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Jeremy Payton
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Jeremy Payton writes here about the texts the canon left outside: the Apocrypha and the Gnostic Gospels, the Books of Enoch, the Book of Revelation, and the world of Second Temple Judaism that produced them all. Each article takes one text, one figure or one question, then reads it closely, with the manuscripts in view and conjecture labeled as conjecture. The newest articles are below; the eleven sections collect them by subject, so a reader who wants only the Apocrypha and Gnostic Gospels, or only Enoch, can follow a single thread from beginning to end.

Apocryphal Studies Deuterocanonical Books Enoch and the Watchers Giants and Nephilim Gnostic Beliefs Sayings of Jesus Mary Magdalene Early Christian Writings Revelation Explained Apocalyptic Visions Second Temple Judaism

Deuterocanonical Books

The Book of Tobit: A Blind Man, a Fish and an Angel in Disguise

6 min read
Deuterocanonical Books

The Mystical Language of Solomon: Rings, Seals and the Books That Borrowed His Name

6 min read
Gnostic Beliefs

The Interplay of Good and Evil in the Apocalypse of Adam

9 min read
Gnostic Beliefs

The Secret Book of John: Gnostic Cosmology and Theology

7 min read
Early Christian Writings

The Didache: A Window into Early Christian Community Life

10 min read
Early Christian Writings

Who Wrote the Acts of Paul and Thecla: The Presbyter Who Lost His Office

7 min read
Apocalyptic Visions

The Apocalypse of Peter: The Lost Vision of Heaven and Hell That Nearly Entered the Canon

10 min read
Deuterocanonical Books

The Testament of Solomon: The Ring, the Demons and the Temple They Built

6 min read
Early Christian Writings

Infancy Gospel of Thomas vs. the Canonical Gospels: A Comparison

9 min read
Deuterocanonical Books

The Visions of Baruch: Exile, Judgment and the Hope of Return

6 min read
Gnostic Beliefs

The Sacrament of the Bridal Chamber: Reconstructing the Lost Rite of the Gospel of Philip

7 min read
Early Christian Writings

The Angel of Repentance: The Shepherd of Hermas and the Book That Almost Made the Bible

7 min read
← Newer 1 … 12 13 14 Older →
Jeremy Payton

Ancient texts, read slowly and in context.

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Books

  • The Apocrypha
  • The Books of Enoch
  • The Gnostic Gospels
  • The Book of Giants
  • The Gospel of Mary Magdalene
  • The Gospel of Thomas
  • The Book of Revelation
  • All books

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