Secret Scriptures Revealed: A new introduction to the Christian Apocrypha
Author(s): Tony Burke (Author)
Publisher: SPCK
Publication Date: 20 Jun. 2013
Language: English
Print length: 176 pages
ISBN-10: 0281068453
ISBN-13: 9780281068456
Book Description
Throughout history, Christians have expressed their faith through story. They created texts featuring important early Christian figures – like Jesus, Peter, Paul, Mary Magdalene, and Judas – to express their relationships to God and to the world around them. Some of these texts are found in today’s New Testament, but there is a wide assortment of other texts that are not included in the Bible. This book offers readers a guide to the Christian Apocrypha, beginning with a description of scholars’ efforts to recover and reconstruct the texts, followed by examinations of a number of key texts. It responds to a number of misconceptions and common questions about the Apocrypha and finishes with a discussion of the enduring value of the Christian Apocrypha.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Secret Scriptures Revealed is a readable, engaging introduction to noncanonical texts and debates about them. Nonspecialists are gently introduced to significant scholarly issues, and texts are described in such intriguing ways that readers will surely be motivated to follow the helpful recommendations for further reading and peruse texts for themselves. This book serves as an excellent and delightfully concise overview of early Christian literature that demonstrates how study of noncanonical texts points to diversity in early Christianity. The book also illustrates how the pre-existing commitments and concerns of apocryphal interpreters have shaped discussion of these texts. — Julia Snyder, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany ― Review of Biblical Literature
Book Description
Secret Scriptures Revealed is a short, accessible introduction to “Christian Apocrypha” for students and members of the general public interested in learning more about noncanonical texts.
About the Author
Tony Burke is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at York University in Toronto, Canada.
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