The Missing Gospels: Unearthing the Truth Behind Alternative Christianities

by Darrell L. Bock

Is Jesus who you think He is? Embark on this tour of the new claims as well as the controversial writings, examining their origins and comparing them with traditional sources.

Perhaps you've heard the recent buzz about "alternative Christianities" and "new gospels." Speculations have shown up in magazines, documentaries, popular fiction, and even on the big screen. Much of the controversy stems from a library of ancient texts found at Nag Hammadi, Egypt

Now revolutionary questions about the Christian faith are being raised as a result of these

Is Jesus truly a divine Savior or just a teacher of wisdom?Is orthodoxy a by-product of third-century or fourth-century theologians?Did Judas betray Jesus because of evil intent or a request by Jesus?Does salvation include the physical body or just the soul?

Theology professor and author Darrell L. Bock takes on those scholars who want to reinterpret Christianity in light of early Gnostic teachings that denied the oneness of the Father and the Son and spiritualized the gospel stories into myths.



With discussion questions for group or individual study at the end of each chapter, The Missing Gospels will help you understand the messages of all these writings so you can form your own opinion. This provocative work could even change what you believe!



Study questions and a bibliography are available in the audiobook companion PDF download.

Genres: Christianity, Religion, Nonfiction, Theology, Biblical Studies, Church History, Christian

Audible Audio

First published August 1, 2006

About the author

Darrell L. Bock is a New Testament scholar and research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas, United States. Bock received his PhD from Scotland's University of Aberdeen.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reasonable overview of the differences that are actually present in the heretical works and their hopeless state of ever actually having a claim to being just as valid as orthodoxy. I would have appreciated some more focus on arguments related to the interplay between canon and orthodoxy, as I'm not sure that was fleshed out as well as it could have been. It is passable as it is, but there are better works out there that deal with the underlying cause of the fascination with these alternative "Christianities." Kruger and Köstenberger's The Heresy of Orthodoxy is where I would point first for a refutation of Bauer, which would better help as an underpinning for this book.

[David Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great introductory read into the Nag Hammadi texts and cursory glance at the texts themselves. What I liked most about this work is to not down play their historical reliability, but to acknowledge their place and variety.
A couple of things I wish he would have done is noted the dialogical character these had with “traditional texts.” He does this a bit as he compares and contrasts the traditional and new ideas. But, flat out denies any dialogical nature between the two.
I also didn’t like how he seemed to hide behind the idea of why change things that has been around for years in his concluding chapter. I do think the Nag Hammadi texts are revelatory of the growth of Christianity. That does need to be developed, not as one that disavows the traditional texts, but in a way compares and contrasts them.

[Marcy Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4.0 stars.

This book gives an excellent review of the contents of the works in question (e.g. the Gospel of Thomas). It outlines the distinct differences between them and the theology of traditional Christianity. This is the majority of the book.

Based on the title of the book what I was expecting most of this book to be was what we finally got in the conclusion. I wish that the short concluding chapter had been expanded on and delved into in more depth. This was the chapter that explained why we don't need to revise our entire view of Christianity and the trustworthiness of the Bible based on the "new gospels."

So this was an informative book, but not as convincing as it could have been had it been structured differently.

I listened to this as an audiobook.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a thought-provoking exploration into the lesser-known narratives of early Christianity. The author delves into the historical context and diverse perspectives that shaped the development of Christian beliefs. From the Gnostic Gospels to other non-canonical texts, the author unveils the richness and complexity of the early Christian landscape. With scholarly precision, the author navigates through the controversies, offering readers a deeper understanding of the varied interpretations that emerged. This book serves as a valuable resource for those seeking a comprehensive and nuanced perspective on the diverse currents within early Christianity.

[Darren Sorrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

It served as a good survey on the major differences in thought between the traditional and alternatives texts. The book discusses historical dating and apostolic connections of the two schools. After reading, it is clear that the 4 Gospels have a connection to the earliest days/figures of the faith that the alternative works do not possess. The reason for 4 stars-The concluding chapter was a bit open ended.

[Michael Josephbrennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unclear thesis

Bock adds great questions, but he provides incomplete answers and while his point becomes clear at the end, it’s unclear through most of the book. Furthermore, he sufficiently points out a problem, but does not provide an adequate solution.

[Don Hinman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great explanation of the differences between Gnosticism as a "new Christianity" and traditional Christian view. Dr. Bock clearly makes his case.

[Kenneth · Rating 2 out of 5]

In-depth and very academic overview of extrabiblical historical texts that evaluates their place in history.

[Parker Ambrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great resource for understanding why the so-called "missing Gospels" are not Gospels at all. Bock demonstrates the errors of skeptical-critical biblical scholarship.

[Dad Bowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bock seeks to show the weakness of the popular ideas that other Christian faiths developed parallel to orthodoxy but simply orthodoxy won out! Tho a bit technical and it takes an effort to read and learn the issues, it is worthwhile.
He counters ideas of the ‘new school’ of Walter Bauer, and modern popular writings of Bart Ehrman and Dan Brown, etc. He proceeds by examining a large sampling of the new materials, especially those like the Gospel of Thomas found at Nag Hammadi and a sampling of the Bible early church fathers like Ireneaus, Justin Martyr and Clement, etc. I enjoyed finding many of these traditional texts also on the CCEL site in the Anti-Nicene Fathers of Philip Schaff, and reading the contexts. The so called new materials took further seeking out. Bock seeks to show the origin and nature of the gnostic materials and how the Bible philosophy is not at all like that, but better. This work is parallel to that of Dr. R Price’s Searching for the Original Bible, too that I’m also currently reading. McDowell’s Evidence that Demands a Verdict also has much from the early fathers but it was written before current claims about alternative Christianities.

[Ac]

Good scholarly analysis of the Nag Hammadi texts vs traditional texts. Wouldn't recommend it for people who know little to nothing on the subject because on many occasions i had to google things because i didnt recognize the terms/words/phrases being used. That said, it gives a good overview of the claims made by the "new school" and offers a very technical evaluation of these new claims. He shows that the gnostic texts simply do not coincide with the teaching and oral tradition of the early church; also shows that some of these texts aren't as different as the new school claims. Still, he appeals to the notion that earlier is better (regarding the dates in which traditional vs gnostic texts were written), and while i tend agree with this claim it isn't necessarily true and some people might object to that. if ppl are familiar with the subject matter it is a good introductory book. mercilessly researched and footnoted.

[Ted Rohe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is an excellent book and study of the different Orthodox texts in contrast to the Gnostic texts, their contents, dating, and analysis. As Bock points out the New School of Early Church History has tried a revisionist leap without much data to support their claims of the early dating of the Gnostic equality to the Orthodox Christian Faith. This book came out around the same time as the whole Gospel of Judas thing, but he does touch on it briefly.