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List of gospels

Gospels (Greek: , <small>lit.</small> 'good news'; Latin: ) are the written records of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The term originally referred to the central message of Christianity and later evolved to refer to the books in which that message was written. The Gospels are a genre of ancient biography in early Christian literature. The New Testament includes four canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Other gospels exist, but are not included in the biblical canon. These additional gospels are referred to as either New Testament apocrypha or pseudepigrapha. Some of these texts have had an impact on Christian traditions, including various forms of iconography.

Canonical gospels

Hypothesized sources of the synoptic gospels

  • Q source – Q comprises material common to Matthew and Luke, but not found in Mark
  • M source – M comprises material unique to Matthew
  • L source – L comprises material unique to Luke

Hypothesized sources of the Gospel of John

  • Signs Gospel – narrative of the Seven Signs
  • Discourses Gospel – source of the discourse material

Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha

Closely related to the Canonical Gospels

Gnostic Gospels

Jewish-Christian Gospels

Infancy Gospels

Other gospels

Partially preserved gospels

Fragmentary preserved gospels

Fragmentary gospels are those preserved from primary sources.

  • Gospel of Eve – mentioned only once by Epiphanius around 400 AD, who preserves a single brief passage in quotation
  • Gospel of Mani – 3rd century, attributed to the Persian Mani, the founder of Manichaeism
  • Gospel of the Saviour (also known as the Unknown Berlin Gospel) – a highly fragmentary 6th century manuscript based on a late 2nd or early 3rd century original
  • Coptic Gospel of the Twelve – late 2nd century Coptic language work. Although often equated with the Gospel of the Ebionites, it appears to be an attempt at retelling the Gospel of John in the pattern of the Synoptics

Reconstructed Gospels

Reconstructed gospels are those preserved from secondary sources and commentaries.

  • Secret Gospel of Mark – the legitimacy of this gospel is a subject of debate, as the single source mentioning it is considered by many to be a modern forgery and was lost before it could be independently authenticated
  • Gospel of Matthias – a lost text from the New Testament apocrypha; the content has been surmised from descriptions in works by church fathers

Lost Gospels

  • Gospel of Cerinthus – around 90–120 AD according to Epiphanius, this is a Jewish gospel identical to the Gospel of the Ebionites. According to the Hebrews, it was apparently a truncated version of the Gospel of Matthew
  • Gospel of Apelles – mid to late 2nd century, a further edited version of Marcion's edited version of Luke
  • Gospel of Valentinus
  • Gospel of the Encratites
  • Gospel of Andrew – mentioned by two 5th century sources (Augustine and Pope Innocent I) who list it as apocryphal
  • Gospel of Bartholomew – mentioned by two 5th century sources, Jerome and Gelasian Decree, that both list it as apocryphal
  • Gospel of Hesychius – mentioned only by Jerome and the Gelasian Decree, both of which list it as apocryphal
  • Gospel of Lucius – mentioned only by Jerome and the Gelasian Decree, which list it as apocryphal
  • Gospel of Merinthus – mentioned only by Epiphanius. It is thought by most to be the Gospel of Cerinthus, with the confusion due to a scribal error
  • An unknown number of other Gnostic gospels not cited by name
  • Gospel of the Adversary of the Law and the Prophets
  • Memoirs of the Apostles – a lost narrative of the life of Jesus, mentioned by Justin Martyr. The passages quoted by Justin may have originated from a gospel harmony of the Synoptic Gospels composed by Justin or his school

Fragments of possibly unknown or lost (or existing) gospels

These are fragmentary texts whose origins are uncertain or unknown, preserved from primary sources.

  • Papyrus Egerton 2 – late 2nd century manuscript of a possibly earlier original; contents parallel John 5:39–47, 10:31–39; Matthew 1:40–45, 8:1–4, 22:15–22; Mark 1:40–45, 12:13–17; and Luke 5:12–16, 17:11–14, 20:20–26, but differ textually. This manuscript also contains an incomplete miracle account which has no equivalent in the canonical Gospels
  • Fayyum Fragment – a fragment of about 100 Greek letters in 3rd century script. The text seems to parallel Mark 14:26–31
  • Oxyrhynchus Papyri – fragments #1, 654, and 655 appear to be fragments of Thomas; #210 is related to Matthew 7:17–19 and Luke 6:43–44 but not identical to them; #840 contains a short vignette about Jesus and a Pharisee not found in any known gospel, the source text is probably mid-2nd century; #1224 consists of paraphrases of Mark 2:17 and Luke 9:50
  • Gospel of Jesus' Wife – a fragment based on the Gospel of Thomas, suspected as a modern forgery
  • Papyrus Berolinensis 1171 – Book of Enoch, 0–6th century Greek fragment, possibly from an apocryphal gospel or amulet based on John
  • Papyrus Cairensis 10735 – 6th or 7th century Greek fragment, possibly from a lost gospel, may be a homily or commentary
  • Papyrus Merton 51 – fragment from an apocryphal gospel or a homily on Luke 6:7
  • Strasbourg Fragment – fragment of a lost gospel, likely related to Acts of John

Medieval gospels

  • Gospel of the Seventy – a lost 8th or 9th century Manichean work
  • Gospel of Nicodemus – a post-10th century Christian devotional work (or works) in many variants; the first section is highly dependent upon the 5th century Acts of Pilate
  • Gospel of the Secret Supper – a 12th century Cathar scripture
  • Gospel of Barnabas – a 16th century harmony of the four canonical gospels with Islamic elements, probably of Spanish (Morisco) or possibly Italian origin

Modern gospels

19th Century

20th Century

See also

Notes

Footnotes

References

  • Wilhelm Schneemelcher, R. M. Wilson. New Testament Apocrypha.
  • Wilhelm Schneemelcher, R. M. Wilson. New Testament Apocrypha: Gospels and Related Writings.
  • Charles B. Waite. History of the Christian Religion to the Year Two Hundred.

External links