New Testament Apocrypha Overview

GENRE

The Apocrypha is a broad genre or category of literature that refers to literature inspired by the Scriptures in some way (it is generally anonymous or pseudonymous). This is despite the fact that most use the term as if to refer to a closed collection of texts (see “DISUNITY” below—it ought to be added that even with that definition, there are all types of arguments as to what ought to be considered part of “The Apocrypha” officially). Within this genre is a sub-genre: Pseudepigrapha. Pseudepigrapha are biblical rewrites or fan fiction.

Although people often refer mostly to the “Old Testament Apocrypha” when they say “apocrypha”, “New Testament Apocrypha” ought to also be understood as a type of apocrypha. The former category is for those apocrypha inspired by the Old Testament, and the latter are those inspired by the New Testament. What’s more, what is traditionally called “the New Testament Apocrypha” is also “the New Testament Pseudepigrapha” since it is all pseudonymously written. Thus, while “apocrypha” technically is not a misnomer when applied to New Testament texts, the more specific term “pseudepigrapha” could be properly used in its place (some definitions or descriptions of “the New Testament Apocrypha” do, in fact, include some works that are not pseudepigrapha: The Shepherd of Hermas being one such example).

“...the texts included under a title such as New Testament Apocrypha represent an amorphous and wide-ranging group. Unlike the New Testament, which is distinct and stable, and was written over only a short period of time, a collection of ‘apocryphal’ texts such as the present one does not constitute an agreed, settled entity written within a defined time scale. In fact, one noteworthy feature of this literature-possibly because it lacked the sanctity of texts afforded canonical status-is that the contents of its books were frequently revised, expanded, epitomized, and rewritten.”
- J. K. Elliott, The Apocryphal New Testament, pg. xi

Even within the New Testament apocrypha genre, there can be considered further sub-genres: Gospel (works about Jesus’ life, works, and sayings)—infancy gospels and dialogues being even smaller genres within this genre—Acts, and Epistles. Although these sub-genres appear to be parallel to the genres of the New Testament, they are superficial, and they are often very different in content and style.

“Many of the texts…have no obvious link with the genres of literature to be found in the canonical New Testament…. [M]any [New Testament apocrypha] do not fit sensibly into these categories [Gospel, Acts, Epistles]. The Epistle of the Apostles is no real letter as understood in terms of the New Testament epistles: rather it is a type of apocalyptic literature better designated as ‘Dialogues of the Risen Jesus’.”
- J. K. Elliott, The Apocryphal New Testament, pg. xi

DISUNITY

Like the Old Testament Apocrypha, the New Testament Apocrypha should not be thought of as a bound collection of texts (like the Chronicles of Narnia or Lord of the Rings) or even as texts that are unified in idea or thought (like the canonical Bible). Rather, even more so than the Old Testament Apocrypha, the New Testament Apocrypha.

For the Old Testament Apocrypha, texts like the Wisdom of Solomon and Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirah contrast in how they present wisdom, Judith shows lying as not being problematic in contradiction to the other texts, and so on. The New Testament Apocrypha, on the other hand, texts will not only have minor contradictions in some ethics or emphases, but will be written by separate sects—orthodox or heterodox—that have entirely different theologies and ethical ideals.

PURPOSE

The purpose of New Testament Apocrypha is manifold: for earlier apocrypha (that is, when the New Testament canon was more hotly debated and authorship could more easily be attributed to the Apostles), many desired to prove some doctrine—generally spurious and not found in the canonical New Testament or accepted by the catholic Church. Later apocrypha tended to supplement the New Testament and explain gaps or otherwise tricky sections of the New Testament. Besides these, many apocrypha were written to exhort Christians to live faithful lives. Today, they give us insight into the various beliefs of many lay Christians who did not have theological training (otherwise, they probably would have written under their own name).

SIGNIFICANCE

Since the Old Testament Apocrypha was written by Jews who were Jews by ethnicity and religion, it was written by people who had a better understanding of the Old Testament that had inspired their writings to various degrees. The New Testament Apocrypha, on the other hand, was written by Christians (orthodox or not) after Christianity had become a Gentile-majority religion. These authors, while more educated (otherwise they wouldn’t be able to write), did not necessarily have a better understanding of theology (something not taught through formal education at the time), or the culture, customs, or even necessarily geography of Jesus or the Apostles. They wrote the texts they did for their own rhetorical purposes and to suit their diverse agendas.

Many Old Testament apocrypha are also assumed by the authors of the New Testament authors (again, because a lot of apocryphal authors were born and raised with the Old Testament not only as their religious but also their ethnic history and therefore had a deeper understanding of it). The New Testament Apocrypha, in contrast, was rarely quoted or referenced by very early church fathers.

PROBLEMS

Although we have many New Testament Apocrypha, many of them were unknown to many of us until the Renaissance (and we still discover many new apocrypha each year). Even among those that we still have today, they have not survived in their original languages, have variances among copies, or are fragmentary. There exist many texts that are referred to by church fathers that we do not have or that we think we might have, but are not sure. There are many that we may not ever find.