Theology Matters: What About the “Other Gospels?”
Over the years, I’ve watched as the attacks on Christian faith have moved from one front to another. When one objection is met and disposed of by counter evidence, another soon follows. These challenges arise first in the universities, and then trickle down into the media (“breaking news”), popular documentaries, and the like.
One of the most popular today is the claim that the Church has deliberately ignored, or by “conspiracy” hidden, the fact that there were many other gospels written about Jesus that never made it into the New Testament. This is accepted with such seriousness that “the real Jesus” is said to have been lost to the world, until now.
If you ever encounter this claim, here is a quick and easy way to respond to it:
1) The four Gospels of the New Testament are the only ones that complete the story of the Old Testament. All others are unconnected to the entire history of God’s people.
2) Only the four Gospels are written (with eyewitnesses still living) in the first century, when the events happened. The other gospels are late (second, third, or fourth century), heretical, and describe a Jesus utterly different from the first eye- and ear-witness accounts.
3) The “Church Fathers” quoted only from the four Gospels, because they were the authentic ones widely recognized and demonstrated to be from apostolic sources. The church has always known about the others, and rightly regarded them as fiction, similar to modern tabloids suggesting sightings of long-dead rock stars and alien abductions.
4) The best way to dispose of these very odd and indefensible “gospels” is to read them for yourself, exactly what the early Christians did. The stark difference is immediately evident. The most popular document promoted and defended in the universities today is the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, a very strange and puzzling series of alleged statements of Jesus that are unconnected to any history or context. Once you read it (it takes only a few minutes, and is easy to find on the inter-net), the whole matter should be put to rest—permanently!
For a highly respected, scholarly treatment of the entire issue of the New Testament canon and its formation, read Michael Kruger’s Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Book. For a detailed analysis of this question, please read Ben Witherington’s, Doubting Thomas: The Relevance of the Gospel of Thomas for Historical Jesus Studies.
The next MOPS meeting date is on the 2 April from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at Sarah Dudgeon’s home. Please contact Sarah for details +49 177 6705792.
It’s pretty casual so everyone’s welcome!
Below are the dates for all the next meetings at held on Thursdays, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon:
7 May
4 June (social)
2 July
