Theological Term of the Week: New Testament Apocrypha

New Testament apocrypha

Early Christian writings related to the narratives or personalities of the New Testament which were never permanently included in the New Testament canon.

• From The Apocrypha by Michael J. Kruger:

Unlike its OT counterpart, the NT Apocrypha is not a tightly defined group of texts. Rather the NT Apocrypha refers to large array of books that look similar to our NT writings in both style and genre, may even claim apostolic origins, and yet never found a permanent home inside the church’s emerging canon. The four major genres of these apocryphal writings match the four major genres of the NT itself: gospel, acts, epistle, and apocalypse.

Learn more: 

1. Blue Letter Bible: What Is the New Testament Apocrypha?
2. Michael J. Kruger: The Apocrypha
3. Michael J. Kruger: Apocryphal Books in Early Christian Codices: Evidence for their Canonical Status?
4. Michael J. Kruger: 10 Misconceptions about the New Testament Canon: #6: “In the Early Stages, Apocryphal Books Were as Popular as Canonical Books”
5. Biblical Foundations: The Apocryphal New Testament

Related term:

• canon of scripture

Filed under Scripture

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