Patristic and Gnostic Literature

 

 

 

Below are some of the early non-canonical documents relevant to the early Christian period. They include early writings of the Church Fathers (Patristic), and also Gnostic documents.

These documents are generally available on-line as well as in bookshops. I have listed them in chronological order and have included a brief description of the context of each.

The Akhmim Codex was found in 1896 and because it was translated in Berlin it is sometimes called the Berlin Codex. The Nag Hammadi codices were discovered in 1945.

 


 

St. Barnabas

The Gospel of Philip.

Gnostic Gospel from after AD 180. The only extant copy is a fourth century Coptic manuscript found in Nag Hammadi. It is called the Gospel of Philip because he's the only Apostle mentioned in the text - he has never been considered the author.

 

The Gospel of Mary.

Pseudepigrapha from the third century. There are two extant third century Greek fragments and one, longer, 5th Century Coptic fragment; the latter is part of the Berlin or Akhmim Codex. The Mary in question is Mary Magdalene.

 

The Protevangelium of James.

An infancy gospel dated to the middle of the second century, although the earliest extant manuscript is third century. It is pseudepigrapha of James the Less (the step-brother of Jesus) and offers the back story to the holy family: hence proto-gospel.