Many times our search for deeper understanding of the holy book leads to questions beyond the Bible itself. As we encounter references to social conditions, cultural practices, and even other writings mentioned within the scriptures we are called to investigate and expand our knowledge in order to fully appreciate the context, knowledge base, and cultural significance of what is being taught.
Thus, to fully understand the Bible, we are necessarily drawn to sources outside the Bible. These sources add to the historical, social, or theological understanding of Biblical times. As our view becomes more macrocosmic, we see the panoramic setting and further understand the full truth within the scriptures. To point us to the sources we should be concerned with, we must know which books were popular and important at the time. There are several books mentioned in the Bible, which are not included in the Bible.
Books and writings can fall under various categories such as civil records and laws, historical documents, or spiritual writings. A city or state census is not inspired, but it could add insight into certain areas of life. Spiritual writings which are directly quoted in the Bible serve as insights into the beliefs of the writer or what was considered acceptable by society at the time.
As with any new discovery, invention, or belief, the new is interpreted based upon the structure of what came before. This was the way in the first century Christian church as beliefs were based upon the old Jewish understanding.
Although, one should realize pagan beliefs were also added to the church as non-Jewish populations were converted, bringing with them the foundations of their beliefs on which they interpreted Christianity.
In the case of Jude, James, Paul, and others, the Jewish past was giving way to the Christian present but their understanding and doctrine were still being influenced by what they had learned and experienced previously. It becomes obvious that to understand the Bible one should endeavor to investigate the books and doctrines that most influenced the writers of the Bible.
Some diverged and competed as with orthodox doctrine, other simply faded away. The Dead Sea Scrolls found in the caves of Qumran are of great interest in the venture of clarifying the history and doctrine in existence between biblical times and the fixing of canon. The scrolls were penned in the second century B. Similar scrolls to those found in the eleven caves of Qumran were also found at the Masada stronghold which fell in 73 A.
Fragments of every book of the Old Testament except Esther were found in the caves of Qumran, but so were many other books. Want more? Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! Usage Public Domain Topics bible , lost books of the bible , gospels , lost gospels , missing gospels , apocryphal gospels , passion narrative , non-canonical gospels , Signs Gospel Collection opensource Language English. According to some estimates, early Christians wrote at least twenty gospels that weren't included in the bible.
Many of these non-biblical gospels apparently disappeared later, although copies of some of them may still survive at unknown locations. Luckily, several long-lost books have been rediscovered in modern times. But some are still missing, and could be permanently lost Those works referenced here are not mentioned in the Bible but are associated with it. All, of course, are controversial to some, but authenticity is an individual decision.
Anything else is, in any case, intellectual censorship. It should be noted that the references linked in this section are random and individual research must be done on all the books.
0コメント