Hidden Gospels: How the Search for Jesus Lost Its Way

269 Pages·2002·14.138 MB·English

by  Philip Jenkins

HIDDEN GOSPELS
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HIDDEN
GOSPELS
How the Search for Jesus
Lost Its Way
PHILIP JENKINS
OXFORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
OXFORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
Oxford New York
Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires
Cape Town Chennai Dares Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul
Karachi Kolkata Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai
Nairobi Sao Paulo Shanghai Taipei Tokyo Toronto
Copyright © 2001 by Philip Jenkins
First published by Oxford University Press, Inc., 2001
First issued as an Oxford University Press paperback, 2003
198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016
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Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication maybe reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jenkins, Philip, 1952-
Hidden Gospels: how the search for Jesus lost its way/Philip Jenkins
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-19-515631-7(pbk.)
1. Apocryphal Gospels.
2. Christianity—Origin.
I.Title.
BS2851J462001
229.8—dc21
00-040641
Printed in the United States of America
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
1 Hiding and Seeking 3
2 Fragments of a Faith Forgotten 27
3 The First Gospels? Q and Thomas 54
4 Gospel Truth 82
5 Hiding Jesus: The Church and the Heretics 107
6 Daughters of Sophia 124
7 Into the Mainstream 148
8 The Gospels in the Media 178
9 The Next New Gospel 205
Notes 217
Index 249
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Acknowledgments
I am grateful to Kathryn Hume and William Petersen for their
always valuable advice; needless to say, they take no responsibil-
ity for the arguments made here, nor for any errors of fact or
faith. Thanks also to other colleagues who have made helpful
comments, including Paul Harvey and Gary Knoppers, and I'd
also like to acknowledge the excellent research assistance pro-
vided by Peter Lawler.
VI!
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HIDDEN GOSPELS