The Lost Books of the Bible (Dover Value Editions) Paperback – Illustrated, January 1, 2005

Fast

This book answers some of my questions and open my brain up to greater things

No what I expected

It's good 👍

I know other's rate the size of the text and punctuation. I look at the BIG picture. A treasure that has been waiting for me since God created me to read now, in my time of need. Ancient texts that were read by the first Christian/Catholics. Amazing that so many people read these who were possible martyrs. I am very grateful for this gift 🙏

It's interesting how the myriad Books on Early Religious Thoughts are now being reviewed.Most papers were not selected as "Divine Words" by early Scholars.. However.. when put incontext.. they do supplement The New Testament Concepts.My daughter noted to her Jewish tenants that her Catholic Nun teachers.. verified that Christsaid "I am Yahweh" and what that means in the Hebrew Content. AMAZING..Then the Lost books validate how the Almighty mingleing of humans affects us All.and how several parties recognized how their local Hebrew-Christian Groups were awakened!Really.. In the Beginning.. The Word ! & Words

This is a great addition to my Bible study's (y) I'm glad I ordered this book I've learned A LOT. I didn't know about the Blessed Virgin Mary's parent's or anything about Jesus' childhood and ALL of the miracles that He did while He was just a baby. I'm still reading this book cause I just CAN'T put it down. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to add to their Christian books. You have to read this book with an open mind also. It doesn't take away anything in the regulated Bible BUT add's to it and gives the reader a better understanding about Jesus.

This book contains many writings that were simply left out of the final version of the Bible. The inside flap notes that the church suppressed many of these documents. Nevertheless, these writings do not provide any information that is truly spectacular by 21st Century standards. These documents were likely omitted because they did not fit into the neat chronology of the Bible, showed women in a stronger role than was acceptable in medieval times, or suggested that Christ made mistakes as a youth."The Acts of Paul and Thecla" describe a woman who helped spread the word of God. The document clearly shows her as a strong woman and a true disciple. Church elders of the medieval period probably felt that a story of a strong female was inappropriate for women of that period. The events surrounding her persecution are filled with miracles. She survived attempts to kill her through burning and attacks by wild beasts. In the end, she disappeared into a crack in a rock that was created by God. God then closed the opening behind her.The first part of the book describes the birth of the Virgin Mary and her marriage to Joseph. The book also contains writings that describe the adolescent years of Jesus and the magical powers of the cloth used to wrap him as a baby. Some events show Jesus in a less than perfect light. These writings nevertheless describe a part of the Gospel that is not widely known.Some parts of the book flow easily while other writings are difficult to follow. The books of Hermas provide an example of easy reading and tedious reading. "The First Book of Hermas," tells an interesting story. He passes near a great beast, one hundred feet long with locusts coming out of its mouth. Hermas was not killed by the beast as he had faith that the Lord would protect him. The third book talks of mountains and stones that are used to build a tower. Only after struggling through this document does the reader learn that the tower is a metaphor for the house of God.The end of the book contains multiple letters from Pontius Pilate and Herod. Herod talks about how he is paying the price for killing John the Baptist. Pilate sends letters to Tiberius Caesar, which recount his reasons for crucifying Jesus. His letters also discuss the miracles surrounding Jesus such as the raising of Lazarus, and the earthquake following the crucifixion. These documents note that Tiberius subsequently killed Pilate for his role in the crucifixion.Like the Bible itself, this book is a compilation of ancient writings. Also like the Bible, the documents are presented in two vertical columns per page. This book is a fascinating companion to the Bible. It provides insight to events surrounding the New Testament that are mostly unknown. Bottom line: a semi tough read but well worth the effort.