---
title: New Book on Early Christian Apocrypha
canonical: "https://michaeljkruger.com/new-book-on-early-christian-apocrypha/"
pubDate: "2015-10-13T08:56:03.000Z"
updatedDate: "2023-04-14T17:44:25.000Z"
author: Michael Kruger
description: "Over the last number of years, scholarly (as well as popular) interest in Christian apocryphal works has continued to grow. Folks just can't seem to get enough of \"lost\" Gospels and other books that did not make it into the New Testament. My own interest in this area goes back to my thesis at the [...]"
tags: [Apocryphal Literature, New Testament Canon, Orthodoxy and Heresy]
---

Over the last number of years, scholarly (as well as popular) interest in Christian apocryphal works has continued to grow. Folks just can’t seem to get enough of “lost” Gospels and other books that did not make it into the New Testament.

My own interest in this area goes back to my thesis at the University of Edinburgh under Larry Hurtado on the apocryphal gospel fragment P.Oxy. 840. That was published later as [*The Gospel of the Savior: An Analysis of P.Oxy. 840 and its Place in the Gospel Traditions of Early Christianity*](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9004143939?keywords=Michael%20J.%20Kruger%2C%20GOspel%20of%20the%20Savior&qid=1444740013&ref_=sr_1_3&sr=8-3)(Brill, 2005).

Because of my own interest in the subject, I was pleased that yesterday in the mail I received the new volume edited by Andrew Gregory and Christopher Tuckett, [*The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Apocrypha*](http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Christian-Apocrypha-Handbooks-Religion/dp/019964411X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444740161&sr=8-1&keywords=Early+Christian+APocrypha) (Oxford, 2015). This volume includes a fine collection of scholars covering a wide range of topics related to apocryphal Christian works.

Here is the table of contents:

Part I: Introduction and overview

1. Introduction, Christopher Tuckett
 2. Texts About Jesus: Non-canonical Gospels and Related Literature, Jörg Frey
 3. Apocryphal Texts About Other Characters in the Canonical Gospels, Charlotte Touati and Claire Clivaz
 4. Narratives About the Apostles: Non-canonical Acts and Related Literature, Richard Pervo
 5. Non-canonical Epistles and Related Literature, Andrew Gregory
 6. Non-canonical Apocalypses and Prophetic Works, Richard Bauckham

Part II: Key Issues and Themes

7. The Influence of Jewish Scriptures on Early Christian Apocrypha, Tobias Nicklas
 8. Who Read Early Christian Apocrypha?, L. W. Hurtado
 9. The Formation of the New Testament Canon and Early Christian Apocrypha, Jens Schröter
 10. ‘Useful for the Soul’: Christian Apocrypha and Christian Spirituality, Francois Bovon
 11. Christology and Soteriology in Apocryphal Gospels, Pheme Perkins
 12. Christology and Soteriology in Apocryphal Acts and Apocalypses, Paul Foster
 13. The Gospel of Thomas and the Historical Jesus, Stephen J. Patterson
 14. Other Apocryphal Gospels and the Historical Jesus, Simon Gathercole
 15. Christian Apocrypha and the Developing Role of Mary, J. K. Elliott
 16. The Apocryphal Mary in Early Christian Art, Robin M. Jensen
 17. The Role of the Apostles, Richard I. Pervo
 18. Judaism and Anti-Judaism in Early Christian Apocrypha, Petri Luomanen
 19. Eschatology and the Fate of the Dead in Early Christian Apocrypha, Outi Lehtipuu
 20. Liturgy and Early Christian Apocrypha, Harald Buchinger
 21. Roman Imperialism: The Political Context of Early Christian Apocrypha, Candida R. Moss
 22. Encratism, Asceticism, and The Construction of Gender and Sexual Identity in Apocryphal Gospels, Judith Hartenstein
 23. Encratism and the Apocryphal Acts, Yves Tissot
 24. Early Christian Apocrypha in Popular Culture, Tony Burke
 25. Early Christian Apocrypha in Contemporary Theological Discourse, Tony Burke