List of gospels

Gospels (Greek: , lit. 'good news'; Latin: ) are the written accounts of Jesus Christ's life and teachings. The term originally referred to the central message of Christianity –the “good news”– before coming to denote the books in which the message was recorded. The term "gospel" refers to a genre of ancient biography found in early Christian literature. The mainstream biblical canon is the New Testament, which includes four canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Other gospels exist but are not included in modern mainstream biblical canons. These additional gospels are referred to as New Testament apocrypha or non-canonical gospels. Some of these texts have had an impact on Christian traditions, including various forms of iconography, by providing alternative narratives and perspectives on the life and teachings of Jesus. This then influenced artistic representations and theological interpretations.

Canonical gospels

Synoptic gospels Gospel of Matthew Gospel of Mark (including longer ending - see also the Freer Logion) Gospel of Luke Gospel of John

1st Century - 7th Century AD

Gnostic Gospels

Gospel of Thomas – a gospel of phrases or sayings, also known as the Coptic Gospel of Thomas Gospel of Basilides – composed in Egypt around 120–140 AD, thought to be a Gnostic gospel harmony of the canonical gospels Gospel of Truth (Valentinian) – mid-2nd-century, departed from earlier Gnostic works by defending the physicality of Christ and his resurrection Gospel of the Four Heavenly Realms – mid-2nd-century, thought to be a Gnostic cosmology, most likely in the form of a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples Gospel of Mary – a 2nd-century Gnostic text Gospel of Judas – 2nd-century, documents Gnostic teachings in the form of a dialogue between Jesus and Judas Greek Gospel of the Egyptians – composed in the second quarter of the 2nd century Gospel of Philip – a 3rd-century gospel of sayings Gospel of the Twelve Apostles – a Syriac-language gospel titled the Gospel of the Twelve. This work is shorter than the regular gospels and seems to be different from the lost Gospel of the TwelveHarris, J. R., ed. The Gospel of the Twelve Apostles Together with the Apocalypses of Each One of Them (Cambridge, 1900). Gospel of Perfection – 4th-century Ophite poem mentioned only once by a patristic source, Epiphanius,Pan. Hæres. 26. § 2 and referred to once in the 6th century Syriac Infancy Gospel Coptic Gospel of the Egyptians – also called Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit

Jewish-Christian Gospels

Gospel of the Hebrews – consisting of seven citations by Epiphanius Gospel of the Nazarenes – consisting of citations and marginal notes by Jerome and others Gospel of the Ebionites – a fragmented gospel harmony of the Synoptic Gospels, modified to reflect the theology of the writer Gospel of the Twelve – a lost gospel mentioned by Origen as part of a list of heretical works

Infancy Gospels Armenian Infancy GospelAlso available on BibleGateway.com's Encyclopedia of the Bible (which is derived from the Zondervan work). Protoevangelium of James – Gospel of the Nativity of Mary Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew History of Joseph the Carpenter Infancy Gospel of Thomas Latin Infancy Gospel – also known as the "J Composition" Syriac Infancy Gospel

Fragmentary preserved gospels Fragmentary gospels are those preserved from primary sources.

Gospel of Eve – mentioned only once by Epiphanius around 400 AD, who preserves a single brief passage in quotation Gospel of Mani – 3rd-century, attributed to the Persian Mani, the founder of Manichaeism Gospel of the Saviour (also known as the Unknown Berlin Gospel) – a highly fragmentary 6th-century manuscript based on a late 2nd- or early 3rd-century original Coptic Gospel of the Twelve – late 2nd-century Coptic language work. Although often equated with the Gospel of the Ebionites, it appears to be a retelling the Gospel of John in the pattern of the Synoptics Gospel of Peter - believed to be an early 2nd-century work

Reconstructed Gospels Reconstructed gospels are those preserved from secondary sources and commentaries.

Secret Gospel of Mark – legitimacy is debated, as the single source mentioning it was lost before it could be independently authenticated Gospel of Matthias – a lost text from the New Testament apocrypha; content has been surmised from descriptions by church fathers Gospel of Marcion – 2nd-century, closely related to the Gospel of Luke

Lost Gospels Text known only by their mentions in other sources. Gospel of Cerinthus – around 90–120 AD according to Epiphanius,Pan. Haer. 28.5.1., I 317.10 this is a Jewish gospel identical to the Gospel of the Ebionites. According to the Hebrews, it was apparently a truncated version of the Gospel of Matthew Gospel of Apelles – mid to late 2nd-century, an edited version of Marcion's Gospel Gospel of Valentinus Gospel of the Encratites Gospel of Andrew – mentioned by two 5th-century sources (Augustine and Pope Innocent I) who list it as apocryphal Gospel of Bartholomew, Gospel of Hesychius, and Gospel of Lucius – mentioned by two 5th-century sources, Jerome and Gelasian Decree, that both list it as apocryphal Gospel of Merinthus – mentioned only by Epiphanius. It is thought by most to be the Gospel of Cerinthus, with the confusion due to a scribal error An unknown number of other Gnostic gospels not cited by name Gospel of the Adversary of the Law and the ProphetsAugustine, Contra Adversarium Legis et Prophetarum, 2.3.14. Memoirs of the Apostles – a lost narrative of the life of Jesus, mentioned by Justin Martyr. The passages quoted by Justin may have originated from a gospel harmony of the Synoptic Gospels composed by Justin or his school

Fragments of unknown/lost gospels These are fragmentary texts whose origins are uncertain or unknown, preserved from primary sources.

Papyrus Egerton 2 – late 2nd-century manuscript of a possibly earlier original; contents parallel sections of the canonical gospels but differ textually. This manuscript also contains an incomplete miracle account, which has no equivalent in the canonical gospels Fayyum Fragment – a fragment of about 100 Greek letters in 3rd-century script. The text seems to parallel Mark 14:26–31 Oxyrhynchus Papyri – mid-2nd-century fragments; related to and/or paraphrases Mark, Matthew, and Luke, but #840 contains a short vignette about Jesus and a Pharisee not found in any known gospel Gospel of Jesus' Wife – a fragment based on the Gospel of Thomas, suspected as a modern forgery Papyrus Berolinensis 1171 – Book of Enoch, 0–6th-century Greek fragment, possibly from an apocryphal gospel or amulet based on John Papyrus Cairensis 10735 – 6th- or 7th-century Greek fragment, possibly from a lost gospel, may be a homily or commentary Papyrus Merton 51 – fragment from an apocryphal gospel or a homily on Luke 6:7 Strasbourg Fragment – fragment of a lost gospel, likely related to Acts of John

Hypothesized text sources of canonical gospels

Q source – Q consists of material common to Matthew and Luke, but not found in Mark M source – M consists of material unique to Matthew L source – L consists of material unique to Luke Signs Gospel and Discourses Gospel – the narrative of the Seven Signs and the source of the discourse material, respectively, in John

Medieval gospels Gospel of the Seventy – a lost 8th or 9th-century Manichean work Gospel of Nicodemus – a post-10th-century Christian devotional work (or works) in many variants; the first section is highly dependent upon the 5th century Acts of Pilate Gospel of the Secret Supper – a 12th-century Cathar scripture Gospel of Barnabas – a 16th-century harmony of the canonical gospels with Islamic elements, probably of Spanish (Morisco) or Italian origin

Modern gospels

19th Century

Life and Morals of Jesus (1820) The Book of Mormon (1830) Ur-Gospel of the Essenes (1848) Great Gospel of John (1851–1864) The Gospel of the Holy Twelve (1881) Oahspe: A New Bible (1882) The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ (1894)

20th Century

Gospel of the Childhood of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to St. Peter (1904) Crucifixion of Jesus, by an Eyewitness (1907) The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ (1908) The Fifth Gospel (1908, Steiner) Jehoshua the Nazir (1917) Gospel of Josephus (1927) The Mystical Life of Jesus (1929) – based heavily on The Aquarian Gospel, where entire chapters were plagiarized Essene Gospel of Peace (1937; 1974) The Urantia Book (1955) The Poem of the Man-God (1956) The Fifth Gospel (1956, Naber) The Jesus Scroll (1972) The Gospel Given at Ares (1974) Gospel of Jesus According to Gabriele Wittek (1977) The Fifth Gospel (1993, Vandenberg), Novel

List of gospels

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