What are the Non-Canonical Gospels?

Many people only know the version of the non-canonical gospels popularised by Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. The Church did away these 'lost' texts, and their recovery promises to reveal a more primitive version of Jesus that Orthodoxy suppressed. But how much truth is there to this narrative? What really are the non-canonical gospels? In this episode, Helen and Lloyd are joined by Simon Gathercole to uncover the true story of the non-canonical or 'apocryphal' gospels.
Simon J. Gathercole (divinity.cam.ac.uk/directory/simon-gathercole) is Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Fitzwilliam College. He is a world leading authority on the non-canonical gospels, and is the author of The Gospel of Judas (global.oup.com/academic/product/the-gospel-of-…)(2007), The Gospel of Thomas (brill.com/display/title/19205?language=en&…) (OUP, 2007), The Gospel of Thomas: Introduction and Commentary (Brill, 2014) and The Apocryphal Gospels (penguin.co.uk/books/308433/the-apocryphal-gosp…) (Penguin, 2021).
SUPPORT BIBLICAL TIME MACHINE
If you enjoy the podcast, please (pretty please!) consider supporting the show through the Time Travellers Club (patreon.com/BiblicalTimeMachine), our Patreon. We are an independent, listener-supported show (no ads!), so please help us continue to showcase high-quality biblical scholarship with a monthly subscription (patreon.com/BiblicalTimeMachine).
DOWNLOAD OUR STUDY GUIDE: MARK AS ANCIENT BIOGRAPHY
Check out our 4-part audio study guide called "The Gospel of Mark as an Ancient Biography (biblicaltimemachine.com/store/p/biblical-time-…)." While you're there, get yourself a Biblical Time Machine mug (biblicaltimemachine.com/store/p/timetravelersmug) or a cool sticker (biblicaltimemachine.com/store/p/bubble-free-st…) for your water bottle.
Support the show (patreon.com/BiblicalTimeMachine)
Theme music written and performed by Dave Roos, creator of Biblical Time Machine. Season 4 + 5 produced by John Nelson.