A Guide to Eight of the Non-Canonical Gospels
The essential facts about the gospels of Thomas, Judas, Infancy James, Peter, Philip, Infancy Thomas, Mary, and Truth
Sometime after the four New Testament gospels were completed, other gospels claiming to be written by apostles arose. Generally much shorter than the gospels in the Bible, these were a sort of early Christian fanfiction, often mixed with heretical beliefs and fantastical tales. Though some of these have been preserved since antiquity, others were only discovered in modern times, most notably at the site of Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945.
Unfortunately, such gospels are poorly understood by the general public due to misleading media hype. The good news is that you can easily read these and evaluate the evidence for yourself. Here, I have compiled a series of information complete with details surrounding the composition, discovery, and content of some of these ancient texts.
The Gospel of Thomas
Date written: 135-200 CE1
Language: Thought to be originally written in either Syriac or Greek
Manuscripts: 1 complete Coptic manuscript dating to ca. 340 CE and 3 Greek fragments (P. Oxy. 1, P. Oxy. 654, P. Oxy. 655) dating to ca. 200 CE2
Discovery: Coptic manuscript found in Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945 and Greek fragments are from Oxyrhynchus, Egypt3
Authorship: Unknown but claims to have been written by “Didymos Judas Thomas,” a disciple of Jesus
Content: The Gospel of Thomas has acquired a large amount of popularity in both scholarly communities and the general public due to its unusual nature, consisting entirely of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus. As such, it falls into the genre of wisdom literature instead of historical biography.4 Many of these sayings have parallels to things found in the canonical gospels, as well as other New Testament books. It also includes several parables based upon those found in the synoptics; these are often abridged, though sometimes add things not in the original versions.
Despite these similarities, Thomas is very different from the New Testament gospels, as it contains no narratives, miracles, or crucifixion and resurrection. Some of the teachings contained in this book go against things found in the Bible like fasting and observing the Sabbath as requirements for salvation (27), the existence of multiple gods (30), and others.
One thing it repeatedly emphasizes is asceticism and renouncing the world which shows evidence of a proto-Gnostic influence. Certain sayings sound quite strange to modern readers and are honestly laughable. The last saying has become especially well-known for its sexist content and is in clear opposition to the portrayal of Jesus’ attitudes toward women seen in the Bible.
Textual Variants and Preservation: The Gospel of Thomas has undergone many edits and changes in transmission, as comparisons between the surviving texts have shown. It is certainly much more poorly preserved than any book of the New Testament. P. Oxy. 655 contains a significantly longer version of saying 36 than what is preserved in the Nag Hammadi codex, and P. Oxy. 1’s saying 33 is quite different as well, to the point of being unrecognizable.5
Important Quote:
Simon Peter said to him, “Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of life.” Jesus said, “I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven.” (114)6
The Gospel of Judas
Date written: 140-170 CE7
Language: Thought to be originally written in Greek
Manuscripts: One Coptic manuscript dating to ca. 260 CE
Discovery: Seems to have been uncovered near Beni Mazar, Egypt in the 1970s
Authorship: Unknown but claims to have been written by Judas Iscariot
Content: This gospel describes itself as a “secret message of judgement Jesus spoke with Judas Iscariot.” It begins with Jesus laughing at his disciples while they are praying because they are praying to the wrong God. The disciples become offended that Jesus is mocking their prayer, but none of them except Judas were brave enough to stand before him. Jesus then offers to give Judas the secrets of the kingdom.
The disciples are here depicted as ignorant and foolish, with Jesus frequently laughing at them and mocking them for their supposed stupidity. Additionally, he condemns animal sacrifices, placing much more emphasis on spiritual things than physical ones. Although Judas is treated the most favourably by the text, he is still called the “thirteenth demon” by Jesus.
Jesus uses many Gnostic ideas, teachings, and phrases when revealing this secret information to Judas. He describes the creation of humanity by an angel called Saklas, as well as other odd and unbiblical teachings. At the end of the gospel, Judas hands Jesus over to some Jewish scribes for money.
Textual Variants and Preservation: As there is only one known manuscript, no variants can be identified. However, the text is very fragmentary with many missing sections as a result of the physical deterioration of the document.
Important Quote:
Jesus said, “[Come] and I’ll teach you about the [mysteries that no] human [will] see, because there exists a great and boundless realm whose horizons no angelic generation has seen, [in] which is a [great] invisible Spirit, which no [angelic] eye has ever seen, no heart has ever comprehended, and it’s never been called by any name.”8
The Infancy Gospel of James
Date written: 140-160 CE
Language: Thought to be originally written in Greek
Manuscripts: Over 140 Greek manuscripts dating from the 4th-10th centuries CE, plus numerous ancient translations
Discovery: Known since antiquity, though the oldest known copy, Papyrus Bodmer V, was found near Dishna, Egypt, in 1952
Authorship: Unknown but claims to have been written by James, the brother of Jesus, who is here depicted as being only a half-brother
Content: This gospel begins by introducing Joachim and Anna, a childless Jewish couple. Anna is distressed at having no children, but an angel appears to her saying that she will have a child, and she promises to give the child to God. When the baby is born, Anna names her Mary and she lives with her parents until she turns three years old and is taken to live at the Temple.
When Mary turns twelve, it is decided that she can no longer live at the Temple, as she will make it impure when she menstruates. To solve this problem, a council of priests decides that she will be taken care of by a widower, and a man named Joseph who has children from a previous marriage is chosen for this task. Although he refuses at first, he does agree to be Mary’s guardian.
When Mary is sixteen, she is spinning thread for a new Temple veil when an angel appears to her and tells her that she will give birth to a child and name him Jesus. As in the Gospel of Luke, she goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth and stays there for three months. After she has been pregnant six months, Joseph returns and is shocked to find Mary pregnant, then becomes worried for the safety of Mary and himself. When the religious authorities find out, both Joseph and Mary are required to participate in the test of bitter water (see Numbers 5:11-31), and it shows them to be innocent.
A census is called, and on the road to Bethlehem, Mary goes into labour. Joseph takes his sons and Mary to a cave nearby, and a midwife comes to assist Mary in giving birth. Once Jesus is born, a second midwife named Salome arrives and refuses to believe that a virgin has given birth until she examines Mary and it burns her hand, though once she touches Jesus, she is healed. Next, the magi come and present their gifts, going back another way to avoid Herod.
Elizabeth took John with her to flee Herod, as he was searching for John to murder him. Miraculously, a mountain opened up to shelter the two of them. Meanwhile, officers demand that Zechariah tell them where his son is, though they murder him when he will tell them nothing of John’s whereabouts. The people mourn for Zechariah once they discover what has happened, and it ends with the author claiming to be James who wrote this account during the commotion caused by Herod’s death.
Textual Variants and Preservation: The earliest copy (Papyrus Bodmer V) contains a shorter version of chapters 18-21 than is seen in other manuscripts. In the longer version, it briefly switches to a first-person narrative from the perspective of Joseph. He perceives several moments when time had stopped and where even birds are frozen in the sky. It also includes a few more lines of dialogue between Joseph and the midwife as well as with King Herod and the magi. This extended version of the story was probably not in the original version and was added later.
Important Quote:
And Salome said, “As the Lord my God lives, unless I insert my finger (and) examine her condition, I won’t believe that the virgin has given birth.” And she went in and positioned her, and Salome examined her condition. And Salome cried out, “I’ve tested the living God and look! My hand is on fire and falling away from me!” And she prayed to the Lord, and the midwife was healed in that hour.9
The Gospel of Peter
Date written: 2nd century CE
Language: Originally written in Greek
Manuscripts: One partial Greek manuscript dating to the 6th century CE, plus two possible Greek fragments (P. Oxy. 4009, P. Oxy. 2949)
Discovery: Akhmim, Egypt in 1886
Authorship: Unknown but claims to have been written by the disciple Simon Peter
Content: This one begins with a brief scene of Jesus’ trial before describing the crucifixion. None of the words Jesus speaks on the cross from the canonical gospels appear, instead, his last words are here recorded as “my power, the power, you’ve left me!” Then, the temple veil is torn, the nails are removed from Jesus’ body, there is an earthquake, and Joseph takes the body to bury it in his tomb. Many people began weeping and mourning while the disciples hid.
Some scribes and Pharisees ask Pilate for a guard for the tomb and they are given a centurion. Later on, two glowing men descend from heaven. The stone rolls away by itself and the two men enter the tomb. They emerge from the tomb with a third man and a cross. Things get very strange, as the heads of the two men reach up into heaven, though the head of the other man reaches beyond heaven. A voice from heaven asked the cross if it had proclaimed to those who sleep and it spoke the word yes.
The centurion proclaimed that Jesus was the son of God. Mary and some of her friends go to the tomb only to find it open. A young man is sitting in the tomb and asks the women who they are looking for; then, the women flee the tomb in fear. On the last day of the feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples weep and grieve. Peter, Andrew, and Levi (Matthew) go out with their nets to fish, and the manuscript cuts off there.
Textual Variants and Preservation: No textual variants can be identified, as none of the fragments contain text from the same portions. The only surviving manuscript is missing portions, so what else this gospel once contained is unknown.
Important Quote:
Then those soldiers seeing it woke up the centurion and the elders, because they were there too, keeping guard. And while they were explaining to them what they saw, again they saw three men coming out of the tomb, with the two supporting the one, and a cross following them. And the heads of the two reached as far as heaven, but that of the one being led by them reached beyond the heavens. And they heard a voice from the heavens, saying, “Have you proclaimed to those who sleep?”
And a response was heard from the cross: “Yes!”10
The Gospel of Philip
Date written: 3rd century CE
Language: Thought to be originally written in either Syriac or Greek
Manuscripts: One Coptic manuscript dating to the 4th century CE
Discovery: Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945
Authorship: Unknown and does not claim to have been authored by Philip; it was named after him because he is the only apostle mentioned
Content: This gospel is one of the longer ones and is mostly concerned with Gnostic theology. Many strange things are stated here, such as that no bread existed on earth until Christ came, God eats humans, and humans and animals come from two trees in paradise. It is probably most well-known for emphasizing a special relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, as she is called his companion and there is a reference to him kissing her.
Another commonly mentioned subject in this gospel is that of marriage and the bridal chamber. Overall, it is a very strange text that has only the smallest bit of narrative and dialogue; most of it rambles on about some obscure topic and it does not seem to have any sort of structure or organization. This one is probably the least interesting to read of the eight included in this post despite its influence on pop culture and Jesus-related conspiracy theories.
Textual Variants and Preservation: There is only one surviving copy of this work, so no variants are known. The manuscript is quite fragmentary in certain places, so some of what it once said is unclear.
Important Quote:
The Wisdom who is called “the barren” is the Mother [of the angels] and [the] companion of the [… Mary] Magdalene [… loved her] more than the disciples [… he] kissed her on her [… many] times. The rest of […] […] they said to him, “Why do you love her more than all of us?” The Savior said to them in reply, “Why don't I love you like her? When a person who's blind and one who sees are both in the dark, they're no different from one another. When the light comes, the one who sees will see the light, and the one who's blind will remain in the dark.”11
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas
Date written: 150-180 CE
Language: Thought to be originally written in either Syriac or Greek
Discovery: Known since antiquity
Manuscripts: Several manuscripts in various ancient languages
Authorship: Unknown but claims to have been written by “Thomas the Israelite”
Content: The Infancy Gospel of Thomas records several stories from Jesus’ childhood years, beginning when he is five years old. It begins with a story about Jesus making birds out of clay on the Sabbath, who is then rebuked for working. Upon Jesus clapping his hands and calling his creations “living beings,” the clay birds fly away; this story even ends up making its way into the Quran.
A boy who is the son of the high priest Annas, asks Jesus why he is doing such things on the Sabbath. Jesus replies that his fruit will have no root and the child dies, withering away. While with his father Joseph, someone running touches Jesus’ shoulder. Jesus calls a curse upon him and he dies. The people of the village then tell Joseph that they do not want Jesus living there any longer, as he is going around spontaneously killing people who annoy him, though his accusers only end up going blind.
A teacher named Zacchaeus offers to instruct Jesus, as he can tell that the child is very smart by the way he speaks. Zacchaeus begins by attempting to teach Jesus the Greek alphabet, though Jesus refuses to answer him, and Zacchaeus strikes his head in frustration. Jesus then becomes irritated and says that he wishes to teach Zacchaeus instead of being taught by him, as he knows the letters better than his teacher does. Jesus then recites the entire Greek alphabet to his teacher and begins lecturing him about the letters.
Zacchaeus becomes terribly distressed and exclaims that he has been outsmarted by a child. He says that Jesus is some sort of great being like a god or an angel. Jesus laughs and all those whom he cursed are healed.
Later on, Jesus is playing on the roof of a house with some other children when one of them falls and dies. The child’s parents accuse Jesus of pushing their son off the roof and he denies having done this. Then, Jesus calls out to Zeno, the boy who fell, and asks him if he pushed him, to which the child replies no. His parents are amazed and worship Jesus.
While splitting wood, a young man accidentally cuts his foot, resulting in his death. Jesus ran over, touched the foot, and the man was healed. At age seven, Jesus is asked by his mother to get water from a well. The pitcher breaks, though Jesus uses his cloak to carry some water home. Jesus also miraculously makes a large harvest of wheat.
Joseph is given a rich man’s bed in order to fix it but is unsure how to do so, as one of the beams is too short. Jesus tells him to line up the two beams and stretches the shorter one until it is the right length. A second teacher starts teaching Jesus the alphabet, though Jesus acts disrespectfully. The teacher strikes him only to have Jesus curse him and kill him.
A third teacher offers to take on Jesus as a student, though he realizes he is unqualified for this as Jesus is full of grace and wisdom. The second teacher who died is then healed. Later, James is gathering wood when a snake bites him. Jesus blows on it and it becomes healed.
It ends by recounting the story of Jesus in the Temple at age twelve from the Gospel of Luke. Jesus discusses important religious matters with some priests and teachers when his parents find him at the Temple, as they had been looking for him. The scribes and Pharisees praise Mary because her son is so very wise.
Textual Variants and Preservation: Two stories are not included in the earliest manuscript, one about Jesus bringing a dead baby back to life and another about him bringing back to life a builder who had died.
Important Quote:
And Joseph went and rebuked him (Jesus), saying, “Why are you doing these things on the Sabbath?” But Jesus clapped his hands, ordering the birds with a shout in front of all, and said, “Go, take flight like living beings!” And the sparrows, taking flight, went away squawking.12
The Gospel of Mary
Date written: 2nd century CE
Language: Thought to be originally written in Greek
Discovery: Akhmim, Egypt, in 1896
Manuscripts: One Coptic manuscript dating to the 5th century CE and two Greek fragments dating to the 3rd century CE (P. Oxy. 3525, P. Ryl. 463)
Authorship: Unknown and does not claim to have been authored by Mary; it was named after her because she is the most prominent character
Content: It begins with a brief scene of Peter talking to Jesus about sin. Mary (though which Mary this refers to is unknown), arises as a central character in telling the disciples not to grieve.
After the break of missing pages, Mary narrates a dialogue between a personified desire and the soul. After speaking about these things for a while, she falls silent and Andrew says he does not believe such things came from Jesus. Peter also condemns her, for the idea that Jesus was teaching Mary in private and not involving the other disciples is absurd to him.
Mary cries because the others refuse to believe that what she is saying is true. Then, Levi rebukes Peter and says that he cannot reject Mary if the Saviour has made her worthy. It ends with all of the disciples going out to preach.
Textual Variants and Preservation: There are no known variants, but the document had been poorly preserved. Six pages are missing from the beginning of the gospel and four from the middle, so these portions are missing. Peter then says that Mary is the woman that Jesus loves the most.
Important Quote:
Then Peter said to Mary, “Sister, we know that you are greatly loved by the Saviour, more than any other woman. Tell us those words of His that you remember, the things which you know and we don't, the teachings we never heard.”13
The Gospel of Truth
Date written: 2nd-3rd centuries CE
Language: Thought to be originally written in Greek
Discovery: Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945
Manuscripts: Two Coptic codices dating to the 4th-5th centuries CE
Authorship: Unknown and does not claim to have been authored by any particular person
Content: It first speaks about truth and error and then the crucifixion of Jesus. There is a confusing parable about someone who breaks jars in a house. This causes the master to rejoice, as these jars were not any good in the first place. Another story it tells draws from the canonical gospels, as it is about a shepherd with one hundred sheep who leaves ninety-nine of them to go find the one that wandered off. A strange interpretation is offered by the text to do with types of numbers relating to the left and right hands.
Overall, the Gospel of Truth is a bizarre one infused with Gnostic ideas that make it difficult to understand. Some of the things it says have clear parallels to things found in the New Testament gospels, though their meanings are twisted from having been torn out of context. This is also probably the hardest gospel on this list to read.
Textual Variants and Preservation: It is fairly well-preserved compared to some of the others.
Important Quote:
The Gospel of Truth is a joy for those who’ve received grace from the Father of Truth, that they might know him through the power of the Word that came from the fullness – the one who’s in the thought and mind of the Father. They call him “Savior.” That’s the name of the work he’ll do to redeem those who had become ignorant of the Father. And the term “the Gospel” is the revelation of hope, the discovery of those who search for him.14
I hope you learned something reading this! It is one of the longer posts I have written here, so I really appreciate those who read the whole thing. As always, subscribe if you have not and share this with someone you think might like it.
Burke, Simeon. “When was the Gospel of Thomas written?” Bible Odyssey. https://www.bibleodyssey.org/articles/when-was-the-gospel-of-thomas-written/. Accessed June 12, 2024.
Johnson, BA. “The Gospel of Thomas: Manuscripts, Texts, and Early Translations.” Owlcation, 2023. https://owlcation.com/humanities/What-Do-We-Know-About-The-Gospel-of-Thomas. Accessed June 12, 2024.
Ibid.
Marina, Marko. “The Gospel of Thomas: Summary and Why It’s Not In the Bible.” BartEhrman.com, 2023. https://www.bartehrman.com/gospel-of-thomas/. Accessed June 12, 2024.
Ibid.
Lambdin, Thomas O., trans. “The Gospel of Thomas.” https://www.marquette.edu/maqom/Gospel%20of%20Thomas%20Lambdin.pdf. Accessed June 12, 2024.
Marina, Marko. “Gospel of Judas: Examining the Apocryphal Book.” BartEhrman.com, 2023. https://www.bartehrman.com/gospel-of-judas/. Accessed June 12, 2024.
Mattison, Mark M., trans. “The Gospel of Judas.”
Mattison, Mark M., trans. “The Infancy Gospel of James.”
Mattison, Mark M., trans. “The Gospel of Peter.”
Mattison, Mark M., trans. “The Gospel of Philip.”
Mattison, Mark M., trans. “The Infancy Gospel of Thomas.”
Curtis, David, trans. “The Gospel of Mary.”
Mattison, Mark M., trans. “The Gospel of Truth.”
Thank you for putting together all this information Rachel. It is very enlightening! ❤️
Well, this is an interesting share indeed. I've always found the gospel of Judas funny and reading you put it that way just made me laugh more..
I've really enjoyed reading this Rachel. Had never known there was this infancy gospel of Thomas too. Now I just feel like talking about this all day😁
Thanks Rachel