carried out by J. Doress and A. S. Puech and other scientists convinces: the similarity between the works bearing the same name as the second work from the Nag Hammadi Codex II is in some cases purely external (2). Perhaps the path of studying the monument from the point of view of those concepts and images that are found in it - the kingdom, peace, light, darkness, peace, life, death, spirit, forces, angels - and which allow us to outline its content area promises more success. IN foreign literature a lot of attention has been paid to this. But does such an analysis exhaust the possibility of understanding all the uniqueness of the monument? Isn’t the ideological content highlighted in this way distorted in logically flawless, more or less unambiguous systems? Don't they impose

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 contrary to real events. For a long time, apocryphal texts were considered heretical and were destroyed. But not all apocrypha suffered such a fate. The Roman Catholic Church officially recognized some of them because they supported certain aspects teachings 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 Fathers of the Church undertook to compose the canonical New Testament. 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, almost two millennia Old Testament invariably contains 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, the Gospel of Mary, revolutionized modern science and the consciousness of hundreds of thousands of people. The scrolls told scientists many amazing things Dead Sea. 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, the 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 led to the loss large quantity 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 that 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 for economic purposes. 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 mark would require 10,000 strikes! 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 this amount precious metals in those days there was none 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, it turns out quite interesting picture. 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 are also talking 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... The faith of Judas 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.

“This is an outstanding find. A lot of people will be disappointed." “It completely changes the way we think about .” Such loud statements were made by scientists who welcomed the publication of the “Gospel of Judas,” which was considered lost for more than 16 centuries.

Today interest in such apocryphal gospels is reborn. Some argue that these texts shed light on important events in the life of Jesus and his teachings that had long been hidden. What is it apocryphal gospels? Can they tell us truths about Jesus and Christianity that are not found in the Bible?

Canonical and Apocryphal Gospels

In the period from 41 to 98 AD. e. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John recorded the life story of Jesus Christ. Their messages are called Gospels, which means the good news of Jesus Christ.

Although there may have been oral traditions as well as various writings about Jesus, only these four Gospels were considered inspired by God and were included in the canon of Scripture because they contained reliable information about Jesus' earthly life and his teachings. The four Gospels are mentioned in all the ancient catalogs of the Christian Greek Scriptures. There is no reason to dispute their canonicity, that is, their belonging to the inspired Word of God.

However, later other writings began to appear, which also received the name “gospel”. They were called the apocryphal gospels.

At the end of the second century AD. e. Irenaeus of Lyons wrote that those who have apostatized from Christianity have “an untold multitude of apocryphal and spurious writings [including the gospels], which they themselves have composed, in order to strike senseless people.” Therefore, the conviction gradually spread that the apocryphal gospels were dangerous not only to read, but also to possess.

However, in the Middle Ages, monks and scribes did not allow these works to fall into oblivion. In the 19th century, when interest in them increased significantly, many collections of texts and critical editions of the apocrypha, including several gospels, were discovered. Today, some of them have been translated into many common languages.

Apocryphal Gospels - Tales About Jesus

The apocryphal gospels often tell about people who are mentioned only briefly or not at all in the canonical gospels. Or they tell about events in Jesus' childhood that did not actually happen. Let's look at a few examples:

• The Proto-Gospel of James, also called the Story of Jacob of the Birth of Mary, describes Mary's birth and childhood and her marriage to Joseph. It is not without reason that it is spoken of as a religious fiction and legend. It presents the idea of ​​Mary's eternal virginity; moreover, it is obvious that it was written for the purpose of glorifying her (Matthew 1:24, 25; 13:55, 56).
• The Gospel of Thomas (The Childhood Gospel) focuses on Jesus' childhood—ages 5 to 12—and attributes to him a number of strange miracles. (See John 2:11.) It portrays Jesus as a disobedient, hot-tempered, and vindictive child who uses his miraculous powers to take revenge on teachers, neighbors, and other children; He blinds, maims and even kills some of them.
• Some apocryphal gospels, such as the Gospel of Peter, deal with events surrounding the trial, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Other gospels, such as the Acts of Pilate (part of the Gospel of Nicodemus), tell of the people involved in those events. The fact that these texts describe fictitious facts and people completely discredits them. The Gospel of Peter exonerates Pontius Pilate and bizarrely describes the resurrection of Jesus.

Apocryphal Gospels and Apostasy from Christianity

In December 1945, near the village of Nag Hammadi (Upper Egypt), villagers discovered 13 papyrus manuscripts containing 52 texts. These documents, dating back to the 4th century AD. e., are attributed to the philosophical and religious movement called Gnosticism. Having absorbed the ideas of mysticism, paganism, Greek philosophy, Judaism and Christianity, it had a polluting influence on some people who called themselves Christians.

The "Gospel of Thomas", "Gospel of Philip" and "Gospel of Truth" contained in the Nag Hammadi library present various mystical ideas of the Gnostics as . The recently discovered “Gospel of Judas” is also classified as a Gnostic gospel. It presents Judas in a positive light - as the only apostle who knew who Jesus really was. One expert on the Gospel of Judas says: “In this text...Jesus appears primarily as a teacher who gives knowledge, and not as a savior who perishes for the sins of the world.” However, the inspired gospels teach that Jesus died to atone for the sins of the world (Matthew 20:28; 26:28; 1 ​​John 2:1, 2). It is clear that the purpose of the Gnostic gospels is to undermine rather than strengthen the credibility of the Bible.

The Superiority of the Canonical Gospels

A careful look at the apocryphal gospels helps us see them for what they really are. Comparing them with the canonical Gospels, it is easy to see that they are not inspired by God. Written by people who did not know Jesus or his apostles personally, they do not contain any hidden truth about Jesus or Christianity. All they contain are inaccurate, fictitious and absurd messages that cannot help in any way to know Jesus and his teachings.

In contrast to their authors, Matthew and John were among the 12 apostles, Mark had close contact with the Apostle Peter, and Luke with Paul. They wrote their gospels under the guidance of God's holy spirit (2 Timothy 3:14-17). Therefore, these four Gospels contain everything necessary to believe “that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31).

The word "apocryphal" comes from a Greek word meaning "to hide." Initially, they were called texts that only followers of a certain movement had access to and that were hidden from the uninitiated. But over time, this word began to be used in relation to writings that were not included in the biblical canon.