Every book by Jeremy Payton, grouped by subject, with what each one covers.
The books that stood in the Bible for centuries, then slipped out of most Protestant editions.
The Apocrypha
Eighteen books stood in the Bible for centuries. Then they slipped out of most Protestant editions, and this volume brings them back together. Here are the stories of Tobit, Judith and Susanna. There is also the wisdom of Solomon and Sirach, along with the wars of the Maccabees. Finally come the visions of Esdras and the prayers and psalms that travelled with them. Clear translations give the historical and theological context of each text, so these hidden narratives become readable for anyone.
The fallen angels, their sons and the man who walked with God.
The Books of Enoch
Three books carry Enoch's name, written centuries apart in three languages. This volume brings them together. 1 Enoch tells of the Watchers who came down to earth and the birth of the giants. It also follows the patriarch's journeys through the heavens. 2 Enoch, preserved in Slavonic, then follows him through the seven heavens. Finally, 3 Enoch, from the Hebrew mystical tradition, turns him into the angel Metatron. The commentary traces how these visions of angels and the end of days shaped early Jewish and Christian thought.
The Book of Giants
The Watchers came down from heaven and took human wives. Their children were the giants: the Nephilim of Genesis, the "men of renown". This book survived only in fragments among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran. Moreover, it grows out of the same tradition as 1 Enoch. The translation and commentary first reconstruct the story. Then they read the Aramaic text against its Enochic roots. Finally, they follow the legend of a giant who may have outlived the flood.
The Christianity that did not make it into the canon.
The Gnostic Gospels
Fourteen texts come from the Christianity that did not make it into the canon. Most of them, in fact, lay buried in a jar at Nag Hammadi until 1945. For example, Thomas collects the sayings of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene teaches the disciples. Other voices, however, speak of a hidden knowledge and a divine spark in every person. They even describe a world made by a lesser god. Translated and set in context, they show the many ways of being Christian in the first centuries.
The Gospel of Thomas
There is no story, no miracles and no cross. Instead, there are only a hundred and fourteen sayings of "the living Jesus", written down by Thomas. The text was then buried at Nag Hammadi until 1945. Some sayings echo the Gospels of the New Testament. Others, however, turn them inside out and point to a kingdom that is already here and within. This new translation adds a commentary on each saying. It also sets Thomas beside the canonical Gospels and shows why it still unsettles readers.
The Gospel of Mary Magdalene
In this gospel Mary Magdalene is not a penitent but a teacher. After the resurrection she consoles the frightened disciples. Then she passes on what Jesus told her alone: a path of inner knowledge. Peter, however, refuses to accept it from a woman. The text was rediscovered in the late nineteenth century and is given here in full. In addition, a commentary explains its origins and its teaching. It also looks at the place of women in the earliest Christian communities.
The last book of the New Testament, vision by vision.
The Book of Revelation
The last book of the New Testament is also the hardest to read. It is full of seven seals, seven trumpets and a beast rising from the sea. There is also a woman clothed with the sun and a new Jerusalem coming down from heaven. This edition of The Book of Revelation gives the full text with a commentary. First, the commentary follows John's visions in order and explains where they came from. Next, it shows what their symbols meant to the first readers. It also sets them beside the older apocalyptic writings they answer. Finally, it draws out the message underneath the imagery. That message is divine justice, the struggle between good and evil, and the hope of a redeemed creation.