Q

uestion

29

What are the Apocrypha, the Gnostic Gospels,

and the Dead Sea Scrolls, and why are they

considered holy or sacred by some and not by

others?

Marcia Ford

A.

The Apocrypha (from a Greek word meaning “hidden”) is a series

of about a dozen books that are considered canonical, or authentic,

by Catholics and some Protestants but are omitted from some ver-

sions of the Bible. Even among those who consider the Apocrypha canonical,

there is some dispute over which books should be included.

The gnostic (Greek for “knowledge”) gospels refer to books about Jesus

that did not make it into the canon of scripture. Interest in the books intensi-

fi ed in the last century with the discovery of a number of gnostic scrolls and

in this century when books like The Da Vinci Code placed them in the spotlight

once again. The gnostic gospels tend to question Jesus’ humanity, suggesting

that he was a divine or spiritual being who only seemed to be human.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are documents found in the mid-twentieth century

that include portions of the Old Testament. Also found were apocryphal books

and the writings of members of various Jewish sects.

As to the second part of the question, in large part their “sacredness”

depends on what individuals choose to believe. Many Christians believe that

because some early church leaders rejected apocryphal and gnostic books, we

should too, given that those leaders lived much closer to the time of Christ, and

for that reason their decisions can be trusted. Others believe that male leaders had

questionable motives for rejecting gnostic books in particular, since they often

presented a more powerful portrayal of women. The Dead Sea Scrolls present a

different view of sects such as the Essenes than had previously been accepted.

Brandon Gilvin

Who is...

?

Brandon Gilvin

I have been kicked out of Canada.

A.

“Apocrypha” means “hidden” or “obscure” and generally refers

to books that are connected to the biblical tradition but were not

considered sacred texts. There are apocryphal books in ancient