Gospel

==Non-canonical (apocryphal) gospels==
{{main|New Testament apocrypha}}
[[File:El Evangelio de Tomás-Gospel of Thomas- Codex II Manuscritos de Nag Hammadi-The Nag Hammadi manuscripts.png|thumb|The Gospel of Thomas]]
The many apocryphal gospels arose from the 1st century onward, frequently under assumed names to enhance their credibility and authority, and often from within branches of Christianity that were eventually branded heretical.{{sfn|Aune|2003|pp=199-200}} They can be broadly organised into the following categories:{{sfn|Ehrman|Plese|2011|p=passim}}
* [[Infancy gospels]]: arose in the 2nd century, including the [[Gospel of James]], also called the Protoevangelium, which was the first to introduce the concept of the [[Perpetual Virginity]] of Mary, and the [[Infancy Gospel of Thomas]] (not to be confused with the unrelated Coptic [[Gospel of Thomas]]), both of which related many miraculous incidents from the life of Mary and the childhood of Jesus that are not included in the canonical gospels.
* Ministry gospels
* Sayings gospels and agrapha
* Passion, resurrection and post-resurrection gospels
* Gospel harmonies: in which the four canonical gospels are combined into a single narrative, either to present a consistent text or to produce a more accessible account of Jesus' life. 

The apocryphal gospels can also be seen in terms of the communities which produced them: 
* The [[Jewish-Christian]] gospels are the products of Christians of Jewish origin who had not given up their Jewish identity: they regarded Jesus as the messiah of the Jewish scripture but did not agree that he was God, an idea which, although central to Christianity as it eventually developed, is contrary to Jewish beliefs.
* [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] gospels uphold the idea that the universe is the product of a hierarchy of gods, of whom the [[God in Judaism|Jewish god]] is a rather low-ranking member. Gnosticism holds that Jesus was entirely "spirit", and that his earthly life and death were therefore only an appearance, not a reality. Many Gnostic texts deal not in concepts of [[sin]] and [[repentance]], but with [[illusion]] and [[Divine illumination|enlightenment]].{{sfn|Pagels|1989|p=xx}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ The major apocryphal gospels (after Bart Ehrman, "Lost Christianities" – comments on content are by Ehrman unless otherwise noted) {{sfn|Ehrman|2005b|pp=xi–xii}}
|-
! width=120px | Title !! Probable&nbsp;date !! Content
|-
| [[Epistle of the Apostles]] || Mid 2nd c. || Anti-gnostic dialogue between Jesus and the disciples after the resurrection, emphasising the reality of the flesh and of Jesus' fleshly resurrection
|-
| [[Gospel According to the Hebrews]] || Early 2nd c. || Events in the life of Jesus; Jewish-Christian, with possible gnostic overtones
|-
| [[Gospel of the Ebionites]] || Early 2nd c. || Jewish-Christian, embodying anti-sacrificial concerns
|-
| [[Greek Gospel of the Egyptians|Gospel of the Egyptians]] || Early 2nd c. || "Salome" figures prominently; Jewish-Christian stressing asceticism
|-
| [[Gospel of Mary]] || 2nd c. || Dialogue of Mary Magdalene with the apostles, and her vision of Jesus' secret teachings. 
It was originally written in Greek and is often interpreted as a Gnostic text. It is typically not considered a gospel by scholars since it does not focus on the life of Jesus.{{sfn|Bernhard|2006|p=2}}
|-
| [[Gospel of the Nazareans]] || Early 2nd c. || Aramaic version of Matthew, possibly lacking the first two chapters; Jewish-Christian
|-
| [[Gospel of Nicodemus]] || 5th c. || Jesus' trial, crucifixion and descent into Hell
|-
| [[Gospel of Peter]] || Early 2nd c. || Fragmentary narrative of Jesus' trial, death and emergence from the tomb. It seems to be hostile toward Jews and includes [[docetic]] elements.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|loc="Gospel of St. Peter"}} It is a narrative gospel and is notable for asserting that [[Herod Antipas|Herod]], not [[Pontius Pilate]], ordered the crucifixion of Jesus. It had been lost but was rediscovered in the 19th century.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|loc="Gospel of St. Peter"}}
|-
| [[Gospel of Philip]] || 3rd c. || Mystical reflections of the disciple Philip
|-
| [[Gospel of the Saviour]] || Late 2nd c. || Fragmentary account of Jesus' last hours
|-
| [[Coptic Gospel of Thomas]] || Early 2nd c. || The ''Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' says that the original may date from c. 150.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|loc="Gospel of Thomas"}} Some scholars believe that it may represent a tradition independent from the canonical gospels, but that developed over a long time and was influenced by Matthew and Luke;{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|loc="Gospel of Thomas"}} other scholars believe it is a later text, dependent from the canonical gospels.{{sfn|Casey|2010|p={{pn|date=July 2021}}}}{{sfn|Meier|1991|p={{pn|date=July 2021}}}} While it can be understood in [[Gnostic]] terms, it lacks the characteristic features of Gnostic doctrine.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|loc="Gospel of Thomas"}} It includes two unique parables, the [[parable of the empty jar]] and the [[parable of the assassin]].{{sfn|Funk|Hoover|Jesus Seminar|1993|loc="The Gospel of Thomas"}} It had been lost but was discovered, in a Coptic version dating from c. 350, at [[Nag Hammadi]] in 1945–46, and three papyri, dated to c. 200, which contain fragments of a Greek text similar to but not identical with that in the Coptic language, have also been found.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|loc="Gospel of Thomas"}}
|-
| [[Infancy Gospel of Thomas]]|| Early 2nd c. || Miraculous deeds of Jesus between the ages of five and twelve
|-
| [[Gospel of Truth]] || Mid 2nd c. || Joys of Salvation
|-
| [[Egerton Gospel|Papyrus Egerton 2]] || Early 2nd c. || Fragmentary, four episodes from the life of Jesus
|-
| [[Diatessaron]] || Late 2nd c. || Gospel harmony (and the first such gospel harmony) composed by [[Tatian]]; may have been intended to replace the separate gospels as an authoritative text. It was accepted for liturgical purposes for as much as two centuries in [[Syria]], but was eventually suppressed.{{sfn|Metzger|2003|p=117}}{{sfn|Gamble|1985|pp=30–35}}
|-
| [[Protoevangelium of James]] || Mid 2nd c. || Birth and early life of Mary, and birth of Jesus
|-
| [[Gospel of Marcion]] || Mid 2nd c. || [[Marcion of Sinope]], c. 150, had a much shorter version of the gospel of Luke, differing substantially from what has now become the standard text of the gospel and far less oriented towards the Jewish scriptures. Marcion's critics said that he had edited out the portions of Luke he did not like, though Marcion argued that his was the more genuinely original text. He is said to have rejected all other gospels, including those of Matthew, Mark and especially John, which he alleged had been forged by [[Irenaeus]].
|-
| [[Secret Gospel of Mark]] || Uncertain || Allegedly a longer version of Mark written for an elect audience
|-
| [[Gospel of Judas]] || Late 2nd c. || Purports to tell the story of the gospel from the perspective of Judas, the disciple who is usually said to have betrayed Jesus. It paints an unusual picture of the relationship between Jesus and Judas, in that it appears to interpret Judas's act not as betrayal, but rather as an act of obedience to the instructions of Jesus. The text was recovered from a cave in Egypt by a thief and thereafter sold on the black market until it was finally discovered by a collector who, with the help of academics from Yale and Princeton, was able to verify its authenticity. The document itself does not claim to have been authored by Judas (it is, rather, a gospel about Judas), and is known to date to at least 180 AD.{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|p=passim}}
|-
| [[Gospel of Barnabas]] || 14th–16th c. || Contradicts the ministry of Jesus in canonical New Testament and strongly denies [[Pauline Christianity|Pauline]] doctrine, but has clear parallels with Islam, mentioning Muhammad as Messenger of God. Jesus identifies himself as a prophet, not the son of God.{{sfn|Wiegers|1995}}
|}