A fascinating anthology of ancient sacred writings -- the 'unofficial scriptures' excluded from the Bible.
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. Many of the texts claimed to be the very words written by prophets, kings and patriarchs -- even Adam himself. And although they were excluded from the Jewish canon, they continued to inspire and influence great teachers and popular traditions.
The early Christian community, too, produced a wealth of sacred writings that were dismissed -- even branded heretical -- by the established Church but remained popular among believers and important spreading the faith. These include legends about the miracles of the boy Jesus, stories about magicians and talking animals and the mystical messages of the Gnostic Gospels.
But these powerful, often beautiful works were written out of the Jewish and Christian Bibles, so for centuries most of them remained unknown outside a small circle of theologians and academics -- until now. With profound yet accessible scholarship, Professor JR Porter has gathered these ancient texts in a richly illustrated anthology, pairing translated extracts in clear, modern language with commentaries that reveal their character and importance.
The Forgotten Bible:
- Brings to light a treasure-house of lost sacred legends -- from alternative versions of Bible stories to astonishing visions of the future and vivid accounts of the 'missing years' of Jesus
- Examines scripture in all its literary forms -- songs, epistles, poems, psalms, prayers -- on themes that includes the origin of evil, the coming of the Messiah and the end of the world
- Places the 'lost' books in their religious, social and political context, revealing the dynamic diversity of ancient Jewish and early Christian society.
