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.
The Council of Nicea (Nicaea) was held in 325 AD in what is now Iznik, Turkey. Roman emperor Constantine invited all Christian bishops to convene, at his expense, to settle some theological conflicts. There are a lot of urban legends about what happened.
Did Constantine change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday? The Edict of Milan is a proclamation by Roman emperor Constantine I, given in 313 AD, that ensured the right of all Roman citizens to worship freely. It also instructed that any property that had been confiscated from Christians should be returned.
Adrian or, more famously, Hadrian was the emperor of Rome from 117 to 138. This letter, apparently written to Roman senator Gaius Minicius Fundanus, expresses Hadrian's view on legal proceedings involving Christians. We know of the letter only because it was preserved by Justin Martyr.
This epistle, or letter - also known as The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus - was written by an unknown author during the second or third century. The author calls himself "Mathetes," which is simply the Greek word for disciple.
The Apology of Aristides was written in the early 2nd century by Marcianus Aristides of Athens. The text is his explanation for why Hadrian - Roman emperor from 117 - 138 AD - should believe that Christianity is true, and to follow Jesus as a result.
The so-called "Gospel of Judas" is neither a gospel nor written by Judas. It's a second-century document that was created to promote gnostic ideas that directly contradict what Jesus' disciples wrote in the New Testament.
Also known as “The Lord’s Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations,” the Didache is an ancient document containing what might be called a catechism. The word “didache” means “teaching” in the sense of passing on doctrine. Written anonymously in (probably) the first century, it is one of the oldest writings of Christian practice.
Nag Hammadi is a town in Egypt. In 1945, two Egyptian brothers found a large urn near Nag Hammadi, filled with ancient papyri. The Nag Hammadi library is a collection of manuscripts is believed to be from the 4th century, copies of documents written earlier. Most of the documents are indirectly related to early Christianity, though the content varies. None are considered inspired Scripture.
Discovered in 1945, the Gospel of Thomas is part of the Nag Hammadi library of manuscripts. Also known as the Coptic Gospel of Thomas, it is a collection of 114 supposedly secret sayings of Jesus.
The Book of Enoch is an ancient apocalyptic Jewish text. Written (approximately) between 300BC and 100BC, it carries the name of Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah. Jude mentions the book in Jude 1:14-15...
The Epistle of Barnabas is a Greek letter traditionally attributed to Barnabas, an apostle and companion of Paul mentioned in the book of Acts. This letter was found in its entirety in Codex Sinaiticus.
