We’ve been investigating the late non-canonical gospels to determine why they were rejected by the Christian community even though they often contain nuggets of truth related to Jesus. These elaborate stories, legends and fabrications were written by authors who were motivated to alter the history of Jesus to suit their …
Read More »Why Shouldn’t We Trust the Non-Canonical Gospels Attributed to Peter?
When I first started investigating the reliability of the New Testament Gospels, I was fascinated by the ancient non-Canonical stories and legends related to Jesus. While they were written too late to be legitimate eyewitness accounts, they were built on the core truths of Gospels (albeit altered and embellished by …
Read More »What Motivated Early Non-Canonical Writers to Modify the Story of Jesus?
As an early investigator of Christianity, I was interested in everything ever written in antiquity about Jesus. One day, while searching the religion section of a local bookstore, I discovered a book entitled, The Lost Books of the Bible. I purchased it immediately, expecting to find evidence our current understanding …
Read More »Do the Non-Canonical Gospels Challenge the Historicity of the New Testament?
A recent press release described a conference in the United Kingdom in which two “scholars” argued the story of Jesus was “actually constructed, tip to stern, on prior stories, but especially on the biography of a Roman Caesar” in an effort to keep order amongst the citizenry of Rome. The …
Read More »The Unsurprising Depth and Variety of Ancient Stories Written About Jesus
I get email occasionally from skeptics who challenge the historicity of Jesus due to what they see as a deficiency in the historical record. If a man such as Jesus really existed, performing miracles and rising from the dead, wouldn’t his life and resurrection have created a much larger historical …
Read More »What Should We Make of the Non-Canonical Gospels? (Podcast)
In this previously recorded radio interview from The Ride Home with John and Kathy on WORDFM in Pittsburgh, J. Warner discusses the ancient non-canonical documents describing Jesus. Should the existence of these documents cause us to doubt what the Biblical account says about Jesus? If the non-canonical documents describe Jesus …
Read More »A Thorough Guide to the Non-Canonical Gospels
Many years ago, when I first became interested in Christianity, I encountered a book at a local bookstore entitled, The Lost Books of the Bible. As a new investigator of the claims of the New Testament, I was immediately intrigued. “What?” I thought, “There are books about Jesus that were …
Read More »Why Shouldn’t We Trust the Non-Canonical “Trimorphic Protennoia”?
There are a number of ancient, non-canonical texts used by sect leaders or heretical groups in the early history of Christianity. One of these is a gnostic document called The Trimorphic Protennoia. Is this non-biblical text reliable? Was it written by an eyewitness who accurately captured the actions and statements …
Read More »Why Shouldn’t We Trust the Non-Canonical “Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit”?
There are a number of ancient, non-canonical texts used by sect leaders or heretical groups in the early history of Christianity. One of these is a gnostic document called The Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit. Is this non-biblical text reliable? Was it written by an eyewitness who accurately …
Read More »Why Shouldn’t We Trust the Non-Canonical “Second Treatise of the Great Seth”?
There are a number of ancient, non-canonical texts used by sect leaders or heretical groups in the early history of Christianity. One of these is a gnostic document called The Second Treatise of the Great Seth. Is this non-biblical text reliable? Was it written by an eyewitness who accurately captured …
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