by: Steve Shutt
While this topic is a bit tedious, I ask that you take some time to consider it and its ramifications. If in any way, the texts that make up our Bible are in error, then there will be a serious stall in the Christian faith. To that end, I have endeavored to deal with this topic as simply as possible – while at the same time being honest in both my research and delivery. I want you, the reader, to have a fairly good understanding of this issue, so that when (this is no longer an “if” scenario) you are asked about this issue, you have a good basis from which to work.
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8)
As I began work on this article, this passage in Galatians chapter 1 kept coming to my mind. In this passage, Paul is fairly clear about what he thinks of people who preach another gospel. He was especially hard on those who knowingly preached a different gospel, with the sole intent of destroying the authority, person, and work of Jesus Christ. Sadly, the only difference between Paul’s Galatian Epistle and us concerning this problem is time; nothing else has really changed…it has merely taken a different name brand. In this article, it is my intention to show the significance of true Christian faith, as well as the absolute necessity of a true and valid text that both describes and defends that faith.
There are no less than 44 books that fall into the category of “Major Christian Apocryphal Books.” Of those, 6 are classified as “Gospels” and contain materials specific to the life and teachings of Christ. Among some scholars, these books hold a special appeal because “orthodox Christianity” has generally ignored and/or condemned these books. These scholars often are inclined, not to give a legitimate thesis for their conclusions, but rather seek to interpret their own views upon the Bible and upon Christianity as a whole. They fail to see that these books were not condemned because the authors were hated, but rather because the content was so radically different from accepted Christian faith that they threatened its very foundation, and often blatantly challenged basic Christian truths. Let us deal with a few of these texts (as well as the people who both penned and promoted them), and see the massive differences they bring within Christianity as a whole.
The first thing that needs to be discussed is the fracture that existed in Christianity during the times of the Apostles. Christianity, being a young faith at the time, had its share of trials and tribulations. The physical problems that Christianity faced were merely a part of the whole; the theological problems were really beginning to hurt the church from within. The Apostles were keenly aware of the problems, and addressed them quickly and specifically. One of the main threats that the Apostles saw within Christianity, and one that was rapidly growing was, “Gnosticism.”
Gnosticism took its namesake from their very belief system: “The learned ones” (γνῶσις and Οι Γνωστικοί in Greek). They believed that salvation could only come from learning the “deep things” that were hinted at in Scripture, and that one could not truly understand Scripture unless they were educated by a Gnostic in one of their schools/churches, and told what exactly to look for when reading Scripture. Obviously, the Gnostics did not deny everything that the Apostles taught. For example, the Gnostics did believe that Jesus was God (at least in part), but He did not take on a physical body because that would have corrupted his Divine attributes. Thus, some of the Gnostics went so far as to say that Christ did not actually die, but was merely acting like He was dead. This view became known as “Docetism,” which means “illusion.” Norbert Brox narrowly defines it as, “the doctrine according to which the phenomenon of Christ, his historical and bodily existence, and thus above all the human form of Jesus, was altogether mere semblance without any true reality.” In other words, these people believed that Jesus’ human attributes were merely an illusion to obtain a following.
This flies in the fact of what John said in 1 John 1:1-3,
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
It is within this passage that John clearly states that the Jesus he saw was no mere “apparition” or “phantom,” but was literally and physically present. We know that Thomas touched Jesus’ physical body. So it would seem, based on John’s own testimony, that he touched Jesus’ physical body as well; that means that the Gnostic view that Jesus’ body was merely an “apparition” or an illusion is false.
Let us deal with one of the more famous “Lost Gospels” of the Gnostics: the Gospel of Thomas. Penned around the middle of the 2nd century AD, the text was fairly well known and used, until Athanasius gave a list of accepted Christian writings, as well as a list of heretical writings, in 387 AD. The Gospel of Thomas fell into the latter category, and most of the texts were destroyed and never again produced. On copy of the Gospel of Thomas, along with 52 other texts (most were Gnostic, though some were not) was hidden in Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, where it was to be found nearly 1,500 years later.
The opening statement in the Gospel of Thomas is the following, “These are the secret words which the living Jesus spoke, and Didymus Judas Thomas wrote them down. 1 And he said: He who shall find the interpretation of the words shall not taste of death.” At this point, it is obvious that it is a Gnostic text, because the Gnostics believed that salvation came through knowledge, rather than through grace and faith in Christ. Again we see a massive challenge to what the Bible clearly says in Titus 3:5-7:
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
In the text itself, it says that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were “extremely close” and had a close relationship. While it does not specifically state how close, or what type of closeness it was, it does state that Jesus was known to kiss Mary. Here is the problem: the part where it says Jesus kissed her has been partially eaten away by ants, leaving only the phrase, “Jesus often kissed Mary on.” While this flies in the face of all biblical evidence, the people who translated the text thought it best to add in what they believed the text was going to say. So, they translated it to say that Jesus often kissed Mary “on the mouth.” Why would someone do that? Simple: they saw what they wanted to see, rather than what was actually there.
In conclusion: Why do people read these “Lost Books of Christianity?” The answer, as sad as it appears, is actually very simple: they are not content with reading only the Bible. They want to have “something more” than just an old book. They want to know the character of Christ from what someone else says about him, rather than going directly to Him for confirmation. They would rather believe what someone says about the Bible, than read it for themselves. They are not content to rely on God’s grace for their salvation; they would rather try to earn it themselves by their own merits and studies. While I am certainly for studying, studying can only bring you so far. If you’re not careful, it can lead you into heresy – especially if you’re studying all the wrong things. The Gnostics were looking to their own minds to solve problems that only God could solve. When they couldn’t solve those problems themselves, they tried to change the character of God to make up for their failed efforts.
Christian, stop looking to yourself to solve spiritual things. Look to Christ, and to Christ alone. Only Christ can solve the problems that you need answered. He is enough to trust for salvation, and He is more than enough to trust now that we are saved. Remember, our own “works of righteousness” got us into the mess we were in when He saved us. Trust his Word – as It is – and you will see that It is all you need.
Steve Shutt
1 A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs, David W. Bercott (editor), p. 305
2 Brox, Norbert (1984). “‘Doketismus’-eine Problemanzeige”. Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte 95. Kohlhammer Verlag. pp. 306
3 John 20:26-29
4 http://users.misericordia.edu/davies/thomas/faq.htm