The Secret Gospels: A Harmony of Apocryphal Jesus Traditions (Oxford Critical Studies in Religion Series)

By R. Joseph Hoffmann and R. Joseph Hoffman

This book brings together, for the first time in a consecutive narrative, the major apocryphal sources of the Jesus tradition. Composed between the 2nd and 7th centuries, these "secret gospels" were influencial in shaping Christian belief and doctrine for well over 1,000 years. They include stories of the birth of Jesus, his "lost" years as a boy in Nazareth, the wanderings of the holy family, the death of Joseph, and the ascension of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Translated and harmonized by R. Joseph Hoffmann, a specialist in early church history, these sources offer an unparalleled view of the devotional life and legend-making skills of the Christian Church. They also provide important insight into the making of the New Testament canon and raise significant questions about the way in which belief in the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth developed.This comprehensive introduction to the apocryphal tradition is essential reading for anyone interested in the life and thought of the formative period of Christian belief. Enhanced by Hoffmann's running notes and commentary, this impressive work includes a supplement on the apocryphal Jesus tradition in Islam as well as long-unavailable sources from the Eastern Coptic-Egyptian and Arab-Christian traditions.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 157392069X
• ISBN13: 9781573920698
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Prometheus Books
• Length: 196 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Introduction to the apocryphal literature

Contrary to one of the editorial reviews this book contains a bibliography, although not an extensive one. The author is translating for a general readership, not for other experts. Therefore his harmonizing of the various sources is designed to be readable - which it is. He is concentrating on the sources that represent his speciality - Arabic and Coptic; therefore, some familar stories are omitted as are most gnostic sources.The stories included are histories of Joseph, Mary and substantial infancy materials. Also included are a number of early nativity hymns and excerpts of the infancy material in the Quran.The weakness in the book is solely in the Introduction where the author displays a consistent post-Christian, reformation bias, especially with regards to the creation of the New Testament canon. He does acknowledge the diversity of the canon in Syriac and Coptic versions but never allows that acknowledgment to mitigate his "Catholic power-grap" mentality.While I prefer Maire Herbert's Irish Biblical Apocrypha for fun stories, this volume is far more representative and readable. It provides excellent background for Medieval mystery plays and some poetry without expecting background in Biblical studies.