What are the New Testament apocrypha?

The New Testament apocrypha are early Christian writings concerning Jesus, his teachings, and his apostles that were not included in the biblical canon. While some were initially cited as scripture, a widespread consensus since the fifth century has limited the New Testament to twenty-seven accepted books. Today, Protestant churches do not view these texts as part of the Bible.

What we know

• The New Testament apocrypha consist of early Christian writings detailing accounts of Jesus, his teachings, the nature of God, and the lives and teachings of his apostles. [1, 2]
• Certain writings within the New Testament apocrypha were cited as scripture by early Christians. [1, 2]
• A widespread consensus has limited the New Testament to twenty-seven books since the fifth century. [1, 2]
• Protestant churches generally do not view the New Testament apocrypha as part of the Bible. [1, 2]

Where to go next

• what caused itHow did the 27 books of the New Testament get chosen?
• compared withWhat role do deuterocanonical books play in Catholic Bibles?
• the bigger pictureWhich texts are specifically included in the Jewish apocrypha?
• how it workedWhat does the Greek word apokryphos originally mean?
• a case in pointHow are intertestamental texts organized in traditional Protestant Bibles?
• an unexpected connectionHow did private reading influence the term apocryphal?The word originally referred to works intended for private reading rather than public church services before taking on connotations of being false or spurious.

Sources

• [1]New Testament apocrypha (Wikidata Q6718887) · CC0 1.0
• [2]New Testament apocrypha · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Biblical apocrypha · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Apocrypha · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Jewish apocrypha and pseudepigrapha · CC BY-SA 4.0