Other Gospels

For anyone interested in a rather different perspective of Christian views of Jesus, the non-canonical Gospels can be an eye-opening experience. Non-canonical refers to texts not accepted as part of the New Testament, for a variety of reasons. They aren't necessarily subversive, though some paint rather conflicting views of Jesus and his teachings. But mostly what they provide is simply more material, much of it subject to further interpretation. Some of the material is known as Gnostic material; some is not. Author Ron Cameron has broken the 16 non-canonical works into two broad categories: Traditions of the Sayings of Jesus and Traditions of Stories About Jesus. He gives us extended quotations of such material as the Gospel of Thomas or the Secret Gospel of Mark. In all cases, Cameron then uses the material to shed further light on how Christian thinking about Jesus and his teachings developed beyond the material admitted to the canon. This book assumes a certain knowledge, though not extensive, of early Christian writings. It's a worthy companion to other readings about the Gospels. Particularly worth noting is Cameron's assessment that the cited material, rather than developing out of established canonical works, may well have predated the material we're most familiar with. If the assessment of Cameron and other scholars is correct, the writings are especially worth reading because they could alter our views of the teachings of Jesus.