Pseudepigrapha are false writings.
Pseudepigrapha means ‘false writings.’ The title is given to ancient manuscripts and books that claim to have been written by someone, but were not. For example, the Gospel of Thomas wasn’t written by Thomas… someone else wrote it and put Thomas’ name on it. The goal, generally speaking, was to give a document more credibility by attributing it to someone famous.
Old Testament pseudepigrapha falsely attribute writings to people found in the Old Testament, and New Testament pseudepigrapha are falsely attributed to New Testament people.
There is no single list of New Testament pseudepigrapha, and new manuscripts and discoveries add to existing lists. Here is a list of major pseudepigraphal writings commonly recognized by scholars. They were likely written from the end of the 1st century through the medieval period.
Major New Testament Pseudepigraphal Works:
Non-canonical Gospels
- Gospel of Thomas
- Gospel of Peter
- Gospel of Mary Magdalene
- Gospel of Judas
- Gospel of Philip
- Infancy Gospel of James (Protoevangelium of James)
- Infancy Gospel of Thomas
Acts (Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles)
- Acts of Peter
- Acts of Paul
- Acts of John
- Acts of Andrew
- Acts of Thomas
- Acts of Andrew and Matthew in the City of the Cannibals
Spurious Epistles and Letters
- Epistle of Barnabas
- Epistle to the Laodiceans (attributed to Paul)
- Epistles of Jesus Christ and Abgarus King of Edessa
Apocalypses and Revelations
- Apocalypse of Peter
- Apocalypse of Paul
- Vision of Ezra (Greek Apocalypse of Ezra)
- Apocalypse of Thomas
Other Notable Texts
- Infancy narratives related to Jesus and Mary
- Dormition of Mary
- Martyrdom of Paul
- Martyrdom of Andrew
