The Lost Bible: Forgotten Scriptures Revealed

by J.R. Porter

The Lost Bible provides a fascinating introduction to sacred writings of great profundity and aesthetic merit that did not become part of the canon of the Old and New Testaments. In the centuries around the beginning of the Common Era, the Jewish people drew faith and inspiration from hundreds of sacred writings, not just those that make up the Hebrew Bible we know today. Early Christianity itself produced a wealth of sacred writings, which, though they did not become part of the New Testament, were popular among believers and important in spreading the faith. After the canons of the Jewish and Christian Bibles were established, many of these works disappeared into obscurity. Some were lost entirely; others survived in translations.

J. R. Porter introduces the reader to a wide selection of these extraordinary and beautiful "lost" works-from words considered to be those of prophets, kings, and patriarchs (even Adam himself) to legends and stories that supply "missing" parts of the Gospels. For each work, commentary is followed by a translated extract in clear and up-to-date language. The commentary places writings in their religious, social, and political context; explains the crucial importance of these works to the development of Jewish and Christian thought; and highlights the many legends and artistic traditions that sprang from them. It also examines the reasons-both religious and political-why these writings did not become part of the Jewish and Christian Bibles.

Lavishly illustrated with beautiful artwork, and amplified by maps, timelines, and data boxes, this text is a rich resource for anyone interested in exploring the origins of Judaism andChristianity.

Part I: Works related to the Old Testament

*Apocalypses
*Testaments
*Comments on Scripture
*Wisdom and Philosophy
*Hymns and Prayers
*Sibylline Oracles
*Apocrypha and Deuterocanonical works
*Recent Discoveries, including the Dead Sea Scrolls

Part II: Works related to the New Testament
*Apocryphal Gospels
*Apocryphal Acts
*Apocryphal Letters
*Apocryphal Apocalypses
*Recent Discoveries, including the Gnostic Library

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Christianity, History

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Marc Lamot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contains the old testamentic 'Pseudepigrapha' (not apocryphal, but attributed to an existing author), the New Testament 'Apocrypha', but no dead Sea Scrolls texts. With a general introductions and short excerpts. Nicely illustrated

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Middle east was like a seed bed for religious turmoil in the first century after Christ. There were several branches of Judaism, often at odds with one another and there were a number of varieties of Christians, differing in insignificant fashion or in major belief systems. All of these peoples possessed scriptures they loved and cherished. Many of their writings were eventually gathered into the canon of orthodoxy and enshrined in that collection of scripture we call the Bible. Other scriptures, once just as honored, didn't make the cut. What were these writings? Who wrote them and when? What did they really say? I have frequently wondered about this literature. I had read about it, but I had not personally read it. Now, to my intense satisfaction, J.R. Porter has put together a richly illustrated anthology of these "extra-canonical" texts. There is a helpful timeline, a thorough index and Bibliography and much to my grateful delight, a glossary. Each selection of scripture has additional information about its setting, probable authorship, et cetera. And did I mention the illustrations? I would have bought it simply to drool over the pictures. The ooh-ah factor is very big, here. In each selection, the original language is identified, its provenance is noted, if possible, and the date of its earliest surviving manuscript is noted. For me, and I think, for many, this kind of background material makes the scriptures themselves more assessable and more readily understood. If you are a lover of Antiquity, you will love this book. If your interests lie in the history of religion, this is "gotta have it" stuff. And did I mention the illustrations are in color?

[Lizabeth Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my guilty pleasures is going into a brick and mortar bookstore to browse the new books. Since I have been hooked on ereading since I bought my first Sony, it is usually just a way of getting ideas for future purchases online. However, there are some books and types of books that demand to be in physical form. And some others that are not available in any other form. This book falls into both categories. First, it doesn't appear to be available in digital form. Secondly, it has lots of illustrations and photographs.

This particular book was found in the clearance and discount section of Barnes & Noble. It is a wonderful introduction to the various scriptures that didn’t make the cut in the Jewish and Christian canon. Each section has a commentary on the content, origins, and significance of the books as well as translated extracts.

I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in religions as well as having an open mind as to what is accepted and what isn’t. It may also turn your beliefs topsy-turvy after seeing what has been hidden all these years.

For example, The Second Book of Enoch (Enoch 2) is believed to be one of the earliest attempts to reconcile the Bible with science. How early? It was written in the 2nd Century BCE to 1st Century CE. The oldest existing manuscript is from the 14th Century CE.

As you read through this book, you’ll learn an entirely different biblical history and see how these little known books were reflected in the art work of the world. Definitely a 4.5 out of 5.

[Lela · Rating 4 out of 5]

TL;DR an excellent summary of various books not in canon and a brief historical background on each of them. Provides an excellent jumping off point for farther research and introduction to each work. Suffers a bit from assuming the reader is not new to biblical history, which may make it more difficult for a casual reader. Excellent art choices.

I really enjoyed this as a student of history. I like the way the book was laid out, the photo and illustration choices complimented the material well and I found it to be to the point. The author is, while not dry or boring, very direct.

I think this book suffers in places from assuming the reader has a more academic or historical background on the Bible and related works than an average person. Even if someone is well versed in the current religious canon, I feel that there were parts that assumed a reader had background on the formation of the Chrsitian church in particular beyond what is written in the bible. This assumption may not be wrong on the author's part as the book appears to be targeted towards more academic types but there were sections where I thought more background would have been helpful. I thought some more explanations on early church history as well as different groups could be expanded to be more complete, though I recognize that is not the purpose of this book. Particularly I thought the explanations for different social attitudes and differences in interpretation that different church groups had incredibly interesting. I found myself making a note to look up more on the history of a specific group or area, or at least reading the Wikipedia page on it before returning to the description of the text quite often.

I did really appreciate how the author remarked on where a text was found, it's language, probable earliest date or authored date, and accepted background. I also really appreciated the commentary on the work's probable author and any particular influence, background or biased they may have had that showed in their work. It helps provide a historical context for what the work is and attitudes within it, as well as why a book may not have made "the final cut". I think the author also suffers here a bit from assuming the reader has a more academic knowledge background than a casual one, as the book refers to "the accepted meaning" or "generally accepted explanation" without going into much detail about how the scholars arrived at that conclusion about an author or the purpose of a writer creating the work. Again, maybe an area outside the book's mandate but I thought it would be nice to include. While I also very much appreciated the Gnosticism related texts included and the discussion of them, I thought more background to how scholars arrived at certain conclusions regarding them and how we came to learn about them fairly brief. Again, a good introduction to the topic but not as in-depth as it could have been.

My last point is I feel like this book is very Judeo-Christian focused and does not often bring up Islam. I think this is an area that could be expanded on should the author make a second edition, as it would be able to provide more background on certain texts as well as showing the impact (or lack thereof) of a specific work. This last point does not detract from my enjoyment of the book however.

Overall I like this book as an introduction to the works they discuss and think it incredibly helpful for anyone who is an enjoyer of history.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good source of general information about books that were not included in the current canon of both the Old and New Testaments. Good explanations about when they were written and how they were often tied to current events, or to offshoots of Christianity, such as Gnosticism.

[John Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the info on other texts that did not make it in to the Bible. This is more of an overview of the subject. If you are looking for in depth this is not the book for you.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

really good despite the 3 star rating ( out of 5) - but so short. Covers many interesting topics but so briefly and sketchily.
Beautiful illustrations.

[Reijn van der Meij · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interessant maar zonder duidelijke conclusie. Over sommige zaken wordt ook vlug overheen gedwarreld die mij wel leuk leken.

[Crom · Rating 5 out of 5]

brief, concise, and interesting

[Željko Filipin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. Covers a lot of books that were influential in their time but didn't end up in the Bible, for various reasons.

[Carolyn Kost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Porter is a renowned scholar of theology and biblical studies who has been affiliated with Exeter and Oxford universities. These "lost books" provide extensive and indispensable insight into the first millennium C.E., the formative era of both Judaism and Christianity. A helpful introduction describes the processes by which books were selected or omitted as part of the Jewish and Christian canons, the bodies of "official" works sanctioned by various legitimating groups over many years. The writings are divided into two parts: the Jewish pseudoepigrapha and the Christian apocrypha, and then arranged thematically (i.e. patriarchs, prophets, psalms, lost years of Jesus, etc.). For each literary piece, Porter provides historical context, approximate dates of composition and oldest extant copy, language and provenance, a summary, an excerpt, and correlations with other works. Further boxed explanations and exquisite illustrations from diverse sources accompany and enhance the text. It is imperative to note that Porter does not include the Dead Sea Scrolls, and focuses on books that were attributed or dedicated to a biblical figure. This is a scholarly but accessible treatment, a highly recommended reference for academic and theological libraries, public libraries where interest dictates, and religious bookstores.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read. I learned quite a bit from this book. Sure is an eye opener.

[Sara Johann]

Wonderful and useful book about the lost books of the Bible. Stunning illustrations are included. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to go beyond standard religious studies and learn far more.