In need of some religious expertise....

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Of course. And seeing as there is no more evidence for this one compared to the four that were chosen - a minority of those that were written that we know of. What explanation is there that all these other texts were excluded? Most were written decades after the event including those that are canonical.

Date, the Patristic Letters of Clement etc. place a canon of four Gospels very early, 100 AD is the earliest one, I think. By contrast, the arguement for Revelations is very weak, so much so that Luthor tried to remove it. By all accounts Judas is not only lately written, but lately commented on.

Remember, the Biblical canon is merely a list of those books most trusted, it does not preclude you reading the Gospel of Peter or Thomas.

In the Reformation we took away idols from the church, we ended the select priesthood, we strived to worship in a more acceptable manner centred purely on God, maybe there is one last bastion of idolatry remaining in the church today?

Let me turn that on its head for you. Maybe there's nothing wrong with crosses, crucifixes, and icons so long as we remember they are representations?

I might go so far as to suggest that the closed Bible is more idolterus because it is nothing more than a book, and it represents merely the written word, the [/i]scriptura[i], which in English is "writing", while the Latin for WORD is "Verbum", and the Greek is "Logos".

None of those are etymologically related to writing or books, but to speaking.

[rory_20_uk]

Date, the Patristic Letters of Clement etc. place a canon of four Gospels very early, 100 AD is the earliest one, I think. By contrast, the argument for Revelations is very weak, so much so that Luthor tried to remove it. By all accounts Judas is not only lately written, but lately commented on.

Remember, the Biblical canon is merely a list of those books most trusted, it does not preclude you reading the Gospel of Peter or Thomas.

The Bible hardly makes it clear that there is an analogue scale with a "readers digest" of the most popular ones freely available and the others there only if you specifically know what you're looking for.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

The Bible hardly makes it clear that there is an analogue scale with a "readers digest" of the most popular ones freely available and the others there only if you specifically know what you're looking for.

The Bible doesn't come with an introduction and explanatory notes, unless they are modern. I'm sorry, but I feel this is a petty complaint. If you want to know about the formation of the canon and the New Testemant Apophryca you just need to go to the Theology section of a half-decent Llibrary.

Look: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_...spel+of+Thomas

The Gnostic Gospels are on Amazon for less than £20, inc postage.

[HoreTore]

Miotas, please stay on topic, or make thyself ye own thread